Chris Pague is the Senior Conservation Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy, and he is deeply involved in so many of the topics we discuss here on the podcast– grasslands, bison, endangered species, landscape-scale conservation, and more. For many decades now, Chris has been working on the frontlines of TNC’s science-based conservation efforts, and during his tenure, he’s accumulated a mind-blowing amount of knowledge about everything from the tiniest prairie plants to the plains’ largest mammals. But what makes Chris so special is his ability to translate complex ecology into inspiring, impactful stories– stories that resonate with everyone from the most committed conservationists to people who are just beginning to learn about the West’s wild places.
Chris grew up in Virginia, and for as long as he can remember, he’s been obsessed with the outdoors, wild creatures, and all varieties of plants. He eventually moved West to take a job in Colorado with the Nature Conservancy, where he’s been an invaluable member of the team ever since. I personally credit Chris for helping me in my own journey to understand the importance of grasslands and connected landscapes across the Southern High Plains, thanks to a presentation Chris gave at an event I was attending over a decade ago. I know there are countless other folks just like me who credit Chris with helping them to better understand and appreciate pressing conservation issues— and more importantly, to take action. Between his on-the-ground ecology work and his gift of storytelling, it’s difficult to fully wrap my head around the scale of the positive impact Chris has had over his career.
So, I was long overdue in having Chris join me for a podcast conversation. We could’ve talked for many hours, but in this chat, we still managed to cover a lot, including: Chris’s upbringing in Virginia and some of our shared favorite Virginia landscapes; his decision to move to Colorado; the decades-long shift in thinking around grasslands conservation; the importance of storytelling to communicate critical science, TNC’s Southern High Plains Initiative; optimism and the wisdom of Ted Lasso; partnerships and relationships; favorite books, and much more.
A huge thanks to Chris for this wonderful conversation, but more importantly, thanks to Chris for his many decades of inspiring work. Enjoy.
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Header photo courtesy of TNC– header by Terri Schulz
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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:
- 3:45 – Introducing Chris
- 8:30 – Chris’s favorite Virginia spots
- 9:45 – Making the decision to work for TNC
- 12:45 – Grassland evolution
- 17:30 – Why are grasslands important?
- 21:15 – Science and storytelling
- 24:15 – 50 years of land conservation history
- 28:00 – TNC’s Southern High Plains Initiative
- 35:15 – Protecting land
- 42:30 – Keep or sell?
- 47:45 – Building relationships
- 52:45 – Ted Lasso and optimism
- 56:45 – Increase in partnerships
- 58:45 – What Chris is excited about
- 1:03:45 – Book recs
- 1:06:45 – Parting words
Information Referenced:
- Chris Pague
- Southern High Plains Initiative
- Short Film: Connecting the Big Wide Open
- Matt Moorhead & Galen Guerrero-Murphy episode
- The Birds of America. That book and Chris’s dad’s binoculars got him into birds and the outdoors.
- RC Cola, one of Chris’s early jobs, manufactured by Dr. Pepper.
- Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia, located near the two highest peaks in the state.
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Ted Lasso, the eternal optimist
- Chris says an increase in conservation partnerships gives him a reason for hope. Some of those partnerships include those with The Conservation Fund, The Wilderness Society, Ducks Unlimited and Great Outdoors Colorado.
- The Big Empty
- Leaving Space for Nature
- Habitats of the World
- The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Jesse Smith – A Regenerative Approach to Land and Life
- Dr. Katharine Hayhoe – Effecting Change Through Authentic Conversation
- The Partnership of Rangeland Trusts – 20 Years of Cooperation, Collaboration, and Conservation
- Pete McBride Returns – Exploring & Documenting His Backyard River
- Sandy Colhoun – Building Leaders Through Outdoor Education
- 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act – Live in Austin
- Corissa Busse – Tribal-Led Buffalo Restoration in the American West and Beyond
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
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