Our Roots

Since 1986

The Wildflower Festival began in 1986 through the efforts of a few insightful Crested Butte locals who envisioned a wildflower celebration in one of the most picturesque valleys in Colorado. The Festival has grown into a summer-long season with over 150 events offered by over 40 instructors, tour guides, and volunteers.

Our Mission
To advocate for the preservation and appreciation of wildflowers.

Wildflower Preservation

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Board of Directors

Lynn Cudlip
Vice President

Always about the plants, her friends say she always has her nose in the dirt. Lynn Cudlip, wetland scientist, started putting her nose to the ground in high school when she wandered the northern Michigan hardwoods. In college and grad school, at the U of Colorado and U of Minnesota, she continued studying the ecology of plants and began her work in forestry and hydrology, respectively. Completing range studies with the BLM grounded her even more in semi-arid and high desert environments. She also combined water quality work for the Park Service and teaching at Western Colorado University before operating her own wetland consulting firm for 20 years. Lynn spends as much time outside hiking around looking for plants and other stuff, and she enjoys sharing all that she sees with others.

Ken Collins
Board Member

Ken lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is a retired librarian who has always been interested in gardening and flowers, going back to his earliest childhood memories. Since moving to Santa Fe in the early 1990’s, he has combined his love of the outdoors (camping, hiking, backpacking, bicycling) with a passion for wildflowers in general and Rocky Mountain wildflowers in particular. Along with this, he is building a personal collection of wildflower guidebooks. Ken has been spending time in Crested Butte almost every summer since his move to Santa Fe and has come to know the mountain trails and the wildflowers that populate them with an unceasing amazement for their variety and profusion. At the retirement complex where he lives he created a 100-foot long garden filled with spring-blooming bulbs and native perennials that became a source of pleasure for other residents. An inveterate traveler, he seeks out the wild places of the Earth – recent trips have included Antarctica, Greenland, and the Canadian Arctic.

Kristi Bezler
President

Kristi Bezler has lived in Crested Butte since 2017 and fell in love with the community in 2010. She and her husband have two children, and they all greatly enjoy the activities and personal connection the community has to offer. Kristi joined the Wildflower Festival Board in 2024 and is looking forward to deepening her connection to the community through her love of wildflowers. In her spare time, she enjoys trail running, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, reading as well as spending time with family and friends.

Leanne Benton
Secretary

Leanne is a recently retired National Park Service ranger, with a career in educating the public on the wonders of the parks. She was assigned to Rocky Mountain National Park for over 20 years, where her specialty was presenting programs on alpine ecology and mountain wildflowers. Today she continues this passion by leading programs for the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, Rocky Mountain Conservancy, and Road Scholars.

Nieset LeFevre
Board Member

Born in Gunnison and raised in Crested Butte, Nieset is a sixth generation Coloradan. Nieset graduated in May of 2023 from The University of Montana with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Sustainability with a focus in Climate Change Studies. The environment around Crested Butte is to thank for her chosen education path. Wildflowers are an influential part of growing up in Crested Butte, but in the last 4 years Nieset has taken to identification and understanding why Crested Butte is such a unique environment for wildflower growth. Her first time assisting hikes with the Festival was in 2023, and she cannot wait for this season to meet new people, spend time outside, and provide insight on the beautiful flowers along the way.

Peggy Langewisch
Treasurer

Peggy has been visiting since the early 90’s and living full-time in the Gunnison valley since 2000. She began her career at a large management consulting company before founding a consulting partnership focused on strategy development and implementation. After enjoying extensive travel for work, she now relishes staying home and hiking, biking, and skiing. Peggy joined the Wildflower Festival Board in 2017 and appreciates the opportunity to contribute to sharing and preserving the beauty that surrounds us.

Dr. Luke Tembrock
Board Member

Luke Tembrock was born in Delta, Colorado and grew up along the North Fork of the Gunnison where he first began to examine plants and nature on the family orchard west of Hotchkiss. After graduating Hotchkiss High School in 1997 Luke studied at Western State College (now Western Colorado University) in Gunnison, CO for two semesters before traveling and working in Western Europe for a year. Upon returning to the U.S. Luke worked for the Colorado Division of Wildlife (now Colorado Parks and Wildlife) as a field technician around Durango, CO and then with the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Indian Affairs as a cadastral surveyor around Ignacio, CO. Luke completed his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in geography with a minor in biology in 2005 from the University of Colorado, Boulder and then worked as a tropical horticulturist with the Denver Botanic Gardens until 2008. In 2015 Luke completed his doctoral degree in botany from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO where his work focused on the East African stimulant plant qat (Catha edulis, Celastraceae). From 2015 to the present Luke has worked as a research scientist in the department of Agricultural Biology at Colorado State University and in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture where he studies invasive insect species.

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Dr. David Kish
Executive Director

After many years as a Festival participant, Member, Hike Assistant, CBWF Photography Contest winner, and workshop leader, we are pleased to welcome David Kish as our CBWF Executive Director. David has been photographing, hiking, and mountain biking in Crested Butte since 2005, and he brings two decades of non-profit and business experience to the role of Executive Director. David's nature photographs have appeared in the Crested Butte Magazine, Denver Post, and various Colorado State Parks publications. As Professor of Music at Metropolitan State University, David teaches band and music education courses with a strong focus on preparing future educators for the rigor of the teaching profession. He earned the DMA and MM degrees from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the BM degree from Susquehanna University. In addition to teaching, David is an active author, researcher, and clinician. His textbooks are used by universities throughout the United States and Canada.

Olivia Murphy-Welconish
Assistant Director

Born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Olivia has always been one for the outdoors and soaking in the abundant natural Colorado beauty through travel, rock climbing, skiing, and yoga! She first started calling the Gunnison Valley home in 2017 when she began as a Psychology and Philosophy student at Western Colorado University. Since then, she has made it her mission to give back to the Gunnison Valley particularly through the lenses of community involvement, non-profit service, and event planning. Since 2021, she has loved being a part of the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival planning team and helping this incredible event come to fruition for locals and visitors alike!

Lauren Herbine
Lead Festival Assistant

Lauren grew up in small-town Virginia, earning her degree in Geology from the College of William & Mary. Once West, she worked for the Forest Service, outdoor education schools, and various non-profits before heading to graduate school at Utah State University. She spent some time as a Trout Unlimited Restoration Scientist in the High Sierra where she managed monitoring programs related to large-scale backcountry meadow restoration projects. Lauren and her partner moved to Crested Butte in 2024 to pursue some work/life balance, and she couldn’t be happier to be helping to lead the 2025 Wildflower Festival!

Sonya Stephen
Festival Assistant

Originally from Pennsylvania, Sonya moved to Colorado in 2019 in pursuit of a lifestyle that included more exploration of and time in the outdoors. She fell in love with the mountains of Colorado and moved with her now-husband to Salida last year. In her free time, you can find her hiking, practicing yoga and reading historical fiction. She has recently been accepted into the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University and is looking forward to spending some time in the Gunnison Valley this summer!

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The Crested Butte Wildflower Festival operates in the Gunnison National Forest under a special use permit and is an equal opportunity service provider.