I grew up in rural ranching communities in New Mexico and Colorado. My sister and I had free access on our horses to our neighbor’s lands due to the trust and knowledge that we would be responsible. I grew up learning the rhythm of the land through wet and dry years and good and bad land use practices through the years and different properties my parents had. I know that many different levels of land conservation are important to make a difference and MLC’s current mission embraces those different levels.

I’ve lived in Montezuma County since 2012 and joined the MLC Board in late 2020. My career was in agricultural research for 25 years in the Salinas Valley of California. I know that farmers and ranchers need pragmatic conservation solutions to problems and that preserving open lands will benefit all members of the community.

The more I know about all the conservation easements MLC has developed since 1998, the more pride I have in the organization. The diversity of properties conserved covers many areas including agricultural lands preservation, wildlife habitat, protecting watershed properties from development and preserving private lands with archaeological value.