Paige Lewis is the Deputy State Director and Director of Conservation Programs for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. In this role, she serves as the chapter’s chief conservation officer and is responsible for leading the development of innovative, large-scale and entrepreneurial solutions to the challenges facing people and nature in Colorado and around the world. Paige brings a unique skill set that combines big-picture thinking with tangible, one-the-ground execution– her work involves creating ambitious, large-scale strategies, while also ensuring that the TNC team has the resources, communication, and support to accomplish its goals.
Over the course of this 2023 podcast series with TNC Colorado, we’ve highlighted both the breadth and depth of the organization’s work in Colorado and beyond. From grassland conservation to sustainable water management to forest health to urban conservation efforts (and much more!), it’s been amazing to learn about the positive impact that TNC is having across such a broad spectrum of pressing environmental issues. And if you’ve wondered, as I have, how TNC successfully aligns so many initiatives, teams, and stakeholders toward common organizational goals, well, you’re in luck, because that’s exactly what Paige does!
Paige and I sat down at the TNC office in Boulder just before the holidays and had a fun conversation that looked back at some of the 2023 conservation wins and looked forward toward TNC’s ambitious goals for the future. We started out discussing Paige’s lifelong appreciation for conservation, and her career that took her from her home state of Utah to Washington DC and eventually to Colorado. We discussed her skill of thinking strategically while also focusing on the need to get things done, and how she has managed to keep so many balls in the air year after year. We talk about durable conservation, collective action, and embracing risk, and we also discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with setting ambitious goals. Paige is a voracious reader and lover of history, so she has tons of excellent book recommendations.
A big thank you to Paige for taking the time to chat with me during such a busy time of year, and, once again, thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy.
Header photo by Ethan Herrold/TNC Photo Contest 2019; headshot by Lauryn Wachs.
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EPISODE PARTNER:
This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy. 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 fourth Tuesday of every month throughout 2023, 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. You can access all of the 2023 episodes here.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado
RESOURCES:
Topics Discussed:
- 3:30 – How Paige became interested in conservation
- 9:15 – Paige’s first conservation job
- 10:45 – Adjusting from the West to DC
- 11:45 – Paige’s return West
- 15:00 – How Paige ended up at TNC
- 18:30 – Paige’s role at TNC
- 23:30 – An example of successful collaborative work in Paige’s time at TNC
- 27:15 – What Paige is most proud of in TNC’s 2023 work
- 30:30 – Reflecting on TNC’s progress towards their 2026 strategic goals
- 34:30 – How Paige prioritizes and keeps all the balls in the air
- 39:45 – What “durable conservation” means and looks like to Paige
- 42:30 – What “collective action” means and looks like to Paige
- 45:30 – How Paige knows when to shift from ideation and relationship building to action
- 48:45 – How TNC’s approach to taking risks has changed during Paige’s tenure
- 52:15 – What qualities Paige thinks makes a good team member at TNC
- 56:15 – Paige’s book recommendations
- 1:02:15 – Paige’s parting words
Information Referenced:
- Paige Lewis
- TNC Colorado’s 2023 Year in Review
- Providence, UT
- Cache Valley
- Bear Mountains
- Wellsville Mountains
- Topophilia by Yi-Fu Tuan
- Logan Canyon
- Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands
- Western Forestry Leadership Coalition
- Sarah Dant
- Losing Eden by Sara Dant
- Colorado State Forest Service
- Hayman Fire
- Rob Addington
- John Vaillant
- Taylor Hawes
- TNC’s Colorado River Program
- TNC’s work in Mongolia
- TNC’s Southern High Plains Initiative
- Diana Lane
- TNC’s Power to the People and the Planet Program
- Carlos Fernandez
- Catalyst Fund
- Chris Hawkins
- Colorado Outdoor Plan
- Great Outdoors Colorado
- Matt Moorehead
- Legacy of Conquest by Patrica Nelson Limerick
- Fire on the Plateau by Charles Wilkinson
- The Rediscovery of America by Ned Blackhawk
- A Man Called Ove by Frederik Backman
- My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Frederik Backman
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:
- John Vaillant – A Riveting Exploration of Fire
- Dr. Sara Dant Returns – “Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West”
- Erik Glenn Returns – Leadership, Innovation, & Commitment to Conservation
- Carlos Fernández, Part 2 – Creating Conservation Opportunities During Uncertain Times
- Francesca Claverie – A Borderlands Conservation Success Story
- Nate Schweber – A Forgotten Chapter of American Conservation
- Liz Moore – For the Love of Montana
Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.
