Carli Kierstead is the Forest Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, where she leads efforts to understand and restore some of the West’s most critical—and often overlooked—ecosystems. From beetle kill and wildfire to drought, Wyoming’s forests face a range of challenges that ripple far beyond the state’s borders. These high-country forests are the headwaters of several major river basins, providing water to millions of people across the American West.
In this conversation, Carli and I dig into the past, present, and future of Western forests—how management philosophies have evolved over the decades, what’s threatening their health today, and what can be done to make them more resilient in a changing climate. We talk about her team’s groundbreaking work using snowtography—a deceptively simple but powerful way to study how forest structure affects snowpack and water supply—and how those findings could help guide future restoration across the Colorado River Basin.
Carli also shares her personal journey from growing up in San Diego to finding her calling in Wyoming’s wide-open landscapes, her insights on collaboration and trust-building in conservation, and a few book recommendations that shaped her path. It’s a hopeful, science-grounded conversation about water, forests, and how collaboration can shape a more resilient future for the West.
Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy!
Both photos by Drew Bennett Photo, courtesy of TNC
LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
…or wherever you get your podcasts!
EPISODE PARTNER:
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.
During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org
RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 2:34 – Intro and Wyoming forest health
- 7:16 – Beetle issues
- 8:30 – Why forest health?
- 12:35 – Economic benefit of forests
- 16:28 – Wyoming’s claim to water
- 17:10 – Snowtography
- 23:18 – Lessons from the snow
- 27:33 – On the ground impact
- 33:53 – How it scales
- 40:42 – Relationship building
- 46:08 – The tendrils of the Colorado River Basin
- 46:46 – Carli’s environment obsession
- 52:01 – How to build a relationship
- 55:10 – Book recs
- 58:38 – Last thoughts
Information Referenced:
- Carli Kierstead, Forest Program Director at The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming
- Wyoming forests + TNC
- Snowtography short film
- Forests for Freshwater factsheet
- The Big Burn
- Snowtography
- Carli’s book recs: The Solace of Open Spaces, Finding the Mother Tree
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Rob Addington – A Deep Dive into Western Wildfires and Forest Health
- Kristine Tompkins – Nothing to Lose
- Matt Cahill – A Deep Dive into the Sagebrush Sea
- Paul Hendricks – The Conservation Alliance and the Future of Public Lands
- Chris Keyes – From Outside to RE:PUBLIC
- Celene Hawkins and Taylor Hawes – Navigating the Next Era of the Colorado River
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
