Field Trips

Go on a journey to one of Colorado’s most wondrous regions, to discuss its amazing natural history, complex recent past, the challenges it faces today, and examples of work being done to make positive changes for the future. The Large-scale Ecosystem Restoration Section (LERS) of the Society for Ecological Restoration is excited to sponsor a unique field trip to Colorado’s San Luis Valley at SER2025 in partnership with SWCA, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, Colorado State University Extension, Ducks Unlimited, and the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.

Date: 27 – 29 September 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – Departure
Duration: Multi-Day
Capacity: Limited Space Available
Price (in USD): $850
Handicapped Accessible: No

Northwest Colorado mining companies have been doing reclamation since the early-mid 1970’s. On this field trip, attendees will view five decades of reclamation success at several of the most awarded coal mining operations in the country. Attendees will visit Peabody mining operation on day one and Trapper and Colowyo Coal operation on day two.

Date: 28 – 30 September 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – Departure
Duration: Multi-Day
Capacity: Limited Space Available
Price (in USD): $500
Handicapped Accessible: No

On this trip, attendees will visit a ‘world-class ore body’ now known as the California Gulch Superfund Site, have the opportunity to visit the National Mining Museum and Hall of Fame (known as the “Smithsonian of the Rockies”), visit the historic Leadville National Fish Hatchery, and visit several reclamation and restoration areas in the upper Arkansas River basin from Leadville to Salida.

Date: 28 – 29 September 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – Departure
Duration: Multi-Day
Capacity: Limited Space Available
Price (in USD): $650
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

On this two day and one night field trip attendees will travel through the mountains of Colorado and explore our fire adapted conifer forests. Attendees will learn about local forest ecology while visiting with managers in the field to see how they are balancing the restoration of ecological processes with wildfire risk reduction needs.

Date: 29 – 30 September 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – Departure
Duration: Multi-Day
Capacity: Limited Space Available
Price (in USD): $600
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees of this field trip will learn about the issues that have resulted in degraded riparian wet meadow ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park and will get to visit both passive and active restoration sites attempting to return some of these areas to functioning riparian wet meadows.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
10:00 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
10:15 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 7h (Single Day)
Capacity: 38
Price (in USD): $275
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will explore the Cache la Poudre River while participating in discussions about watershed restoration efforts, from a scenic hike at Gateway Natural Area to examining river hydrology, flow restoration initiatives, and early results from the River Health Assessment Framework, concluding with an urban restoration project at CSU’s Environmental Learning Center.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
10:15 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
10:30 AM – Departure
4:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 5h45 (Single Day)
Capacity: 29
Price (in USD): $275
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Jefferson Conservation District (JCD) seeks to apply ecological restoration principles to the management of private land in the foothills of Jefferson County, Colorado and surrounding areas. Field trip attendees will hike around JCD’s forest restoration projects and learn about the successes and challenges of implementing mechanical forest thinning and noxious weed management in an effort to restore broader ecosystem function and resilience in the face of wildfires, floods, and climate change.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
7:15 AM – Meet at the hotel and load busses
7:30 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 9h45 (Single Day)
Capacity: 49
Price (in USD): $275
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will explore Cal-Wood’s post-fire restoration through a guided hike with stunning Rocky Mountain views and an informative tour highlighting various fire and riparian restoration strategies. They will also contribute directly to recovery efforts through hands-on volunteer activities such as making seed balls, planting trees, or trail building, gaining practical experience in ecological restoration techniques.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
7:30 AM – Meet at the hotel and load busses
7:45 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 9h45 (Single Day)
Capacity: 39
Price (in USD): $200
Handicapped Accessible: No

This field trip will take place at Daniels Park, located about 25 miles south of Downtown Denver. Attendees will explore unique ecological stewardship activities taking place on the site such as bison grazing, native dung beetle breeding and release, back country erosion control methods, scrub oak management and invasive weed control. Attendees will also learn about a newly created Medicine Wheel garden and the growing collaboration among Denver Parks and Recreation, Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance and the TallBull Memorial Council.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
7:45 AM – Meet at hotel and load busses
8:00 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at hotel
Duration: 9h15 (Single Day)
Capacity: 39
Price (in USD): $275
Handicapped Accessible: No

On this field trip, attendees will visit several restoration projects along St. Vrain Creek, highlighting multiple goals and objectives seeking to boost ecosystem function, uplift habitat quality, increase climate resilience and protect water resources and communities from future flood and fire events.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
8:00 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
8:15 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 9h (Single Day)
Capacity: 54
Price (in USD): $165
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will visit two contrasting Riparian Reconnect restoration sites in the National Forest—one with 30 years of passive restoration through grazing management alone, and another with both grazing management and beaver dam mimicry treatments that successfully attracted beaver reoccupation. Through comparing these sites, participants will engage in facilitated discussions about the effectiveness of different restoration approaches and the role of beavers in riparian ecosystem recovery.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
7:00 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
7:15 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 10h (Single Day)
Capacity: 13
Price (in USD): $290
Handicapped Accessible: No

This field trip attendees will visit Summit Lake, a Denver Mountain Parks (DMP) Open Space property located at 4000m (13,000ft) below Mt Blue Sky. For over a decade, DMP has been working to restore the impacts of high recreational visitation on the fragile alpine tundra ecosystem while providing inclusive recreation opportunities.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
9:00 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
9:15 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 8h (Single Day)
Capacity: 29
Price (in USD): $230
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

On this full-day field trip, attendees will visit two diverse Wildlife Refuges in the Rocky Mountain region: the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge. On 27 square miles and just 10 miles northeast of downtown Denver, the Army established Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RMA) in 1942 to produce chemical warfare agents and incendiary munitions used in World War II.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
9:15 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
9:30 AM – Departure
5:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 6h30 (Single Day)
Capacity: 39
Price (in USD): $275
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Attendees will tour an 1100-acre shortgrass prairie preserve via wagon to learn about ecosystem restoration, wildlife conservation, and a biodiversity hotspot experiment currently underway. The experience will also include cultural history through visits to a replica tipi camp and homestead village, illustrating both indigenous peoples’ presence and European colonization in the Aurora area during the 1800s.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
9:30 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
9:45 AM – Departure
3:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 7h30 (Single Day
Capacity: 36
Price (in USD): $220
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will explore Jefferson County Open Space’s process-based restoration project along Casto Creek, implemented in 2023 in collaboration with Denver Water and Jacobs Solutions to reduce sediment supply and restore natural floodplain function. Attendees will visit both Beaver Ranch Park and Reynolds Ranch Park to learn firsthand about the project’s collaborative approach, low-technology implementation methods, and monitoring strategies designed to enhance plant diversity and habitat complexity in the creek and adjacent wetlands.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
8:30 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
8:45 AM – Departure
2:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 5h30 (Single Day)
Capacity: 34
Price (in USD): $220
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will visit Matthews/Winters Park to learn about a collaborative, landscape-scale restoration project aimed at restoring critical winter range habitat for mule deer and elk by controlling non-native annual grasses across 4,300 acres along Colorado’s Front Range. Attendees will gain insights into how Jefferson County Open Space is working with multiple land management agencies to eliminate invasive grasses, increase native species diversity, and enhance food resources for wildlife through implementation and monitoring strategies.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
8:45 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
9:00 AM – Departure
2:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 5h15 (Single Day)
Capacity: 29
Price (in USD): $220
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will explore restoration techniques at various scales, from backyards to large open spaces, considering both genetic and community-level processes. They will observe a multi-year small-scale prairie restoration and several experiments focused on seeding and planting techniques, seed sourcing for local adaptation, community composition, and site preparation.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
9:15 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
9:30 AM – Departure
1:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel

Duration: 3h45 (Single Day)
Capacity: 36
Price (in USD): $250
Handicapped Accessible: No

Attendees will see examples of progressive horticultural installations and revegetation efforts in downtown Denver associated with the Denver Botanic Gardens, along with a tour of regionally appropriate planting examples for residential-scale gardens within the botanic gardens.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
8:15 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
8:30 AM – Arrive at Denver Botanic Gardens
11:30 AM – Tours end

Duration: 3h45 (Single Day)
Capacity: 39
Price (in USD): $250
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Attendees will visit diverse habitats at the Poudre Learning Center, a 65-acre educational facility in Greeley featuring indoor and outdoor classrooms, a sensory garden, working ponds, and access to the Cache la Poudre River. Participants will explore various environments while learning about Northern Colorado’s science, history, economics, stewardship, and natural aesthetics, with transportation provided between sites (walking on gravel paths, trails, and sand will be required).

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
9:45 AM – Meet at the hotel and load buses
10:00 AM – Departure
3:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 5h15 (Single Day)
Capacity: 39
Price (in USD): $250
Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Attendees will experience an e-bike tour of three urban restoration projects near downtown Denver—Globeville Landing Park, Platte Farms Open Space, and Heron Pond Natural Area—guided by experienced ecologists Joshua Eldridge and Ian Schillinger-Brokaw. Participants will learn about successful ecological restoration efforts in riparian, wetland, and prairie upland communities while gaining insights into how urban constraints like soil contamination, historic infrastructure, and stakeholder collaboration have shaped these projects. This trip will be conducted on E-bikes.

Date: 30 September 2025
Time:
7:30 AM – Meet at the hotel for snacks and bagged lunch. E-bikes will be available at the hotel.
8:00 AM – Departure
1:00 PM – Arrival at the hotel
Duration: 5h30 (Single Day)
Capacity: 16
Price (in USD): $220
Handicapped Accessible: Yes