Welcome back to Peak Perspectives! 🏔️ Every Friday, we’re exploring the environmental shifts shaping our valley and how we can protect our home.
This week: Sudden Aspen Decline. Swipe through to see how past drought years have impacted our iconic forests and what we’re seeing across the landscape today. 🌲📉
Follow along with us every Friday as we dive into the future of the Roaring Fork Valley.
Spring sightings at Hallam Lake! 🦌🫎✨
From moose by the water to deer on the trails, the preserve is buzzing with activity. We love seeing our wild neighbors out and about, but please remember to give them plenty of space and stay on the boardwalks during your visit. 🌿
Have you spotted any wildlife lately? Let us know in the comments! 👇
Join ACES and Kairos Futura on May 30th for the Zombie Forest Quest—a high-stakes community mission to save Aspen Mountain’s Douglas firs from a beetle outbreak 🧟♂️🌲
We’re looking for volunteers to help us protect 5,000 trees in a single day by deploying pheromone bubble caps. No experience is necessary, just bring your hiking boots and a spirit of adventure! We'll celebrate our hard work at the end of the day with food, music, and a bonfire.
When: Saturday, May 30 | 11am–6pm
Where: 2600 Midnight Mine Rd
Help us protect our local canopy and keep our forests thriving. Register at the link in our bio!
Welcome to our first installment of Peak Perspectives! 🏔️ Every Friday, we’re diving into the critical environmental issues facing our valley and how we can take action together.
This week: Our Forest Snowpack, swipe through to learn more ❄️🌲
This week, the world celebrates a monumental milestone as the legendary naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, hits a century tomorrow! 🌍
For so many of us, Sir David has been the voice of our childhoods and the ultimate advocate for the wild spaces we love. For over seven decades, he has moved us to care for our planet, and at ACES, we are deeply inspired by his lifelong dedication to conservation.
We are thrilled to bring a piece of that legacy to Aspen this summer!
On July 17, join us for the William A. Nitze Community Lecture: Forty Years of Wildlife Filmmaking with Sir David Attenborough. This free public lecture at Paepcke Auditorium will be presented by Alastair Fothergill, the visionary producer behind Planet Earth and The Blue Planet, and a longtime collaborator of Sir David. Alastair will take us behind the lens of their most iconic films, sharing stories from a partnership that transformed how we see the earth.
Registration opens in June—don’t miss this chance to celebrate a century of inspiration!
Join us for two unique, back-to-back birding excursions this May:
✈️ May 20 | Airport Radar Road: Exclusive, restricted-access birding at Airport Ranch while the runway is quiet. Expect incredible ridge-top views and nesting songbirds.
🌿 May 21 | Birds of the Sagebrush: A magical pre-dawn outing with a CPW biologist to hear the "dawn chorus," followed by a deep-dive conversation over coffee and snacks at Toklat.
Space is limited! Register at the link in our bio. 🦉☕️🏔️
Missed our Earth Day celebration? We’ve got you covered. 🌎🎧
We are so excited to share Drew Petersen's live episode of his podcast during Earth Day! If you couldn't make it to the lecture or just want to relive the magic of @rolliewilliams & @drewpeterski , this episode captures the humor, heart, and climate expertise that made the night so special.
Click the link in our bio to listen now! 🎙️✨
Nature's voice is often quiet. We can help. 🏔️
One month. One sketchbook. One very full heart.
I just wrapped my very first wilderness artist residency at the Catto Center at Toklat — 11 miles up Castle Creek Valley in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. And it happened to bring me full circle to a place I first came to 25 years ago.
My final dispatch is up on Substack — link in bio.
It's about spring arriving in the high country, the healing power of deep attention, and what it means to create in a place that has held artists and wanderers for 75 years.
Also: baby pigs are coming next week. Just saying. 🐷✏️
See you at Dandelion Day! 🌼✨
This year’s theme is "Common Ground," presented in collaboration with the Aspen Indigenous Foundation. It’s a full day of celebrating spring, sustainability, and earth stewardship in Sopris Park. Stop by our booth to say hi to the ACES team and celebrate our vibrant community. 🦁💛
When: Saturday, May 9 | 10am – 5pm
Where: Sopris Park, Carbondale
We have some very cute new residents at Rock Bottom Ranch! 🐷✨
Whether you’re looking to watch them play, whip up a "gourmet" meal in our Mud Kitchen, or enjoy the spring blooms on a self-guided tour, it’s the perfect time for a mid-valley ranch day. Come say hello to the new crew and soak up some sunshine at the Ranch! 🌿☀️
