Naturalist Nights

Dr. Melanie Armstrong teaches environmental policy and history at Western State Colorado University. She was in the Roaring Fork Valley last week as part of the Naturalist Nights environmental speaker series and sat down with Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

Jasmine Finks has spent years rehabilitating injured osprey and educating people about the birds of prey. Finks was in Aspen last week as part of the Naturalist Nights speaker series and sat down with Elizabeth Stewart-Severy.

The 2018 lineup for local speaker series Naturalist Nights includes regional experts on topics from the geology of Glenwood Canyon to the world’s finest guano.

Recent genetic studies on native cutthroat trout in Colorado revealed a previously unrecognized subspecies in the Roaring Fork Valley — one that is so new it still doesn’t have a name. As part of the Naturalist Nights environmental speaker series, Kendall Bakich with Colorado Parks and Wildlife will discuss how understanding the history of these trout can help preserve species diversity.

Energy development in northwest Colorado cuts roads and brings traffic into prime wildlife habitat. Researcher George Wittemyer studies how such development impacts deer populations and will speak about his work as part of the Naturalist Nights environmental speaker series this week.

Communities across Colorado are working to understand how climate change might affect future water supplies. University of Colorado researcher Jeff Lukas will speak as part of the Naturalist Nights environmental speaker series this week. He told Elizabeth Stewart-Severy that the Roaring Fork Valley has seen fewer climate risks than elsewhere in the state.

John Marzluff is a professor of wildlife science at the University of Washington. He is in the valley this week to talk about his research on birds’ responses to urbanization, as part of the local environmental speaker series Naturalist Nights. He spoke with Elizabeth Stewart-Severy by phone from Washington state.

The so-called Snowmastodon site at Ziegler Reservoir in Snowmass is the largest fossil discovery in Colorado history. Scientists from across the world are still working to understand the changing environment in which those plants and animals lived. Stephanie Lukowski is the Ice Age Discovery Center’s paleontologist. Elizabeth Stewart-Severy met with her outside of the Discovery Center in Snowmass.

The Naturalist Night lecture series kicks off Wednesday evening in Carbondale, beginning another season for a Roaring Fork Valley staple.