HISTORY:

BOB LEWIS

For 84 years, Bob Lewis devoted most of his time to teaching and building alliances with people around the world who were attracted by his passion for life, deep curiosity and knowledge of science and art. Bob was a remarkable catalyst, inspiring many to volunteer their own ideas to finding new solutions to old problems. In the process, people often found themselves and their institutions evolving beyond previous limits. As Bob's great friend Marcia Corbin observed at his memorial, "Some people try hard to 'think outside the box'. The thing that was so special about Bob was that he didn't have a box!"

This was particularly true during the 55 years Bob lived in Aspen where many of his ideas continue to inspire people and influence public policy. Most people are aware that Bob was a founder of several non-profit organizations that continue today under new leadership including, the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), Environmental Research Group (ERG), The Wildwood Environmental Preschool, Independence Pass Foundation (IPF), and the Aspen Field Biology Laboratory (AFBL).

These organizations are continuing to implement their missions, often through collaboration with other key conservation organizations in Colorado, such as the Wilderness Workshop, Roaring Fork Conservancy, the Aspen and Pitkin County Open Space Districts, the Aspen Global Change Institute, Roaring Fork Audubon, and the Sopris Foundation. Major contributions are being made every day through advocacy, scientific research, public education and habitat protection and restoration projects that teach us how to be better stewards of nature across local, regional and global scales. Please contact all of these organizations directly to learn more about the pressing issues and problems affecting Colorado and particularly the Elk Mountain bioregion.

	As a child Bob always found solace in nature and dreamed of becoming an inventor. Most of his toys and games evolved from his desire to find solutions to everyday problems. As a young man, he worked as a machinist and carpenter developing skills that allowed him to transform ideas into teaching aids, and natural materials into beautiful and functional learning and living environments.
	In 1942 he enlisted in the 87th Mountain Infantry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division was trained at Camp Hale and stationed on Kiska Island in the Aleutians. Whenever he had spare time, he created award-winning educational displays.
	After the war, Bob moved his family to Berkeley where he earned a B.A. in Zoology from the University of California. From 1950 to 1959, Bob taught Biology, Ecology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, and Colorado History at Aspen High School. He designed and built science labs for Aspen, Basalt, and Colorado Rocky Mountain School and five other High Schools in the United States including one for the United Nations.
	When he wasn't teaching, building a house, or driving the school bus, Bob built models of the moon and solar system, and created an evolving display of native mammals, birds, plants and minerals that were appreciated long after he resigned from Aspen High School. Throughout his life he sustained friendships with many of his students and continued to improve his many talents for teaching people of all ages.
	In 1952 Bob completed a Master's Degree in Alpine Ecology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. In 1953, Mrs. Elizabeth Paepcke gave him permission to use Hallam Lake for student field projects in the meadows, marshes and beaver ponds. Bob worked closely with Mrs. Paepcke for several years to develop a plan to preserve her Hallam Lake property as a wildlife refuge and helped establish the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) in 1971, as a facility that would attract biologists to study and do field research. To learn more about the exciting nature education programs offered by ACES go to their website.
	During the summer of 1959, Bob designed physics lab equipment with the Physical Science Study Committee at MIT in Boston with funding from the National Science Foundation. The 1960's were an extremely productive decade in which Bob pursued three exciting career paths; educational consultant, museum designer and film maker all of which evolved from his first job as an Art Director for ten 30-minute science films for McGraw Hill. The models and sets he designed for television provided the foundation for the models he would later produce and the films he made. During the winters Bob worked as an independent educational consultant, designing elementary science furniture at the Educational Facilities Lab of the Ford Foundation at Stanford University, CA and managed to schedule his other work so he could spend most summers in Aspen.
	The Aspen Institute of Field Biology and later the Aspen Institute of Field Ecology brought 30 high school science teachers to study with outstanding professors including, Drs. Richard Beidleman, Albert Johnson, William Weber, and Betty Willard. The research conducted during the 8 summer institutes provided important baseline data that has been integrated into floristic and faunal inventories for the Roaring Fork Watershed. (also see: Resources/Library) The summer Institutes also taught High School teachers how to design research projects and develop science curriculum that reflected the ecology of their own region.
	Bob's commitment to these goals continued throughout his life and he was able to convince U.N.E.S.C.O. to fund two separate programs in Africa and India, helping science teachers develop curriculum based on their local ecology instead of using text books that didn't reflect their ecosystems. Bob's approach is now described as 'landscape ecology'and 'conservation ecology'. Through field experiments that measure physical and biological processes operating at regional and global scales, scientists can test scientific theories and provide information used to formulate management guidelines that support biodiversity.
	In 1962, a book on the life of Louis Braille inspired Bob to build the first Braille Trail in the nation, which is still enjoyed by people of all ages who are encouraged to explore nature with all of their senses. After several years of work and collaboration, the first Braille Trail opened in 1967 during a gala event at which Elizabeth Paepcke helped a student from the School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs, untie a knotted ribbon. During the next twenty years, more than 100 similar nature trails were built by communities across the United States. (see: Bob Lewis/Braille Trail). Please contact Mark Fuller, Executive Director for the Independence Pass Foundation fulcon@rof.net for the latest news about the future of the Braille Trail and Discovery Trails, located 12 miles in east of Aspen in the White River National Forest.
	Bob's film career really took off when he started working with biologist and artist Frank Beer and filmmaker Urs Zanger in 1964. Together they produced more than 80 biology and geology films for Holt Rheinhart and Winston and Encyclopedia Britanica Films over the next three years. During the winter of 1964 Bob was hired as the first museum designer for the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley CA where he designed 32 exhibits in astronomy, biology, geology and nuclear science. He also invented a viewer activated response box which is now a common feature of public museums and national parks exhibits throughout the world. BOB'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: "I have observed that students learn faster and retain more when they can have an interactive experience with the subject, involving as many different kinds of sensory experiences as possible. Hence my teaching aids and films have been designed with this in mind."
	Throughout his life, Bob continued to expand on his theories about education and the importance of providing inspiring learning environments that would increase a students ability to become actively engaged in the educational curriculum. In 1969, Bob's goal of integrating science and art based curriculum, had a direct influence on the unique design for Wildwood environmental pre-school, which includes two earth-sheltered domes. In the art dome there are five small nooks where children can explore each of the five senses. The science dome was designed to hold aquaria and live plants.
	The innovative, ferro-concrete structure was designed by Architects David Gibson and Bill Weiss in 1968. The building was the cover story for the May 1978 issue of Landscape Architecture. Many people contributed ideas for the interior of Wildwood including Frank Ducote, Kathy Krum and illustrator Georgeann Waggaman. Cathy also helped Bob develop the first curriculum for Wildwood students. Starting in 1970, King Woodward and key members of the Wildwood School Board were instrumental in raising funds for construction of the building on 16 acres that are still leased from the U.S. Forest Service. Many influential Aspenites including former mayor John Bennett, Andy Stone and Charlie Brown volunteered during construction and Wildwood was completed in 1974 by contractor Mr. Vettito. To this day, many successful professionals and college students credit the Wildwood School and its faculty for fostering their love of nature and education.
Ben Brown was hired to paint lovely murals on the walls of Wildwood and each nook contains natural materials that are characteristic of five ecosystems.
Christopher McLeod photo courtesy of Bullfrog Films	Bob's work with the Environmental Research Group (ERG) began with filmmaking and the evolving membership accomplished a wide range of projects over the years including two award-winning films co-produced with Christopher ("Toby") McLeod. The film "Downwind/Downstream" earned the Golden Apple Award, 1988. "Poison In The Rockies" continues to earn numerous awards. These films were shown several times on the the Discovery Channel and Nova.
	Bob credited Marcia Corbin for inspiring him to create a film that would demonstrate the importance of glacial aquifers as a source of western water systems. Michael Kinsley thought of the name for the film, "Downwind/Downstream" and helped develop the story line during a camping trip with Bob to the Clinton Ampitheater - a beautiful sub-alpine valley and elk summer range that the AMAX mining corporation traded from the USFS.
	Never wanting to waste an opportunity to enhance people's appreciation of nature and protect the environment, Bob and Marcia Corbin wrote a description of the geology, and natural history of the Maroon Valley, that received support from Ron Thompson of the White River National Forest Service (WRNFS). Ron arranged for Karla VanderZanden, an intern for WRNFS and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), to manage the Maroon Bells Bus Tour Project as a cooperative project with the Pitkin County Planning Office, that provided a brochure and tape recording for bus passengers to enjoy. Connie Harvey, Joy Caudill and Dottie Fox, founders of the Wilderness Workshop (WW), were instrumental in securing protection for the Maroon Bells and Snowmass-Wilderness through the 1964 Wilderness Act and WW docents provided live commentaries for bus passengers. Today, Martha Moran from WRNFS, supervises the training of Roaring Fork Transit Authority bus drivers, who share information with passengers, and ACES naturalists provide guided nature hikes at Maroon Bells, Ashcroft, and other beautiful areas throughout the Roaring Fork Watershed.
Sloan Shoemaker Photo.	Sloan Shoemaker and Bob Lewis.
	Sloan Shoemaker and other members of the Environmental Research Group (ERG) played a vital role in garnering support and doing the work to repair years of damage on Independence Pass for public safety, preservation of the habitat, and our enjoyment of this spectacular mountain scenery. Bob's photographs of natural and anthropogenic erosion and deposition were instrumental in convincing citizens and a wide array of City, County and State agencies to find new ways to work together.
	In 1982, the Environmental Research Group (ERG) began revegetation efforts along the roadside of Highway 82 east of Aspen to Independence Pass with school children from four schools in the Roaring Fork Valley.
	Former mayor, Bill Stirling, Wayne Ethridge, and others helped develop city and county funding programs that aided the work of ERG and The Independence Pass Foundation (IPF). Ongoing support throughout Colorado has been vital to the restoration efforts on Independence Pass. Good ideas and cooperation were especially important during the transition in 1989 and 1990 when ERG transferred the project to the Independence Pass Foundation.
	Ramona Markalunas, King Woodward, and James Peterson were intrumental in the formation of the Independence Pass Foundation (IPF). They are all still active on the Board and provide leadership in its ongoing accomplishments. Bob developed a relationship with the Buena Vista Correctional Center to bring qualified inmates to help with improving the guardrails and planting thousands of seedlings in steep and difficult terrain. This beneficial collaboration has been continued and new projects have been initiated by Mark Fuller, the Executive Director for the Independence Pass Foundation. If you would like to become involved in the many important projects of IPF, including maintenance of the Braille Trail, contact Mark Fuller at fulcon@rof.net
	Bob continued to serve as a consultant to IPF until 1996. He organized the Independence Pass Restoration Team whose members included Ron Cattany of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the City of Aspen, Pitkin County, U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Environmental Research Group (ERG), and IPF. During the 1990s Bob continued working on a film with Robert Fulton and Edgar Boyles about the Roaring Fork River, entitled "Headwaters."
	Bob and Civil Engineeer Ron Thompson, collaborated on the design of three new parking areas at the Climbing Wall, Punchbowl and Weller Lake trailhead. This required years of collaboration with CDOT and Ron's supervision during the construction using rocks and dirt generated from the Weller Cut.
	Bob was very honored to receive recognition from the Pitkin County Commissioners in 1994, and in 1998 he received a special award from the Independence Pass Foundation. These acknowledgements meant a great deal to Bob because they recognized his many years of service to the Roaring Fork Valley. His organization of hundreds of volunteers who helped in the stabilization and beautification of Independence Pass, and the environmental sensitivity which Bob has engendered throughout the world is a legacy for generations to come.
	Bob was very honored to receive the River Conservator Award in 2001 from the Roaring Fork Conservancy. Bob always beamed when he recalled the large gathering of friends who came to the River Rendezvous and shared a delicious dinner and and spent several hours recounting adventures throughout the watershed. In 2000-2001 Bob co-authored "East Of Aspen," a guidebook on the Upper Roaring Fork River from Aspen to Independence Pass with noted author Paul Andersen and acclaimed photographer David Hiser.
	Bob also began working with Paul Andersen and David Hiser on a book about the geology, ecology, and history of Castle and Maroon Creeks that was published in 2007 as Aspen's Rugged Splendor."
	In 2003, Bob received the Greg Mace Award as outstanding volunteer of the year. In typical form, Bob always thanked the rest of the community for helping him accomplish so many of his goals.
	In addition to Bob's work with major museums throughout the United States, he began designing the Living Brain Museum that he tried to find funding for in the United States, Japan, and Singapore. The Brain model was another project that never made it to production but the design and educational content were copyrighted in 1999 and 2005.
	In 2003 Bob founded the Aspen Field Biology Laboratory, and worked tirelessly to garner support for a resarch facility on his property east of Aspen to attract leading scientists to study important ecological issues in the Roaring Fork watershed and support the creation of the Elk Mountain Bioregion. After Bob died July 27, 2005 the AFBL Board reafirmed its commitment to pursue the AFBL mission. To find out more about AFBL's accomplishments and plans for the future, click on Research.
	"When I came to Aspen, having spent my first 23 years in cities, I certainly loved the beauty of the place. But my sense of that beauty was superficial. In contrast, as we wandered in the woods, Bob developed in me an understanding of the interconnections among organisms, the ecological magnificence, the whole's transcendence of the parts, the miracles beyond the aesthetics. That understanding has served me for 37 years in my work as a county commissioner and in my work at Rocky Mountain Institute where whole-system analysis and integrative design are the foundation of everything we do. Bob's idea for Wildwood was to develop a deep understanding among kids of ecological systems; the 3Rs were to be framed in terms of nature's connections. Though I was too old to attend Wildwood, I embody its mission and Bob's." - Michael Kinsley -
	The State of Colorado and Bob's many friends and colleagues around the world continue to be inspired by the dedication and exuberance that Bob expressed throughout his wonderful life.