Carlos Fernández is the State Director for the Nature Conservancy in Colorado, where he and his team build alliances that advance conservation outcomes both in Colorado and around the world. Building on his formal training as an attorney, Carlos has had a long and successful career in conservation that extends far beyond the American West. He has worked extensively in his home country of Argentina, both as the Nature Conservancy’s Southern Andes Conservation Strategies Manager and as the Patagonia Program Manager. Since taking the helm in Colorado in 2015, Carlos and TNC have enjoyed many notable achievements—everything from protecting large swaths of native grasslands to helping to create Colorado’s newest state park.
Carlos grew up in Mendoza, Argentina, an agricultural region known for producing some of the world’s best beef and exceptional Malbec wine. After a childhood spent hunting and fishing along the base of the Andes Mountains, Carlos trained as an attorney and went on to practice law for large international law firms in Buenos Aires and Washington DC. Several years into his career, Carlos realized that the legal profession was not providing deep fulfillment that he needed from a job—so he made the career switch into conservation and has never looked back.
Carlos and I had a fascinating conversation that I know you’ll enjoy. We started by discussing the Nature Conservancy, and specifically what the organization does both globally and here in Colorado. We then chat about several of TNC’s recent successes, including the creation of Yampa River Fund and TNC’s critical role in acquiring and protecting the 19,200-acre Fisher’s Peak property, which will soon be Colorado’s newest state park. Carlos talks about the importance of partnerships in conservation, with other land trusts, governmental organizations, and local communities. We then discuss the future of conservation in the West and the challenges and opportunities facing the region in the next 30 years. Carlos and I both have five-year-old daughters, so we talk a bit about fatherhood and the outdoors’ role in raising children. And as usual, we discuss favorite books, films, his favorite places in Colorado, and he offers some actionable words of wisdom.
This is an excellent episode, full of optimism, inspiration, and educational resources. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything we discuss. Enjoy!
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This episode is brought to you by Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Partners in the Outdoors program. The Partners in the Outdoors program brings together diverse interests from across the entire spectrum of the outdoors to advance and balance both outdoor recreation and conservation in Colorado. The program seeks to foster alignment and trust through three cornerstone initiatives: the Partners in the Outdoors Conference, the Colorado Outdoor Partnership, and the Colorado Outdoor Principles, as well as extensive resource sharing and network building.
EPISODE NOTES
Topics Discussed:
- 5:00 – The Nature Conservancy explained
- 9:30 – TNC’s mission in Colorado
- 10:30 – Yampa River Fund explained
- 16:30 – Importance of community in conservation
- 19:30 – Fishers Peak State Park
- 26:00 – TNC and equitable access to the outdoors
- 28:30 – The importance of partnerships
- 30:45 – Civic duty of partnerships
- 32:00 – Colorado Outdoor Partnerships
- 35:00 – Early years in Mendoza, Argentina
- 38:00 – Transitioning from corporate law into conservation
- 41:30 – Moving to Colorado
- 42:30 – Carlos’s unique professional background
- 46:00 – Conservation in the time of COVID
- 48:45 – Heroes and mentors
- 52:00 – Advice for people transitioning from the private sector into non-profits
- 55:30 – Envisioning the future of conservation
- 59:30 – Favorite books
- 1:04:00 – Favorite films
- 1:05:45 – Carlos’s favorite outdoor activities
- 1:07:00 – Rediscovering the outdoors through your kids’ eyes
- 1:08:00 – Favorite location in the West
- 1:10:30 – Parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Carlos Fernandez
- The Nature Conservancy
- Sydney Macy
- Ken Salazar
- Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO)
- Great Sand Dunes National Park
- TNC 13ers Young Professionals Group
- Yampa River Fund in the news
- The Carpenter Ranch
- Big Agnes
- Fishers Peak project
- Trust for Public Land
- Governor Jared Polis
- Gabe Vasquez episode
- Keep it Colorado
- Rebecca Jewett episode
- Colorado Outdoor Partnership
- SHIFT
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Gandhi: An Autobiography
- Governor Bill Ritter
- Ed’s book recommendations email
- Where the Water Goes by David Owen
- Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner
- The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko
- Team of Teams by Stanley McChrystal
- The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres
- Designing Climate Solutions by Hal Harvey
- Essentialism by Greg McKeown
- Planet Earth II
- Delta Dawn by Pete McBride
- Pete McBride episode
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these as well:
- Rebecca Jewett, Part 2 – Conservation’s Role During Challenging Times
- Daniela Ibarra-Howell – Healing the Land Holistically
- Emilene Ostlind – Storytelling for the New West
- Heather Hansman – Demystifying Water in the West
- Russ Schnitzer – A Life Devoted to Western Landscapes
- Alexis Bonogofsky – Taking a Stand for the West
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