Priorities: Natural Resource Management
Our natural beauty, open spaces, and rich agricultural heritage are why so many of us chose to call Grand County home. Protecting them requires active stewardship, practical solutions, and true collaboration.
Having spent my career in natural resource management as a backcountry ranger, ranch hand, farmer, and professional conservationist, I know that our shared love for this land far outweighs what divides us. Whether your family has ranched here for five generations or you just bought your first piece of the valley, we all want to safeguard our natural resources for the future.
As commissioner, my natural resource priorities will include:
Sustaining Working Lands: Events like the Middle Park Fair and Rodeo remind us of the social importance of local agriculture. Ranching and logging also contribute to our local economy and play an essential role in forest health and wildfire mitigation to prevent future disasters like the East Troublesome Fire. The BOCC can help drive innovation on the land, explore new economic opportunities, and create a new future for Grand County.
Protecting Our Water: With transbasin diversions and required flows carrying water out of our area, we must aggressively defend our local water rights, manage our rivers responsibly, and leverage new agreements like the Northern Water Operational Framework. Water is a finite resource, and we have to make sure we have enough for Middle Park as much as anyone.
Uniting Around Stewardship: As shown by the 70%+ voter support for the Open Lands, Rivers, and Trails (OLRT) renewal, conservation and trail management are priorities shared throughout the county. We can leverage our shared goals to make Grand County an even better, more beautiful and productive place to live.
Solving tough issues, from water policy to wildlife management, starts with listening to every corner of our county and finding common ground. As County Commissioner, I will bring my proven, hands-on experience to ensure that as Grand County grows, our lands, waters, and heritage are protected for generations to come.
What local conservation or land management priorities matter most to you? Comment below!
