Emily Barbo

Symposium Speaker: Shaun O’Rourke

June 21, 2023

The Salazar Center is proud to announce that Shaun O’Rourke will be joining us in Denver, Colorado for the fifth-annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact.

Shaun is a Director on the Water Climate and Finance Team at Quantified Ventures (QV) focused on accelerating nature-based solution projects through innovative funding and financing approaches. He has more than 15 years of climate leadership in the public, private, non-profit, and academic sectors. Prior to joining QV, he was the Managing Director at Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and was appointed by Governor Raimondo as the state’s first Chief Resilience Officer. In this role, he led the development and implementation of the climate resilience action strategy, Resilient Rhody. The strategy resulted in over $45 million in new, dedicated funding for climate resilience projects during the first four years. Shaun worked closely with Rhode Island’s congressional delegation and state legislature to advocate for priority projects and direct federal funds for clean energy and climate resilience projects.

Additionally, Shaun has served as the National Green Infrastructure Director at The Trust for Public Land and Director of Sustainable Design and faculty member at the Boston Architectural College.

He is passionate about working with municipalities, counties, and states to accelerate implementation of nature-based solutions to solve multiple problems at once. He and his family live in Northern Vermont and in his free time, Shaun can be found playing in the mountains.

The Water and Climate Finance team at QV partners with communities and organizations from all sectors to deliver clean water, climate mitigation, and community resilience solutions to improve the wellbeing of people and planet. They work with their clients to identify and secure capital to catalyze and scale environmental infrastructure and nature-based solution projects.

Emily Barbo

Symposium Speaker: Gwen Bridge

June 20, 2023

The Salazar Center is proud to announce that Gwen Bridge will be joining us in Denver, Colorado for the fifth-annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact.

Gwen is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation and has been working for over 20 years with First Nations, all levels of government, and the private and nonprofit sectors, across North America, developing relationships and strategies that advance reconciliation. She has been negotiating initiatives and advising on strategy and policy that recognize and implement Indigenous Knowledge, such as in the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Reserve.

Gwen is advising the BC government on how to better consider indigenous knowledge in collaborative land use planning and forestry related climate change considerations. Support to local governments includes developing strategies and principles for becoming “Cities of Reconciliation” and advising on climate change policy and economic development engagement strategies. Indigenous-led conservation focuses recently include the smelqmix Protected Area and caribou habitat conservation advancement in the territory of the Okanagan Nation Alliance. Advancing an understanding of the ecological, economic and equity-based partnership mechanisms to support our collective reconciliation agenda through training is a recent focus. Other clients include First Nations and First Nation organizations, Parks Canada, US National Parks Service, National Geographic Society, other nonprofits, regional and municipal governments including Metro Vancouver, other consulting firms, the University of Washington, Blue Quills University, BC Ministries of: Environment, Indigenous Relationships and Reconciliation, Forests, and Land, Water and Resource Stewardship.

Gwen is an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC. Gwen has a Master of Science in Forest Hydrology from the University of Alberta.

Emily Barbo

Symposium Speaker: Brenda Mallory

June 19, 2023

The Salazar Center is proud to announce that Brenda Mallory will be joining us in Denver, Colorado for the fifth-annual International Symposium on Conservation Impact.

Brenda Mallory is the 12th Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). She is the first African American to serve in this position. As Chair, she advises the President on environmental and natural resources policies that improve, preserve, and protect public health and the environment for America’s communities. She is focused particularly on addressing the environmental justice and climate change challenges the nation faces while advancing opportunities for job growth and economic development.

Chair Mallory has decades of experience in both the private and public sector, including spending nearly 20 years at the Environmental Protection Agency and CEQ, serving in a number of senior roles. In Chair Mallory’s first stint at CEQ as the General Counsel, she helped shape many of President Obama’s signature environmental and natural resource policy successes.

Now having returned to CEQ, Chair Mallory is looking to reinvigorate CEQ’s important environmental policy role to advance President Biden’s ambitious climate and environmental justice agenda. Chair Mallory was the first in her family to attend college, graduating from Yale College with a double major in history and sociology and then from Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She and her husband Mark live in Rockville, MD. They have three adult children. The family enjoys visiting the parks and other natural treasures that reflect the environmental values she has worked to protect.

Emily Barbo

What it means to be a tenacious woman in conservation

April 4, 2023

I participated in the Palmer Land Conservancy’s annual TENACITY: Women in Conservation Conference in March. As I made the drive from Denver to Colorado Springs with my colleague, Catie, I couldn’t help but ponder the name of the event and my role in conservation as a woman. It was harder than I expected to define my place in the Ven diagram of these two identities (and the I-25 South traffic didn’t help). What few answers I was able to come up with weren’t so positive, remembering moments of adversity in my professional development and uncertainty around my ability to make a meaningful impact. My apprehension about attending started to grow and the nervous energy that I always feel when attending networking events became mixed with a tightness in my chest that usually signals one thing, dread. I was terrified I wasn’t going to be able to be a supportive, energetic, optimistic, driven, eco-Zena-warrior-princess. Worse, I was worried I didn’t belong. I felt like an imposter to my gender and my profession. Not great.

But it was too late to back out now. Had I been the one driving, I might have seriously considered turning us around. But I wasn’t, and I didn’t want to look like a total wimp in front of my boss – an eco-warrior in her own right. So, I swallowed my fear and prepared for the worst.

Thank God.

When I walked into the Pinery lobby, the sound of women’s energetic voices immediately enveloped me. And instead of feeling overwhelmed, as I had convinced myself for an hour in the car that I would, it was instantly comforting. Before I got five steps into the reception, another colleague from CSU hurried over to me and gave me a big, welcoming hug. She’d been coming to this event for years. I don’t know if she saw the trepidation in my eyes or if she is just naturally a nurturing soul (probably both), but she immediately acted as a sort of guide, introducing me to folks she knew and generally acting as a home base for me to launch from and retreat to throughout the evening. It was wonderful. I met new people with an ease that rarely happens in networking spaces because we all had at least two things in common – a shared context.

The evening’s main event, a conversation between three women who are shaping the future of Colorado in their respective industries featured Anne Castle, who is a Senior Fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment at the University of Colorado Law School; Dawn DiPrince, the Executive Director of History Colorado and the State Historic Society; and Jackie Miller, the Executive Director of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO).

In front of a sold-out crowd, these three powerhouse women shared their visions, hopes, and concerns for our future. Here are a few quotes (some of which are paraphrased, drawing from my memory) that have stayed with me since the event.

“So, why women in conservation? I think we all know, there is nothing more powerful than a room full of women (and a few men) who are motivated to get stuff done. We also know that we face gender inequality. And that until a time when we are equally recognized, supported, and celebrated, it is important that we illuminate the powerful leadership and impact that women have in conservation and beyond. Our health and future very much depend on it.”
– Rebecca Jewett, President and CEO of Palmer Land Conservancy

“My superpower is that I try to live a very love-based life and I think I’m a pretty authentic human being.”
– Jackie Miller

“Water is not only a finite resource, it is shrinking…. Water is a basic human right, that not all humans have, by the way. We can’t continue to use water in the west, in Colorado, in the way that we have historically. And what that means for us is that our cities are going to look different. They aren’t going to have as much wide-open green space, there is going to be more zero-scaping. We are going to look more like Santa Fe, which would be fine, it’s a good way to live in a desert environment.”
– Anne Castle

“So many of our communities are experiencing the tension between conservation and recreation – knowing that increased use and the effects of climate change are putting extra pressure on our natural resources. People are wanting to recreate in record numbers, which is fabulous. Nature makes us healthier and happier. But how are we going to continue to protect the resource to ensure that the Colorado that we all know and love continues to thrive on a landscape level? Progress moves at the speed of trust. We need to build trust with one another so that we can work towards common solutions.”
– Jackie Miller

“One of the things that keeps me up at night is a concern about tribal communities and whether at the end of the day, we will do the right thing by the tribes. And we haven’t yet.”
– Anne Castle

“Hope isn’t something that happens to us. Hope is something that we make.”
– Dawn DiPrince

This last quote from Dawn has been coming back to me over and over – and encompasses what the event was all about – women gathering together to inspire, learn, and lift up each other as leaders in our communities even, and perhaps especially, when we feel like we don’t always belong.

I’m excited to be on this team, with these women, and for the opportunity to confront these issues and dream of a better future. And I can’t wait to see how I feel when I am driving to the TENACITY: Women in Conservation Conference next year.

Emily Barbo

Peregrine Accelerator: Evaluator Spotlight 1

November 7, 2022

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.

Joni Carswell, Texan by Nature

Joni Carswell is the CEO and President of Texan by Nature (TxN) where she is responsible for leading the mission to bring business and conservation together. In 2011, Mrs. Laura Bush founded Texan by Nature to unite conservation and business leaders who believe the state’s prosperity is dependent on the conservation of our natural resources. The organization amplifies projects and activates new investments in conservation which returns real benefits for people, prosperity, and natural resources.

Prior to Texan by Nature, Joni was the President and CEO of family engagement platform LivingTree, where she drove strategy, technology, and community involvement, helping over a million users at school districts across the country deepen family engagement. Under Carswell’s tenure, LivingTree more than tripled its user base each year, and was also recognized with the Stevie Women in Business Gold Award for Community Involvement Program of the Year and Silver Award for Mobile App of the Year. Previously, Carswell held leadership roles in planning and strategy at Polycom and Dell where she managed three-year planning for multi-billion-dollar product portfolios.

“As a fourth-generation Texan, it is an absolute honor to lead Texan by Nature in our effort to becoming a greater catalyst for natural resource conservation in Texas and the nation,” said Joni when she was named to the leadership position at Texas by Nature. “I am excited to take the helm at TxN and apply the growth strategy, data-based frameworks, and collaboration that have yielded success in business and technology. I look forward to working with all TxN partners, Texas communities, industries, and leadership in creating a true conservation economy in Texas – one that benefits our prosperity, people, and natural resources for generations to come.”

Joni is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management (Masters, Business Administration) and Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering (Masters, Engineering Management), is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, and served on the Advisory Board for the Kellogg Women’s Business Association. Joni holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University and currently serves on the External Advisory Board for the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management.

Rio de la Vista, Salazar Rio Grande Del Norte Center at Adams State University

Rio shares her experience with local, regional, and international nonprofit organizations, land and water issues, community groups, and landowners to help grow the next generation of conservation and water leaders.

She is the former director of the Salazar Rio Grande Del Norte Center at Adams State University, where she led the Center’s two main initiatives:

The Rio Grande Natural Area Initiative: Starting in 2018, the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University launched an initiative for the congressionally designated Rio Grande Natural Area (RGNA), encompassing the Rio Grande River corridor in Colorado from the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge south to the New Mexico state line (see map). This effort is in conjunction with community, government, and organizational partners to implement the recommendations of the RGNA Commission and their Management Plan released in 2015.

The Water Education Initiative: This effort engages Adams State University in water issues and opportunities to enhance its relevance to the community and the changing economy, and to serve as an educational and project partner to increase water literacy, assist in projects, and grow the next generation of water leaders. A key element of this initiative is the integration of water educational content into academic courses across disciplines and to offer students and the community compelling activities that deepen their water knowledge.

Prior to joining the Salazar Rio Grande Center, Rio worked with the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust for nearly 20 years, helping to develop and implement the Rio Grande Initiative, which conserved over 25,000 acres of land and water along the Rio Grande and Conejos River. She is the environmental representative on the Rio Grande Basin Roundtable in addition to several other committee and board positions.

She was honored with the National Wetlands Award in 2011 for her work in the San Luis Valley. In 2020, she was recognized with a Distinguished Service Award by the Regents of the University of Colorado, for her years of work in conservation. In 2022, she was named a Conservation Hero for Advocacy by the Keep It Colorado coalition of land trusts. Rio is grateful to live on a family ranch at the headwaters of the Rio Grande in Colorado, and treasures time spent in the mountains and on rivers.

Nathan Fey, Mighty Arrow Family Foundation

Nathan is the Land & Water Program Director for the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation (MAFF), underscoring the foundation’s dedication to climate action, clean water and public lands.

“As we strive to create bold and transformational change, intentionally spending down our fund in the coming years, Nathan will be a vital part of executing that strategy in a way that brings the greatest benefit to our NGO partners and western landscapes,” said Jordana Barrack, Executive Director of the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. “His expertise on land and water issues and experience engaging diverse partners will help ensure our grants have the greatest possible impact at a time when action is needed most.”

Previously, Nathan served the State of Colorado as the Director of the Outdoor Recreation Industry Division within the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, where he oversaw the cultivation of Colorado’s $62.5 Billion Outdoor Recreation Economy. He partnered directly with the Governor’s office to create policies that promote business recovery and growth, the conservation and stewardship of Colorado’s public lands and waters, advance the state’s education and workforce development programs, and improve public health and wellness through outdoor participation.

Prior to working for the State, Nathan was active in the non-profit conservation community and has spent over 20 years working with federal and state agencies, national and statewide non-profits, and local community groups across the Southern Rockies and intermountain west.

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. MST.

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