  ACES' year-round staff and 2010 Summer Naturalists StaffDIRECTOR Tom Cardamone joined his wife Jody (ACES' first Director) as Co-Director in 1975 and became ACES' Executive Director in 1982. He holds a Masters Degree from the College of Forestry and Natural Resources at Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Hamilton College. Tom has served on several Boards including The Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board, The Pitkin County Park Association (now the Aspen Valley Land Trust), The Pitkin County Wildlife Task Force, and The Colorado Wildlife Federation. After living 30 years at Hallam Lake, Tom and Jody now live in Emma and he divides his time among ACES' three sites: Hallam Lake, Toklat, Rock Bottom Ranch, and a fourth project, the Spring Creek Hatchery property. Tom finds inspiration in pristine wilderness and the eloquent writers who capture their wild essence along with the details of biology.
Lindsy Fortier joined ACES' staff in the summer of 2004 as a Naturalist and went on to teach children's environmental education at the Hallam Lake preserve in the summer of 2005 as a Super Naturalist. She is currently working as ACES' Community Outreach Coordinator. Lindsy comes to Aspen from upstate New York where she completed a B.A. in Environmental Science and a B.S. in Psychology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She takes many of the pictures featured in ACES publications and devotes much of her time to the organic garden at Hallam Lake. When not at ACES, Lindsy enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, and pottery. Jim Kravitz has been ACES' Director of Naturalist Programs since the summer of 1996. Jim joined the ACES staff as a Summer Intern in 1995 and as a Winter Naturalist in 95/96. He received his B.A. in Environmental Conservation at the University of Colorado and spent several years guiding backcountry trips throughout the northwestern United States and Alaska. Jim hires for and manages ACES' Summer and Winter Naturalist Programs. He has completed the American Leadership Forum program as well as graduate work with the Union Institute relating to the importance nature centers play in building social capital within their communities. When not teaching his sons, Jack and Jesse, about the place he lives, Jim likes to hike, ski, and see live music with his wife, Jamie. Anda Rojs Smalls joined ACES in the winter of 2004. Having been involved with ACES at various levels, she is currently ACES' Naturalist Field School Coordinator in charge of organizing kids and adult workshops and classes. She is an ex-ACES Trustee, is still learning to become a Naturalist, and takes many photographs for ACES' publications and website. Anda was on the CU Varsity Ski Team while earning a B.A. in Journalism and a B.S. in Spanish at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was born and raised in Maribor, Slovenia and made her livelihood as a ski racer for many years. In addition to enjoying the great outdoors with her family - husband Ryan, daughter Zala, son Luka - Anda loves to ski (or do anything that has to do with snow, really), bike, explore, do new things, and visit the home country of Slovenia each year. Sarah Schmidt was an ACES environmental educator for two years before becoming our Education Director in the summer of 2008, coordinating School Programs for students throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. She earned her B.F.A. in Art Education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and completed her Masters in Natural Science and Environmental Education from Hamline University. Before gaining the opportunity to live in this mountain community surrounded by three wilderness areas, and getting the chance to connect environmental education with art, Sarah taught middle-school art in Minnesota. Olivia Siegel was an ACES naturalist for a year and is now part of the administrative staff as Development Coordinator. She has a degree in Neuro science from Brandeis University. Since graduating she had a public horticulture internship at the Morton Arboretum outside of Chicago, and a botanical research internship with The Nature Conservancy in Northern California. Olivia loves taking people on hikes and seeing how they are inspired by the beautiful landscapes in this area. HALLAM LAKE - Educators Ellen Burns first came to ACES as a summer naturalist in 2006. As a Colorado Native, she earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, Missoula. She has spent the past several years as a naturalist/educator in Glacier National Park and with the Gore Range Natural Science School. Ellen is thrilled to be returning to ACES as an Educator, so she can combine her love of the natural world with her passion for inspiring a sense of place in children. When not at ACES, Ellen enjoys spending her time in the mountains, hiking, skiing, and exploring. Jamie Cundiff established a love for the outdoors in her mountain hometown of Sisters, Oregon, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences in 2006. While in college, she was a docent at Stanford’s biological research preserve, conducted geological fieldwork in the Cascades, the Rockies, and Alaska, and spent a summer fighting forest fires in Oregon. After college, she interned in Resource Management for the local Open Space District before becoming a Naturalist/ Volunteer Coordinator with Hidden Villa, a 1600-acre Farm and Wilderness Preserve in the hills west of Palo Alto. She is thrilled to share her passion for the natural world at ACES and get to know this gorgeous area! When not traipsing through the mountains, Jamie enjoys cooking and listening to rock and roll on vinyl. Adam McCurdy joined the ACES team in the summer of 2008 following the completion of his degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After a brief hiatus to travel in Asia and hike the Pacific Crest Trail he came back as a Winter Naturalist during the 2009-2010 winter season. This will be Adam's first year as a part of the Education program at ACES, he looks forward to helping students all over the valley better understand and appreciate the natural world. Allison Oeding grew up in St. Anthony, a small town in southern Indiana andstudied at Indiana University, where she majored in Environmental Managementand Spanish. She moved to Aspen from Georgia where she was teaching about thecoastal environment and working on sea turtle conservation projects in Texas,Mexico, and Florida. After taking some time to backpack and work on organicfarms with her sister in New Zealand, Alli has found her stride at ACES. Robin Weeks graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in environmental studies. Prior to moving west, she taught coastal ecology at the Barrier Island Environmental Education Program in Charleston, SC. She also worked as an expedition leader and wilderness school mentor at the Green River Preserve in the mountains of North Carolina. Robin joined the ACES staff as a winter naturalist and then spent a year living at Toklat, serving as a steward. Robin spent the summer on the Outer Banks leading sea kayaking expeditions for high school students. She is excited to return to the mountains and is looking forward to serving as a member of the education staff this fall and continuing in her role as a naturalist this winter. Robin loves exploring, playing in the snow, and taking photographs. ROCK BOTTOM RANCH - Ranch Staff Allison Holmes is the Rock Bottom Ranch Co-Manager and Education Director. As an RBREducatoion Director, she coordinates school programs, teaches, and gets out in thefarmyard as much as possible. Allison joined ACES as a SummerNaturalist in 2004 and has since worked as a Winter Naturalist,Interpreter for the Ghost Town of Independence, Supernaturalist, andEducator at Hallam Lake. Prior to joining the ACES crew, Allisonearneda B.A. in Geology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Robin Blankenship and Mike O'Donal are the Co-Managers and major Ranch Hands at Rock Bottom Ranch. Robin founded her own organization EarthKnack, Stone Age Skills for the 21st Century in 1990 and has been teaching classes in primitive skills, survival, alternative and affordable home building, sustainable gardening and food harvesting, and self sufficiency at the EarthKnack school site in Crestone, Co., around the country and internationally ever since. Robin has been bringing this curriculm to ACES for adults, families and kids for the last 17 years. Now at RBR Robin and Mike are launching a sustainable agriculture program which provides education in local sufficiency and sustainability with focus on production and harvesting of cultivated and wild produce as well as animal husbandry. ROCK BOTTOM RANCH - Educators Betsy DeFries grew up in Harbor Springs, MI where she spent most of her time exploring around Lake Michigan. She graduated from the University of Montana in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Agriculture. Betsy fell in love with the Rocky Mountains through exploring the mountains and rivers of Western Montana, and after graduation she spent a season in Glacier National Park as a naturalist/educator and then began working as a school gardens educator and community gardens manager for a farm based non-profit in Missoula. The past few winters found Betsy at the Gore Range Natural Science School as a winter naturalist before she moved to Rock Bottom Ranch this summer. Betsy is oh so excited to be spending her days with kids on the farm and in local classrooms! When Betsy isn't spending her time with goats, pigs, and kids, she loves to cook, explore the mountains, ski, knit, and play with clay. TOKLAT Nick Carter has been an ACES summer naturalist and is now joining the Environmental Educator team. At the University of Colorado, he majored in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Hydrology. Additionally, he minored in Ecology and Geography. Nick has interned with Earth Education — CU’s environmental education program for the Boulder School District — and worked as a Fisheries Technician for the U.S. Forest Service. Nick came to Aspen from a small town outside of Philadelphia, PA and immediately fell in love with the mountains. As an Educator/Naturalist, Nick hopes to inspire people of all ages to care for their local environment. OTHER STAFF Jody Cardamone was the first Director of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. She currently serves as a Naturalist and works with the Naturalist Field School. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Education from Cornell University and has pursued graduate studies in Environmental Ethics. |