Each winter, Wilderness Workshop partners with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and Roaring Fork Audubon to co-host Naturalist Nights! This popular speaker series features experts from across the country who explore different topics of the natural world with our community. About the presentation: Nearly one-third of all the wetland area on Earth are peatlands, about ~2 % of Earth's land area, with 20-25% of all terrestrial carbon stored in peatlands, making them the most effective carbon store on earth and providing important regulation of global carbon budgets. Mountain peatlands – fens, regulate movement of sediment, nutrients and water in watersheds and support a high proportion of regional biodiversity. Protecting fen integrity is an important component of mitigating impacts of climate warming in the arid west. Yet, fens are threatened by water development projects, recreation, and more. Ensuring protection of these irreplaceable wetlands is critical. Delia Malone is an ecologist at the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP). As a field ecologist with CNHP, she conducts biological surveys of upland, wetland, and stream habitats and biological surveys for rare plants and animals across Colorado with the goal of conservation. Delia is also Wildlife Chair for the Colorado Chapter of the Sierra Club, vice-chair of Roaring Fork Audubon, and is a passionate advocate for the preservation of all things wild. This is a free event and registration is not required. Unable to join us in Carbondale? Dee will also be presenting in Aspen on Thursday, March 9 at ACES Hallam Lake Nature Preserve. This March 9 presentation will also be available to watch on Facebook and Grassroots TV. It will be available through other media outlets afterwards.