Every year, Walking Mountains Science Center hosts its “A Taste of Nature” fundraising gala to celebrate its mission and accomplishments. This year’s gala is Tuesday, July 10 and will celebrate the organization’s 20 years of providing natural science education to the Eagle River Valley community. At the gala, Walking Mountains will honor their founder, Kim Langmaid, with the Reach for the Peak Award for her vision and drive that have defined the organization. Vail Resorts will be honored with the Founder’s Stewardship Award that celebrates the company’s immeasurable contributions to the nonprofit and greater community. Accepting on behalf of the company will be Vail Resorts Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Rob Katz.
“Celebrating our 20-year milestone meant we wanted to find two very special honorees. Kim Langmaid as the founder of Walking Mountains Science Center felt like a natural choice, and Vail Resorts is one of the organization’s longest and most steadfast partners and supporters,” said Markian Feduschak, president of Walking Mountains. “This year’s event will truly be special because of the honorees’ contributions to this community.”
It is difficult to overstate Langmaid’s role in the growth and success of Walking Mountains Science Center. As the nonprofit’s founder, visionary, and driving force, Langmaid is perhaps the most instrumental individual in the organization’s history. She has since stepped down from the helm to focus on the sustainability aspects of Walking Mountains’ aspirations: In 2015 she helped launch Actively Green, the business sustainability program that has certified 57 businesses to date and was recognized in 2018 by the Global Sustainable Tourist Council as complying with their prestigious sustainability standards. Langmaid was also instrumental in helping the Town of Vail, alongside Vail Resorts, achieve its Sustainable Destination status, confirmed by the international organization Sustainable Travel International after a rigorous sustainability audit.
Vail Resorts has been a steadfast partner of Walking Mountains Science Center since its founding as the Gore Range Natural Science School. Beyond the company’s support for the nonprofit’s mission, Vail Resorts has also made great strides in creating a model of sustainability for resorts around the globe. Their vision and aspirations have helped create a culture of environmentalism for its flagship resort, Vail Mountain, and for every resort within the Vail Resorts family of world-class destination resorts around the globe. In addition to continuous efforts over many years, Vail Resorts notably announced Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint, the company’s sustainability commitment to a zero net operating footprint by 2030 – which includes a company-wide pledge for zero net emissions, zero waste to landfill and zero net operating impact on forests and habitat by 2030. For the company’s longtime support of Walking Mountains and ambitious sustainability goals, Walking Mountains Science Center is pleased to honor Vail Resorts with the Founder’s Stewardship Award.
“We are honored and privileged to work alongside tremendous community partners, such as Walking Mountains Science Center,” said Rob Katz, chairman and chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. “We’ve collaborated for many years to bring together the mountains, our communities, employees, and guests to ignite a passion for the outdoors, conserve the natural environment and support our local communities for a bright, sustainable future.”
Along with raising vital support for Walking Mountains’ natural science programs and recognizing individuals and partner organizations who help facilitate its mission, A Taste of Nature also celebrates the goodness of life that comes from personal and cultural connections with our natural world. Over the years, Walking Mountains has made tremendous progress to develop that connection for Eagle Valley residents and visitors, pre-k to gray.
Over the past 20 years, Walking Mountains has achieved some major milestones. In 2017 they reached over 127,000 people through their programs, a 14,000 percent increase from 900 in 1998. In 2016 they facilitated the development of the Climate Action Collaborative for the Eagle County Community. Through their Sustainability and Stewardship programs the Zero Waste team diverted 29,564 pounds of waste from the landfill to recycling or composting facilities in 2017 alone. The nonprofit’s roots in natural science education in conjunction with their sustainability goals encompass their mission; to not only instill a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world for the young and young at heart alike, but to set the stage for the next generation of environmental stewards.
Walking Mountains Science Center is continuously grateful for the twenty years of avid support they have received from the Eagle County community which shares their values of inspiring environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education. They invite you to join them on this special night to celebrate twenty years and A Taste of Nature at their beautiful campus in Avon under tents and surrounded by nature. As in past years, the highly anticipated event is expected to sell out. Please contact Patty White, Vice President and Director of Development, at pattyw@walkingmountains.org or at 970.688.4164 for table and ticket inquiries.
About Walking Mountains Science Center 501(c)3
Walking Mountains Science Center’s mission is to awaken a sense of wonder and inspire environmental stewardship and sustainability through natural science education. Visit www.walkingmountains.org or call 970.827.9725 for more information.
About Vail Resorts, Inc.
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts’ subsidiaries operate 11 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of California and Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe in Vermont; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com. The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com.