The city of Craig in Northwest Colorado is not world renowned for its culture. In fact, unless you hunt elk, or dig coal, you may never have heard of it. But there is one elite group of folks who are familiar with this sleepy little town, and they belong to the clade known as Birders. These birding pilgrims annually make the trek in through wind and snow, fighting lack of sleep, to see one of the world’s greatest spectacles: the lekking grouse. And Craig sits smack in the middle of some of the greatest grouse lekking grounds for Columbian sharp-tailed and Greater Sage-grouse. Throw in booming and strutting dusky grouse overlapping their respective ranges, and you have the makings for a birding trip you won’t soon forget.

This fun and informative lecture is presented by Jeremiah Psiropoulos, a former federal wildlife biologist with 15 years in his field. He also is the owner and operator of Colorado Grouse Tours, a bird guiding business based in Hayden. When he isn’t guiding for grouse, he is an ornithology lecturer and expedition guide in the Arctic and Antarctica. Originally from Oregon, he now lives on his family’s ranch north of Hayden, along with his wife Emily, her mother Penny, and their dogs. The Howe Ranch is a former cattle operation, now managed for native flora and fauna while providing income hosting birders from around the world during the spring grouse lekking season. Along with the Howe Ranch, Jeremiah leases access to grouse leks on other ranches in Routt and Moffat County from like-minded ranchers who believe in conserving grouse and the lands they dance on. Join Jeremiah for a discussion of ranching for conservation, birding, and sharing the wild lands of Northwest Colorado with the world.