Debra Ackley is a retired educator who continues to share her passion for the outdoors with numerous groups and organizations. In 29 years of volunteer service for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Debra has had countless, first-hand experiences with Colorado’s wildlife and natural resources. She served as a field technician for CPW monitoring bighorn sheep and swift fox populations via radio telemetry and GPS tracking. When not volunteering you can find her exploring the great outdoors by bicycle.
Jeremy Agnew
Jeremy Agnew, the author of Colorado Above Treeline, has been a volunteer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife for over 32 years. During that time, he has gained a wealth of knowledge about Colorado’s 960 species of wildlife. An instructor for the former Watchable Wildlife program, Jeremy has presented numerous programs on wildlife and other topics at State Parks throughout southeastern Colorado.
Debbie Barnes-Shankster
Debbie Barnes-Shankster has been birding and photographing birds for well over a decade. She teaches raptor identification classes around the Pikes Peak region, including for the Colorado State Raptor Monitors at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, where she volunteers. She is a popular field trip leader for our local Audubon chapter, the Aiken Audubon Society. In addition, Debbie is the author of a photographic field guide, The Birds of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, which supplements her popular birding class there.
Diana Beatty
Diana Beatty is an educator at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs School District 11 with degrees in physics and education. She served as secretary on the board of the Colorado Field Ornithologists (CFO) and has led field trips for both CFO and the Aiken Audubon Society of Colorado Springs.
John Bruder
John Bruder has been birding with his wife Risë Foster-Bruder since 1982, most recently in the Pikes Peak region for the past 20 years. John has been fortunate to bird throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. He has supported and led trips for the Pikes Peak Birding & Nature Festival since its inception in 2015. John’s passion for birding was sparked by sighting a Eurasian Hoopoe on the border of Iraq in 1990 and it has grown ever since. He continues actively birding with local birding groups and giving presentations on international birding.
Dr. Aaron Corcoran
Dr. Aaron Corcoran is an assistant professor of Biology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he runs the sensory and aerial ecology research lab. He has over 20 years of experience studying bat behavior, sensory and movement ecology and conservation. He has published 18 articles in scientific journals (Science, Animal Behavior, and Journal of Experimental Biology) and his research has gained world-wide attention, including by National Geographic, Scientific American and BBC World News. More information is available at his website, www.sonarjamming.com.
Deanna Curtis
Deanna had her first raptor encounter at her son’s Cub Scout pack meeting in 1999, where a non-profit organization gave a presentation with live raptors. She was hooked from the first free-flight and turned to her friend saying, “I am going to get a job doing that!” She started volunteering shortly after and was brought on staff as their head lecturer within two years.
In 2004 Deanna decided to become a licensed falconer and in 2011 became a master falconer. She then started her own non-profit organization in 2007 using non-releasable raptors for educational purposes. To date, she has trained and worked with 22 different species of raptors ranging in size from the small American kestrel to our iconic national symbol, the majestic bald eagle. She was the first female President of the Colorado Hawking Club and has also served as Director-at-Large and as the Public Information Officer for North American Falconers Association.
She is also a Certified Interpretive Guide under the auspices of the International Association of Interpretation. Deanna landed her dream job, working for Broadmoor Outfitters, in January 2018, blending her two passions in life: education and falconry.
Bruce Dunbar
Bruce only began birding in the last few years but he has quickly picked up the birds of the Rocky Mountains. He has a passion for raptors and particularly enjoys birding for them. Through college, he worked at a wildlife center giving educational flight programs with raptors and spent 5 years practicing falconry with a red-tailed hawk. Along with binoculars, Bruce always brings his camera and enjoys the challenge of photographing birds. This is his first year leading trips for the festival and is looking forward to making it a tradition!
Tena and Fred Engelman
Tena and Fred Engelman have observed, photographed, and studied hummingbirds for more than 20 years. As volunteer citizen-scientists, they accomplish an inventory and monitoring survey of hummingbird populations for Rocky Mountain National Park. They enjoy describing the results of their studies and presenting information about the hummingbird family. Both Tena and Fred have current federal and state bird banding permits.
Jenyva Fox
Jenyva Fox has loved nature since she was a child growing up in Montana. Her life goals have been about helping the natural world and helping people love it more.
Jenyva spent 17 years as a zookeeper, with a special love for birds. She helped start International Vulture Awareness Day, which has been celebrated since 2009. She developed and trained a free-flight bird show that ran for many years at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
She currently teaches in the Zoo Keeping Technology program at Pikes Peak State College and teaches exotic animal care at Apex College of Veterinary Technology. Jenyva also works as a Wildlife Technician for EDM International.
Jenyva is a Master Bird Bander for the United States Geological Survey with a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) station in Colorado Springs, and volunteers for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She has been birding for over 20 years.
Mel Goff
Mel Goff has been birding the Front Range since 2003, when he attended beginning birder classes offered at Fountain Creek Nature Center. Along with his wife, Jeanne, he has birded every county in Colorado, every state in the United States and 30 different countries. Mel was an early adopter of eBird, entering his first checklist in 2005. He has worked with the Pikes Peak Birding & Nature Festival since its inception and is active in local birding groups.
Linda Groat
Linda became interested in birding during a Field Ornithology class in college at Michigan State University. Growing up in the east, she learned the eastern birds first. During her career as a Naturalist working at nature centers, state parks and national parks, she has the opportunity to travel around the country and learn the birds everywhere she went.
Linda recently retired from Mueller State Park after a 26-year career with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. She still enjoys birds along with hiking, fly fishing and living in the Colorado mountains.
Lynda Grove
Lynda is a retired humane educator from the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region. During her 20+ years in that position, she created numerous programs, presentations and resources for local school children and the public. As a volunteer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), Lynda spent 12+ years serving on the T.E.N. (Teaching Environmental science Naturally) committee. She also led workshops for classroom teachers highlighting various activities from Project WILD and Project Learning Tree. As a CPW volunteer Lynda, continues to share her passion for conservation, the environment and animals by working with school children and adults in the classroom and at local state parks.
Pat Grove
Pat is a retired park naturalist for State, County and city parks. After 13 years as a high school science teacher, he transitioned to environmental education, working at various nature and historical sites in Colorado Springs. When Cheyenne Mountain SP opened in 2006, Pat was the park’s first paid naturalist. For nine seasons he worked with staff and volunteers to create numerous programs, events and activities for the public and local schools. Continuing his 25+ years of volunteer service, he now serves on the Pikes Peak Birding & Nature Festival Committee, Woodland Park School District Youth Prevention subcommittee and is a certified archery instructor for Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Leslie Holzmann
Leslie Holzmann has been taking photographs since she was given her first Brownie camera at age five. Her favorite subjects include landscapes, botanicals, and all forms of wildlife—especially birds and her three growing granddaughters.
She combines her background in education and biology with her passion for photography, hoping to share with others her joy and delight in creation.
Saraiya is a birder, writer, visual artist, and educator. She particularly enjoys birding through the lens of drawing and painting and believes in the power of art to heighten our sense of observation, bringing us more fully into the present moment.
Saraiya has taught art for over 10 years, including numerous residencies and workshops at various Tucson venues, including Tucson Audubon’s Southeast Arizona Birding and Nature Festival. Currently, the Madrean-Archipelago Wildlife Center is using a series of her ink drawings to promote wildlife advocacy campaigns for endangered or threatened species of the Madrean Archipelago ecoregion.
Tally began her birding adventure in 2021. She considers herself an intermediate-beginner birder and enjoys birding the Rocky Mountain region. She’s actively involved with the Aiken Audubon Society and loves to encourage others to get out and experience the beauty of the Pikes Peak area.
Tally enjoys feeding the birds in her neighborhood, especially Woodpeckers which are some of her favorite birds, and participating in FeederWatch. She looks forward to seeing you on a bird walk soon!
Joe LaFleur
Joe LaFleur grew up in Englewood and now lives in Woodland Park. He first developed an interest in birds at Colorado State University (CSU), where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology and a master’s degree in Communications. He went on to work as a research biologist for CSU, Colorado Division of Wildlife and Idaho Fish and Game. He’s the author of Mountain Birds of Teller County, Colorado: A Pocket Guide.
Jeanette Lara
Jeanette has worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife for 12 years. The first seven years were spent at Cheyenne Mountain State Park as the Administrative Assistant and the last five years as the volunteer coordinator for the Southeast Region.
She has a bachelor’s degree from UCCS in Geography and Environmental Studies. She enjoys and is very passionate about her conservation work with Colorado Parks and Wildlife volunteers and staff and is well aware that it takes teamwork to build and maintain a concerned and caring community. In her spare time, she enjoys recreating, responsibly, in the great Colorado outdoors hiking, camping, kayaking, and snowboarding.
Kelly Liddell
I started birding in 2018, and it’s been a wonderful growth opportunity for me as well as a fun hobby. I have always enjoyed traveling and have been fortunate in recent years to go birding in some incredible places. But I feel especially blessed when I’m watching the multitude of birds on our very own property.
Dr. Tyler Lyson
Dr. Tyler Lyson is a vertebrate paleontologist who studies the extinction of the dinosaurs, the rise of placental mammals, and the evolutionary origin of various reptiles, particularly turtles. He combines developmental, genetic, and fossil data with high-resolution chronostratigraphic data to address his research questions.
Tyler has conducted fieldwork throughout the American West and has active field sites in North Dakota, Montana, and Colorado, as well as in South Africa, Bolivia, and Peru. Tyler was born in North Dakota and has been doing paleontology fieldwork since he was in middle school.
Tyler received his BA from Swarthmore College and his PhD from Yale University. He joined the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in 2014 after a postdoctoral position at the Smithsonian Institution.
Mile High Bug Club
The Mile High Bug Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of Colorado insects, arachnids, and other arthropods. They aim to develop awareness and encourage interest in Colorado arthropods and support the protection of these creatures and their environments.
Diana Miller: The Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center
Diana’s fascination and passion for birds of prey started the day she met Buddy, the Great Horned Owl. That was August of 1985, when she arrived at the Greenway & Nature Center of Pueblo (now the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center) to do an internship in environmental education. In 1987 she took the position of Administrative Assistant with the GNCP. She became the Raptor Center Director in July 1989. For more than 30 years she has dedicated her career to the pursuit of quality rehabilitation care of wildlife, especially birds of prey. Diana also puts equal energy into educating the public about our native raptors and wildlife in general.
Jessica Miller
Jessica is the Supervisor of Fountain Creek Nature Center. She hosts a variety of environmental education field trips and public programs, including the Fountain Creek Adult Birding Club. Her birding obsession took off while working as a naturalist along the South Carolina coast, where she led birding tours by pontoon, kayak, bicycle, and on foot. She feels extremely lucky to now work in El Paso County’s #3 birding hotpot, Fountain Creek Regional Park, and loves exploring the Pikes Peak region’s multitude of birding spots on her days off. Beyond the festival, join her for a “Birds and Brews” field trip with Aiken Audubon.
David Neils
The last twenty years have been spent studying and filming mountain lions in some of the wildest country of Colorado and Montana. He developed a system, using four natural factors, which allows him to pinpoint mountain lion activity throughout the United States, Canada and Chile. He enjoys sharing this knowledge and supporting others to study this magnificent apex predator through a personalized Mountain Lion Workshop, which included mapping mountain lion activity in the client’s chosen area, up to 100 square miles.
In addition to sharing a passion for mountain lions and other wildlife, he enjoys supporting others to navigate boldly and safely in the backcountry. He has been refining a system since 1971, Ten Essentials Plus, which eliminates many of the factors that result in Search and Rescue operations. In fact, it completely eliminates the “Search” in Search and Rescue. He also provides hands on orienteering courses, supporting clients to have the confidence to explore the wild areas around them.
Curtis Nimz
Curtis Nimz is a hiker/photographer who became interested in wildflowers in 2014 when he started taking photos of wildflowers on his hikes and trying to identify them. He was educated as a biologist/ecologist, but not as a botanist. He had a 30-year professional career in information technology. Curt is a volunteer field trip leader for the Colorado Native Plant Society (CoNPS) and is currently the coordinator of the CoNPS SE Chapter.
Sheridan Samano
Sheridan Samano is a passionate educator, dynamic speaker, and expert birder with a deep-rooted commitment to connecting people with nature. As the co-founder of Reefs to Rockies and WildHer Expeditions, she has spent more than 20 years designing and leading immersive wildlife-focused travel experiences around the world.
With degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and Biology, Sheridan combines scientific expertise with engaging storytelling to make the natural world accessible to all. Whether guiding in the field or speaking to an audience, she brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm, equipping others with the skills and inspiration to explore, understand, and appreciate the world around them.
David Suddjian
Birds and birding have been David’s passion for over 40 years. Through field trips, presentations and articles, he has shared the joys of birds and birding with thousands of birders in both Colorado and California. He loves to help people find more birds and learn about their natural history and behavior.
David is the chair of the Denver Field Ornithologists’ field trip program and has led over 550 birding trips to places all over Colorado. David’s BIRD BOMBS Bird ID webinars are popular with both new and experienced birders who want to take a fun and focused look at Colorado birds.
Kylee Taylor
Kylee Taylor works as the Interpretive Program Specialist at Bear Creek Nature Center in Colorado Springs. She is a certified interpretive guide with the National association for Interpretation and has worked in interpretation and environmental education for six years in Montana, Nebraska, and now Colorado.
At Bear Creek Nature Center, Kylee schedules and leads public programming from field trips and nature camps to restoration work, the El Paso County Trailability Program special events, and more. Kylee serves on the board of the Friends of Cheyenne Mountain State Park and is an accomplished nature artist.
Mary Wilson
Mary Wilson is a recent Colorado College (CC) graduate who became interested in birds while in high school. Born and raised in Colorado Springs, you can find her out and about hiking, trail running, or birding anywhere in town – or Colorado!
She has served as a board member for both Audubon Rockies and the Audubon Council of Colorado for over four years and founded the Audubon Campus Chapter, Tiger Audubon, at CC. She has led trips for Aiken Audubon and taught a Birding 101 course at the Bear Creek Nature Center.
Mary also enjoys drawing and painting birds, with a specialty in ink, acrylic paint, and watercolors.
Wild Things
The Wild Things Outreach Program is a volunteer group of dedicated students from the Zookeeping Technology program at Pikes Peak State College. Wild Things allows students to gain extra hands-on experiences with a variety of educational animals while practicing their interpretive, public speaking skills. The students accepted into the Wild Things Program have completed the program’s prerequisite courses and are well prepared to provide any group with a fun, educational and interactive experience!
Pikes Peak Birding & Nature Festival 