Green briefs
ACES/courtesy photo |
AREDay kicks off today
The public is invited to a welcome reception today for Iceland President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who will be a speaker at this week’s 13th annual American Renewable Energy Day summit.
The reception is from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Westin Garden Terrace in Snowmass Village, followed by a screening of “Dear President Obama” in the Viceroy Snowmass. Tickets are $150.
President Grimsson also will participate in an armchair conversation titled “The Arctic Circle: The Frontier of Climate Change Leadership” on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. That will be one of the featured presentations in the five-day summit that features clean energy world leaders.
American Renewable Energy Day will be held today to Friday at the Viceroy in Snowmass Village. The theme is “From Paris to the Polls: Implementing Low Carbon Economies.”
Tickets for the reception and the summit as well as the schedule are available at http://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=166947&.
Jason Mark speaking Tuesday
Environmental journalist Jason Mark will present a lecture titled “Where in the Wild” on Tuesday as Aspen Center for Environmental Studies’ first Jessica Catto Dialogue lecture of the summer.
The free presentation will take place at 6 p.m. at the Hotel Jerome ballroom.
Mark recently took the helm of the Sierra Club’s Sierra Magazine, an award-winning publication and leader in environmental journalism. He will explore themes from his latest book, “Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man,” which was published in October 2015 to high acclaim. Mark will discuss whether there is anything remaining that is still really, truly wild in the 21st century and provide insight into how to hold onto wildness as a touchstone for our relationship with the rest of nature.
While the event is free and open to the public, RSVP is requested at http://www.aspen nature.org/learn/events/JCD-Mark.
Calling on outdoor volunteers
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers is looking for helpers on a two-day project Friday to Sunday that includes car camping.
The organization is undertaking Phase II of a wetlands restoration project on Crooked Creek Pass, off the Thomasville-Eagle Road, northeast of Basalt. Volunteers will be planting native species in a restored riparian area.
“The conservation value of restoring two of the man-made ponds on Lime Creek to a functioning native wetland is tremendous. This is Phase II of a three-year project we started last year,” Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers says on its website.
Volunteers will gather Friday evening and caravan to a car-camping site. They will work Saturday, camp again Saturday night, then do some more work on Sunday. People who cannot stay both days can select one day to help. It’s a family-friendly project, so kids 7 and older are welcome. They will engage in supervised, age-appropriate volunteer work.
Go to https://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/ 50413/signup_page/rfov2016-crooked-creek-project for more information.
Bike to Work Day is Wednesday
Aspen residents and workers are encouraged to leave their cars at home and ride their bikes to work Wednesday for national Bike to Work Day.
The city of Aspen will have free food, gifts and bike safety inspections at Paepcke Park and Bugsy Barnard Park in Aspen from 7 to 10 a.m. Wear your helmet and get a special gift.
Deer Hill wildflower walk
A wildflower walk will be held in an unlikely place June 28.
Deer Hill is in one of the busiest parts of the Roaring Fork Valley — between Aspen and the Airport Business Center — yet it is a sanctuary for wildlife and is home for a stunning number of wildflowers.
Roaring Fork Conservancy and the Aspen Parks and Open Space Department will lead a wildflower walk on the property from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 28. It is free but requires advance registration at http://www.roaringfork.org/events. The walk will be held rain or shine.
Volunteers needed for Wildfest
Wilderness Workshop is looking for volunteers to work at its annual Wildfest celebration July 2 at Owl Farm in Woody Creek.
Volunteers are needed for the media team, site construction the day before the event, setup on the day of the event, box office will call, parking, green team to supervise recycling, trash and compost, food and beverage, kids, merchandise and site breakdown July 3.
Volunteers will get dinner and be in a wild atmosphere, which includes musical performances by the Shook Twins and Jimmy Ibbotson. Sign up at http://www.wildernessworkshop.org/wildfest.
Wildfest is a celebration of our public lands designed to bring outdoor enthusiasts of all interests and backgrounds together for a day of family-friendly fun.
Send information on local, environmentally-oriented events for Green Briefs to scondon@aspentimes.com.
