Living with Wolves: Coexistence in Colorado

**This event has SOLD OUT – If you can no longer attend please call the aspenshowtix box office at (970) 920-5770 so your ticket spot can be opened up again. A waitlist will be started 1 hour prior to showtime. You must visit the Wheeler Opera House box office in person to join the waitlist. If tickets become available, they may be released closer to showtime.**

“Living with Wolves: Coexistence in Colorado” is a free, educational, artistic, and entertaining evening about wolf reintroduction in the state and Roaring Fork Valley, including film, dance, and music. It culminates with a panel discussion and Q&A session about the reality of living with wolves. Questions for the Q&A can be submitted in advance of the event on aspennature.org. 

ACES has invited a number of special guest speakers from around Colorado, each with a unique stakeholder perspective on this recently voted-upon ballot initiative. Talk to representatives from various organizations and grab a beer or snack during intermission. 

This event also supports ACES’ educational program Tomorrow’s Voices, a free, non-partisan college-level course open to all Roaring Fork Valley high school students. Tomorrow’s Voices provides students with the agency to be active community contributors and is deeply connected to ACES’ mission of educating for environmental responsibility.

This is an all-ages event.

Thank you to our event partners and sponsors: 

The McBride Family Foundation

*The City of Aspen is underwriting the venue to facilitate a community conversation.*

Keynote Speaker:                 

Joanna E. Lambert, PhD, a Professor of Environmental Studies and Faculty of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology the University of Colorado – Boulder. Joanna Lambert has a deep passion for our wild and natural world, resulting in a career spent publishing and teaching about the evolution, ecology, and conservation of wild animals. 

Special Panelists:

Matt Barnes, a Rangeland Scientist who founded both Shining Horizons Land Management, and his non-profit project Reintegrating Wildness, a part of the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. 

Gary Skiba, the Wildlife Program Manager at the San Juan Citizens Alliance and former Colorado Division of Wildlife employee; his work focused on threatened and endangered species management. 

Karin Vardaman, Director and Co-Founder of Working Circle, an organization dedicated to ensuring wolves, livestock, and people can coexist and thrive long-term on shared lands.

Lenny Klinglesmith, LK Ranch has a combined 50 years of family/landowner experience with the state of Colorado’s Ranching for Wildlife program and they manage a 13,000+ acre property outside of Meeker, CO. 

A Colorado Parks and Wildlife representative will also be joining the panel. 

Moderated by: 

John Calfa III, the host of the “Wolf Connection” podcast, is a staff member of the Wolf Connection organization based in California. The podcast explores the intricate bond between humans and wolves. John has interviewed wolf experts, scientists, ranchers, journalists and more about living with wolves.

Music and Movement at the event by Lost Walks:

Lost Walks is a project rooted in music, movement, collaboration, and conservation. By partnering with wildlife organizations, the group works to raise awareness, empathy, and action toward protecting wolves and returning them to Colorado, all through art.