The Peregrine Accelerator for Conservation Impact program wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners who have graciously agreed to serve as mentors and proposal evaluators to our applicants.
While only a maximum of 12 teams will be accept into the program, The Center wants to make sure that all applicants walk away with something valuable from the experience since it takes time and resources to develop a proposal. Getting substantive feedback from regional and subject matter experts on the strengths and opportunities for improvement on proposals is one of the significant benefits of applying to this program.
These evaluators were selected for their experience, curiosity, and passion for watershed health, climate resilience, and social equity. They will provide a thorough review of each application submitted, and each applicant team will receive feedback from a minimum of five evaluators to help them strengthen their approach and solutions. Since they play such an important role in the program, take a moment to get to know a few of the evaluators who will be investing their time and energy in this work!
Be sure to check out the full list of evaluators and their bios.
Teresa Martinez, Continental Divide Trail Coalition
For over 30 years, Teresa has worked professionally to increase awareness, engagement, access, and stewardship of the United States’ entire National Trails System. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Teresa holds a B.S. and M.S from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in the College of Natural Resources. Teresa is a lifelong outdoor recreationist and from 1987-2007 she worked for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, from 2007 to 2012 she worked for the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, and since 2012, she has been the Executive Director (and co-founder) of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. She serves on the Trail Leadership Council of the Partnership for the National Trails System and has served as the Chair of the Federal Advisory Committee to aid the USFS in the development of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.
Teresa is actively involved in the creation of equitable spaces for all people in the outdoors and currently serves as the acting chair of the Board for the Next100 Coalition. She believes that inclusion in the outdoors matters because it is the underlying foundation of the landscapes and communities within which we work and wish to expand. Inclusion means that every voice along the Continental Divide has a seat at the table and the opportunity to influence the future of this 3,100-mile-long corridor of land across the Rocky Mountains. In 2019, Teresa was honored by the Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources as the recipient of the Gerald Cross Alumni Leadership Award. When not working on behalf of one of our National Trails, Teresa may be found exploring trails in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico, by bike, horse, and foot.
Estrella Woods, Great Outdoors Colorado
awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts across Colorado and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created by voters, GOCO has committed more than $1.3 billion in Lottery proceeds to more than 5,500 projects in all 64 counties without a single dollar coming from taxpayers’ pockets. Estrella joined the GOCO team as the Southwest program officer in June 2021. She is driven by a deep desire to be of service in a way that directly supports health and wellness for local communities and the environment. When the opportunity arose with the creation of GOCO’s regional officers, she felt the position aligned perfectly with those values, working with partners to support outdoor recreation and conservation projects and programs for residents and visitors alike. Her position serves thirteen counties in the southwest region of Colorado in the development of projects seeking GOCO partnership and funding.
Estrella’s past work experience is rooted in the outdoor recreation and travel industries as well as fundraising for nonprofits focused on health and human services. Estrella studied Language Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz and completed an MBA with Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. Originally from Maine, Estrella has lived on the Western Slope of Colorado for over twenty years. Above all, she enjoys being outside in nature, sharing her passion for outdoor recreation, and being a steward of the land in southwest Colorado.
Jim Petterson, Trust for Public Land
Jim is the Trust for Public Land’s Mountain West Region vice president, overseeing the organization’s Northern Rockies (MT, ID, WY) and Texas Programs, and providing day-to-day management of its Colorado and Southwest Program (CO, UT, AZ, NM). Together, these teams are working with local communities in some of the fastest-growing urban, suburban, and rural areas to generate climate, health, and equity outcomes by creating parks, conserving priority lands, reimagining schoolyards, and building and enhancing trails and greenways. When describing his work, Jim said, “Community is at the heart of everything we do at The Trust for Public Land. We pride ourselves on being active listeners and good partners, working to connect people to the outdoors through land protection, trails, green schoolyards and parks and open space. We’ve been working in Colorado for over 35 years to ensure healthy, livable communities for generations to come.”
Prior to joining Trust for Public Land, Jim spent 17 years at The Nature Conservancy, including 12 years in a variety of senior marketing leadership roles, such as chief communications officer and communications director; and five years as senior advisor to the CEO. Prior to joining the Conservancy, Jim spent 10 years working in Washington, D.C. as a communications director and legislative assistant for a senior member of Congress and as a press secretary for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Jim is an avid trail runner, bushwhacker, and peak bagger. When he’s not visiting his kids at their colleges in the Florida Keys and Berkeley, California, Jim lives in Denver, Colorado with his spouse, Jeanine.
Do you have an innovative idea for conservation solutions in the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo River Basin? Do you want to connect with a network of industry leaders and experts like those mentioned here? Then you should apply for the Peregrine Accelerator! Learn more about the proposal requirements and be sure to submit your application, in English or in Spanish, before the deadline on Monday, November 21 at 5:00 p.m. MT.