Land, People, and Place: Field Ecology of the Colorado Rockies

Join us for an immersive field ecology course with regional ethnobotanist Kelly Moody studying the high country mountains and riparian waterways of the south-central Rockies. As a cohort, we will focus our field ecology studies of the Rockies along the Castle Creek Valley south of Aspen. At this location, we will experience a wide variety of ecological niches based on wind, water, soil, exposure, aspect and elevation. We will dive into the stories of historical wild gardens tended by the traditional peoples of the lands we study, geological and modern intersectional histories, learn to observe the lands we explore, dig into nature journaling, basic and intermediate botany, and deepen our understanding of the Colorado River water crisis, among other topics. 

Class days include nature awareness exercises, readings and group discussions that expand our understanding of this land and the nature of place-making, daily plant walks, beginner and intermediate hikes up to nearby high-elevation lakes and beaver dams; lessons on reciprocal foraging of wild foods and medicines; and daily journaling. All students take home readers so they can continue their studies at home. You'll leave with a different way of seeing, and tools to relate to the landscape where you live and call home.

This workshop will be based out of ACES at Riverdance, our camping basecamp at the base of Express Creek Road across from the Catto Center at Toklat. Three meals a day will be provided throughout the course. A variety of diets can be accommodated. Camp is at 9,500 feet, and we remain in this elevation or above during the entirety of the class. 

Course logistics will be shared with registered participants. Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions!

About the Instructor: Kelly Moody grew up in rural southern Virginia, in tobacco country, where she worked in her family’s horticulture business and developed an early relationship with land and plants. She earned a B.A. in Philosophy, Religious Studies and Anthropology from Christopher Newport University with a focus on cultural globalization, land relationships, and environmental ethics.

Her path has been shaped by hands-on experience and ongoing study. She has interned at and managed organic farms, and learned alongside herbalists, gardeners, permaculturists, and ecologists across the United States—from Vermont and Ohio to North Carolina, California, and New Mexico. Much of her learning has also come through self-directed time in relationship with plants on public lands throughout the American West.

Kelly is the primary facilitator behind the Ground Shots Project and Podcast, an initiative that explores human relationships to ecology through conversation, creative inquiry, and storywork. She brings a wide breadth of knowledge to her teaching, along with a distinct ability to connect ideas, landscapes, and disciplines in unexpected and meaningful ways.

After more than 15 years of studying landscapes as a nomad—and more recently spending focused time in the southern Rockies, including botanical research along the Colorado Trail—Kelly offers a perspective grounded in place, interconnection, and lived experience. She is also a certified Wilderness First Responder.