Dan Stellar is the State Director for the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where he leads the organization’s efforts across a wide range of cutting-edge initiatives, including forest health, water conservation, resilient cities, healthy grasslands, and more. Arizona is one of the nation’s largest and most biodiverse states, which creates a host of extremely unique conservation challenges and opportunities– both in its arid, wide-open landscapes and densely populated urban centers. As you’ll hear, Dan and his team are implementing conservation solutions that not only benefit people and nature specifically in Arizona, but they are also creating actionable conservation frameworks that can be applied all over the American West.
Dan was born and raised on the East Coast, and he has spent his career in the non-profit sector, applying his talents to important issues both domestically and abroad. He began his tenure at TNC Arizona in 2016, when he assumed the role of Deputy State Director. He quickly fell in love with Arizona and TNC’s critical work in the state, and, in 2020, he assumed the role of State Director. Dan is also a committed endurance athlete, and he’s run a mind-blowing number of marathons and half-marathons. And on top of all of that, he’s a dedicated father, husband, and family man.
Dan and I share so many common interests in conservation, endurance sports, and family, so I was super excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the specifics of his work and his fascinating personal and professional journey. We started the conversation with an overview of what makes Arizona such a unique place from a conservation perspective, then we dug into the details of TNC’s work in forest heath, rivers, aquifers, outdoor recreation, and resilient cities. We talked about some of the lessons he learned from traveling and working internationally, why he chooses to push himself so hard athletically, and how he goes about building such strong relationships with stakeholders, partner organizations, and his TNC team members. Dan is also a voracious reader, so we obviously chatted about books, and he wrapped up the conversation with very wise parting words.
I felt like I’d met a real kindred spirit in Dan, and I greatly appreciate everything that he and his team are doing to make Arizona—and the West—a better place. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
Photos courtesy of The Nature Conservancy: Header image by Ian Adrian/TNC Photo Contest 2022; headshot by Mark Skalny.
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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.
On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, 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:
- 3:30 – Setting the scene for conservation work in Arizona
- 8:45 – Forest health work in Arizona
- 15:00 – Aligning profit motives with forest health goals
- 22:00 – Whether or not there are down-sides to forest thinning
- 25:15 – Discussing the Verde River
- 31:15 – Discussing the Big Chino Aquifer
- 35:00 – Collaborating with the Trust for Public Land to build a new park in Arizona
- 39:45 – TNC’s work with cities in Arizona
- 46:00 – Dan’s passion for running, and his attraction to doing hard things
- 50:15 – How Dan fits running into his schedule
- 52:00 – How Dan became interested in conservation
- 57:30 – Dan’s lessons from traveling
- 1:00:00 – Dan’s book recommendations
- 1:04:30 – Dan’s parting words of wisdom
Information Referenced:
- Dan Stellar
- Article about Dan
- The Nature Conservancy in Arizona
- Rob Addington
- Verde River
- Taylor Hawes
- Yavapai-Apache Nation
- Big Chino Aquifer
- RCPP Grant
- Del Rio Springs
- Chris Hawkins
- Paige Lewis
- Endurance by Alfred Lansing
- American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman
- Alan Mulally
- Radical Candor by Kim Scott
- The Imposter Cure by Dr. Jessamy Hibberd
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
- Van Jones
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- Lorelei Cloud – Solving Modern-Day Challenges with Ancient Tribal Wisdom
- Sarah King – Collaborative Conservation in the American Southwest
- William deBuys – Sage of the Southwest
- Daniela Ibarra-Howell – Healing the Land Holistically
- Shane Doyle – Reverence for the Past, Hope for the Future
- Dr. Katharine Hayhoe – Effecting Change Through Authentic Conversation
- Rob Addington – A Deep Dive into Western Wildfires and Forest Health
- Chad Ellis – On Leadership, Building Relationships, and Working for the Greater Good
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
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