Conservation Leadership through Learning Program

Another Immersion Week for our Conservation Leadership cohort!

This past week, CLTL Cohort 16 stepped out of the classroom and into the practice of conservation planning through an intensive Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation training with The Nature Conservancy.

The experience began with a field day to ground students in real-world conservation challenges, followed by two full days of hands-on training in the Open Standards framework. Students then put what they learned into practice, working through a conservation issue and culminating the week by presenting their approach and recommendations.

This year also marks the 16th year that TNC Colorado has provided this training to our Conservation Leadership students. That kind of long-term investment in the next generation of conservation practitioners is incredibly meaningful to our program and our students. A big shoutout to Terri Schulz for continuously coming back to work with every single year!

A huge thank you to our partners and trainers at The Nature Conservancy in Colorado for continuing to share your time, expertise, and experience with our cohort. Partnerships like this help ensure our students leave the program not only understanding conservation leadership, but equipped with practical tools they can carry directly into their careers.

For our Colorado followers - leadership looks different across the state, and understanding those differences starts with hearing directly from people in communities throughout the state.

The Boettcher Foundation and the Center for Expanding Leadership & Opportunity are conducting the 2026 State of Leadership Statewide Survey to understand where leadership is working well, where challenges exist, and what communities need to support current and future leaders. Your perspective can help ensure your community is represented in the statewide findings and inform future investments and leadership development opportunities across Colorado.

The survey takes 10-15 minutes and closes Nov. 18.

Share your perspective: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/crcstatewidesol

🌲💧🔥 Leadership for Conservation Systems

How do you lead within a conservation system, especially when no single organization, sector, or individual is in charge?

That question guided our Conservation Leadership students during their first Immersion Week as we traveled throughout Northern Colorado exploring the interconnected systems surrounding two of our region’s most important resources: water and fire.

Throughout the week, students learned from practitioners working across nonprofit organizations, local government, community-based conservation, private enterprise, consulting, and land management. We explored how effective conservation leadership requires looking beyond individual projects to understand relationships, competing priorities, trust, collaboration, and the broader systems in which conservation happens.

A huge thank you to Evan Briscoe with The Ember Alliance; Daniel Bowker with the Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed - CPRW; Bob Sturtevant with the Ben Delatour Scout Ranch; Bernadette Kuhn and Alice Conovitz with the City of Fort Collins - Government; and Brett Bruyere with Switchback2Summit Consulting for sharing their time, expertise, and perspectives with our students.

We also wrapped up the experience with a tour of New Belgium Brewing, exploring how sustainability, business practices, organizational culture, and human-powered core values can contribute to a larger conservation system.

Across every stop, one lesson kept emerging: conservation doesn’t happen in isolation. It depends on people who can build relationships, navigate complexity, connect organizations and communities, and lead across boundaries.

🔥 Conservation leadership in action.

Last Friday, our new Master of Conservation Leadership cohort spent the day with the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition in Glen Haven, Colorado, learning firsthand what community-based conservation looks like.

Students worked alongside local partners to create wildfire defensible space for community members. Along the way, we learned about the history of flooding and wildfire in the Big Thompson watershed, how those disturbances have shaped the landscape and community, and the long-term work required to build resilience.

But some of the most important lessons weren’t just about fire or watersheds. They were about trust. Showing up, listening to community needs, building relationships, and understanding that effective conservation happens alongside the people who call a place home.

A huge thank you to the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, the Glen Haven community, and the Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department for welcoming our students, sharing your knowledge and experiences, and putting us to work!🌲🔥💧

The CCC Fellows Program is now accepting applications for their 17th cohort!
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Collaborative conservation is a practice deeply embedded in community and culture, relying on relationships, trust, and processes that lead to solutions shaped by all.

Do you have, or know of someone with, a collaborative conservation project ready to get off the ground? Cohort 17 of our CCC Fellows Program is accepting proposals through October 23, 2026.

The CCC Fellows Program provides funding, training, and a community of practice. Please consider applying if you are a student, a faculty member, or a practitioner. This is a competitive opportunity to join a community of change-makers in collaborative conservation, using our network as your support system.

For more information, including the Request for Proposals, a schedule of information sessions, a list of helpful resources, and examples of past Fellows projects, please visit their website or contact [email protected].
https://collaborativeconservation.org/join-our-fellows-program/

Congratulations to CLTL alumna Talia Speaker on recently leading the first global horizon scan focused on technology for animal movement ecology!

The international collaboration brought together 38 experts from six continents to identify 28 innovations that could transform how we understand wildlife movement over the next 20 years. The research also demonstrates how these innovations can support biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, natural disaster response, and global health priorities.

We're proud to see our alumni leading conservation innovation on the global stage. Congratulations, Talia, and to all of the collaborators, including Warner College faculty member Dr. Jennifer Solomon, on this exciting achievement!

Read more in the WILDLABS feature: https://wildlabs.net/en/article/out-today-emerging-innovations-movement-ecology-address-planetary-challenges

Out today: Emerging Innovations in Movement Ecology to Address Planetary Challenges | WILDLABS Our new horizon scan, published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is the first of its kind for movement ecology. Working with 38 experts across six continents, we identified 28 priority innovations that could transform the field and how we understand our changing world.

🦫🦫🦫Our colleagues over at Big Thompson Watershed Coalition are hosting "Living with Beavers: The Future of Our Rivers," a free pub talk and panel discussion focused on riverscape restoration, beavers, low-tech process-based restoration, and watershed resilience in Northern Colorado.

Event Details:
Date: Thursday, August 13
Time: 5:30–7:00 PM
Location: Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, Loveland, CO
Cost: Free; RSVP encouraged
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1993964722160?aff=oddtdtcreator

Drought, limited water resources, wildfire, and a changing climate are putting more pressure on rivers across Colorado and the western US. As these challenges grow, restoring healthier, more resilient riverscapes is more important than ever.

Join Big Thompson Watershed Coalition for Living with Beavers: The Future of Our Rivers, a free pub talk and panel discussion at Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project in Loveland.

We’ll be joined by representatives from Big Thompson Watershed Coalition, Larimer Conservation District, the City of Loveland, and Colorado State University for a conversation about the role beavers play in healthy stream systems, how simple restoration techniques can support watershed health, and what it means to coexist with beavers in a changing landscape.

Thursday, August 13
5:30–7:00 PM
Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project | Loveland, CO

This event is free, and RSVP is encouraged.

A huge thank you to Breeze Thru Car Wash for sponsoring this event!

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1993964722160?aff=oddtdtcreator

🌵Congratulations to Jacob Mull on the publication of his op-ed in CalMatters, “Thousands of Joshua trees are dying as the Mojave region develops. They must be saved.”

In the piece, Jacob explores the growing threats facing one of the American West’s most iconic species. From large-scale development projects and habitat loss to worsening drought and climate change, Joshua trees are facing unprecedented challenges that could push them toward extinction within this century. As communities seek solutions for renewable energy and economic growth, Jacob makes a case for balancing development with the protection of the landscapes and species that define the Mojave Desert.

🔗 Read the full article and learn why the future of Joshua trees matters for conservation, communities, and the American Southwest.

Opinion | Thousands of Joshua trees are dying for development in the Mojave. We must save them Solar and rare earth projects are displacing Joshua trees, which bring millions of tourists and revenue to the region and support some rare species.

🍄 Another student op-ed has been published, and this one shines a spotlight on an often overlooked part of our natural world.

Check out Jaida Spendelow’s article in Earth.org, “It Is Time We Give Fungi the Recognition They Deserve.” In the piece, Jaida explores the critical ecological role fungi play in sustaining ecosystems and makes the case for why fungi conservation deserves far more attention in environmental conversations and policy.

🔗 Read the full article: https://earth.org/it-is-time-we-give-fungi-the-recognition-they-deserve/

👏 Great work, Jaida!

Here's How You Can Support Fungi Conservation | Earth.Org You can support fungi conservation by joining a growing global initiative for fungi protection or adopting mycologically-inclusive language.

This Earth Day, we’re excited to spotlight another student op-ed!

Check out Alanie “Ally” Rael’s op-ed in Source NM, “New Mexicans over nuclear: Demand a governor that stands for us.” In the piece, Ally calls for stronger accountability around nuclear facilities and urges that protecting communities and environments be a top priority for New Mexico’s next governor.

It’s a compelling reminder that environmental stewardship is deeply connected to public health, justice, and leadership, as well as that advocacy matters.

Read the full article: https://sourcenm.com/2026/04/22/new-mexicans-over-nuclear-demand-a-governor-that-stands-for-us/

Good work, Ally!

New Mexicans over nuclear: Demand a governor that stands for us • Source New Mexico A native New Mexican and graduate student in conservation leadership says nuclear accountability should be top priority for next governor.