A native of Manitou Springs, Tyler Stuart has been exploring the foothills and mountains of the Pikes Peak Region from a young age. He first summitted Pikes Peak at age 9 with his dad and younger brother. He has since gained tremendous respect for the mountain that plays such a central role in our community. Tyler’s parents provided his early inspiration for the outdoors, and this appreciation further developed through hiking, camping, skiing, and mountain biking which led him to pursue a degree in biology from Occidental College, where he first consciously became curious about birds. Following several months of studying tropical ecology in Costa Rica, his interest in birds became a passion (some would say an obsession).
For several years, Tyler followed his education and training to field biology monitoring and research positions in beautiful places across the western U.S., including Haines, Alaska; Leadville, Colorado; Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks; Bridger-Teton National Forest; and Lander, Wyoming, where he met his wife, Jessica, in 2010. Their shared love of the outdoors and wildlife has inspired countless adventures, from snow camping in the Wind River Mountains to kayaking in Nicaragua to watching thousands of sandhill cranes gather every spring in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Since returning to El Paso County in 2013, Tyler and Jessica have enjoyed seeing Colorado’s peaks, forests, canyons, and prairies from a different perspective. Together, they enjoy backpacking in some of Colorado’s less-visited valleys, cycling, rock climbing, skiing, and studying birds and other wildlife.
Tyler received his Master of Arts in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and has been working as an environmental consultant for a Colorado-based company since 2015. He currently coordinates several community bird counts each year, leads trips for the local Audubon Society chapter, and assists with special events for the El Paso County Nature Centers.
When he isn’t bird watching, Tyler has made time to climb 49 of Colorado’s fourteeners, he has backpacked over 1,000 miles in several of our nation’s national parks and rock climbed many routes in CO, UT, NV and CA, including several routes in Yosemite National Park. Although there is no feeling quite like standing atop a peak and looking out over a sea of mountains, Tyler equally loves any place where he can find peace in nature with friends and family.