Text by Hilary Stunda
Images by Jordan Curet
Aspenite Bruce Gordon has logged thousands of miles flying his Cessna 210 Centurion in more than 10 countries around the world, working with hundreds of conservation groups, while offering clients a bird’s-eye view of the planet. From the aerial perspective, there’s no need for words. The land speaks for itself.
EcoFlight, his Colorado-based non-profit, has been committed to protecting America’s public lands for more than 25 years.
Like many fortuitous moments in life, for Gordon, coming to Aspen was a lucky mistake. After serving in Vietnam, he found himself taking a short-lived stint in finance on Wall Street. With $200 in his pocket, he took off for San Francisco, only to be side-tracked in Aspen, a Shangri-La for hippies and anti-establishment intellectuals and artists. It was a place where taxi drivers had PhDs and silversmiths and leather workers made a living among urban refugees who’d come seeking a more untethered lifestyle and, most importantly, deep powder.
“Town had a funky air about it,” he reminisces. “It was an exciting time. Aspen was filled with vibrant, brave, intelligent people who were friendly, easy-going and truly cared for this unique place.”
With a jump start from the Veterans Administration, Gordon took flying lessons and became a pilot, meeting and befriending another dreamer and avid pilot along the way: legendary singer/songwriter John Denver.
In 1980, Gordon wanted to share what he could see from his cockpit with policy makers and heavy-hitter who could make an impact.
Whether they were county commissioners, mayors, forest service district rangers, or well-known photographers like Pete McBride (read about his beautiful work on page 52), Gordon took flight to show them the big picture of nearly every aspect affecting the environment—air and water quality, gas drilling, wildfire mitigation, urban development.
“We brought people from all walks of life together to have conversations and hopefully inspire them to educate themselves and advocate for what they believe in,” he says.
After Denver’s tragic, life-ending plane crash in 1997, Gordon wanted to honor his memory, and created EcoFlight’s Flight Across America program. Ever since, Gordon has been flying young adults over threatened areas and hosting experts in conservation, encouraging them to spread the word.
“They can get the word out better than anyone,” says Gordon.
College students have joined aerial tours over national parks in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah learning about water sources and air-quality degradation. Gordon helped protect the Labyrinth Canyon outside of Moab and is currently working with the Lava Ridge Wind Project, where he flew conservationists, press, tribal leaders and the director of the Tribal Department of Energy for the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to view and discuss the factors needed to balance the health of the ecosystem with growing energy demands. With the program, Gordon has inspired hundreds of young adults, conservationists, and decision-makers to see these landscapes from a new perspective, empowering them to protect what they now understand from above.
He’s also flying over Crystal River with the Colorado River Water Conservation District (CRWCD), with stakeholders and interested developers to discuss how to protect a 39-mile segment of the Crystal River from its headwaters to just above Carbondale. The Crystal River is one of the last undammed and undiverted rivers in Colorado, and it is a major tributary of the Roaring Fork River.
“More people understand that the best way to keep it the way it is, which is what they all want, is to put some permanent protections on these places,” says Gordon.
For him, flying isn’t just about the journey—it’s about igniting change. Decades of advocating for America’s public lands have allowed him to see the country’s landscape as a living organism, each flight revealing both its resilience and vulnerabilities.
Reflecting on his journey, Gordon acknowledges the scope and impact of his efforts: “From protecting the Yellowstone grizzly to reestablishing Bears Ears National Monument and preserving Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front, each project is a testament to what can be achieved when people truly see what’s at stake.” Every flight reinforces the same message: conservation begins with awareness.
As EcoFlight’s mission continues, Gordon’s aerial view offers us more than a scenic route—it provides a vision for preserving the land, water, and wildlife that define the American West.
