Birding & Conversation: Wilderness as a Stronghold for Birds

Join us for this special opportunity to explore the concept and history of Wilderness, the current effort to protect more Wilderness in Colorado, and how this public land designation pertains to the avian world with special guest Will Roush, Executive Director of Wilderness Workshop. The Birding and Conversation series offers a unique combination of birding and compelling discussion in a small group setting, perfect for in-depth inquiry and inspiring dialogue. Wilderness Workshop works to protect 8.5 million acres of public lands across Western Colorado through policy and action. Will brings extensive knowledge and experience to the trail and table during this outing, where conversation begins in the field as we enjoy the birdlife of the upper Castle Creek Valley and views of existing and potential future Wilderness lands. The discussion then continues at the historic lodge building of Toklat, where over the decades, scores of visitors have learned about and experienced firsthand the values and the paramount importance of Wilderness. 

Bird species and Wilderness values intermingle as we dive into conversation: American goshawks and their need for unbroken subalpine forest; white-tailed ptarmigan and the cold, deep snowpack they rely on for protection during the alpine winter; and the mountain wildflowers that fuel migrating hummingbirds in late summer. Public lands are havens for many birds, and Wilderness designation is an important way to protect habitats, migration corridors, and the conditions that sustain complex ecological systems. Join us on July 8th to learn about all things Wilderness and birds!

This outing meets at 6:30am at the Aspen Chapel (near the Aspen Roundabout). We will carpool up Castle Creek Road to Toklat about 11 miles, returning to Aspen Chapel by 11am. Birding in the field followed by conversation at Toklat.

 Interested in joining ACES Bird Club? Click here for more information!

About the instructors:

Will Roush is the Executive Director of Wilderness Workshop. Will first joined Wilderness Workshop to inventory lands for citizen wilderness proposals, then worked as an organizer and advocate for efforts to designate new wilderness and protect the Thompson Divide. He went on to conduct outreach and advocacy for WW’s federal lands policy work, organized the popular Naturalist Nights winter speaker series, started the restoration program, and led our advocacy work to move water rights for dams on Castle and Maroon Creeks. Will served as Conservation Director for four years before becoming Executive Director in 2018. Today, Will leads an amazing team and collaborates with staff to determine and execute conservation priorities and programs, raise funds for the organization, and oversees its community and outreach programs. A native of the Roaring Fork Valley, he has a Master’s in Geography and Environmental Science examining the impact of climate change on alpine ecosystems.

Rebecca Weiss is a birding guide and naturalist with thirty years of experience in the Aspen area and Colorado’s mountain regions. She is author of the local guidebook, Birds of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley and the primary guide for ACES’ Birding Program. She is a certified interpretive guide and holds a BS in Biology and a MA in Education. Rebecca’s professional background includes bird banding, field research, and conservation writing as well as outdoor education, program administration, and guide training. Past employers and affiliations include the National Park Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Outward Bound, and the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab.

Birding and Conversation Field Trip Series

In this special series we explore compelling topics pertaining to birds, from local history, to ecology and conservation. These field trips involve a combination of birding and presentations in the field with guests whose deep expertise provides unique insights into birds and the world we share with them. Join us for these opportunities for first-hand experience and discussions that will enhance your birding and broaden your understanding of the feathered wonders and the natural world around us!

2026 guests/locations in this series include CPW Biologist Brett Walker at Wildcat Ranch (birds of the sagebrush shrubland ecosystem with a special focus on Brewer’s Sparrows, the dawn chorus, and related conservation issues), ACES Forest and Climate Director Adam McCurdy at TBD (contemplating the future of our forests and the birds that inhabit them in the face of climate change, beetles, fire, and other challenges), Wilderness Workshop Executive Director Will Roush at Toklat (exploring congressionally designated Wilderness and the meaning of these landscapes to birds), Ornithologist and Author Scott Weidensaul at special Frying Pan Valley locations (Scott’s new book and the idea that bird conservation success brings that same success to the greater planet).