Nationally acclaimed author and naturalist Craig Childs will take attendees on a journey down the Colorado River and through its canyons through photography and storytelling on Friday, July 25, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Our Lady of Perpetual Motion, 503 E. Aspen Ave. in downtown Fruita.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Confluence Center of Colorado.

Childs has published more than a dozen books about adventure, wilderness and science, mostly focused on the American Southwest. He has won the Orion Book Award, the Galen Rowell Art of Adventure Award, the Spirit of the West Award for his body of work, and three Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awards. He is a contributing editor at Adventure Journal Quarterly, and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Outside, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, where he’s been called “a modern-day desert father.”

The Confluence Center of Colorado is a collaborative partnership of local nonprofits who are all committed to the same mission-driven work of land and water stewardship, education, recreation, restoration and agriculture. A new building that will house the collective group is under construction at the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers at Dos Rios near downtown Grand Junction. Founding organizations include EUREKA! McConnell Science Museum, RiversEdge West, One Riverfront, Colorado National Monument Association, Colorado Canyons Association, and Colorado West Land Trust. For more information about the Confluence Center, visit www.confluencecenterco.org.

“Craig Childs is a passionate voice for the lands and rivers of the American Southwest,” said Johanna van Waveren, CNMA executive director. “His body of work aligns perfectly with the mission of the Confluence Center and each of the organizations that will work collectively in the new facility. We are thrilled that he will be sharing his stories with our local community and inspiring us to deepen our connection to the land and water that feeds our Grand Valley.”

Tickets are limited and currently available for $20 each. Purchase online on the events page at www.confluencecenterco.org. Doors open at 5 p.m. There are no food and beverage offerings on site, so event organizers suggest bringing a water bottle and checking out the dining scene in Fruita before or after the event.