Rebecca Jewett - Big Ideas for the New West

Rebecca Jewett is the executive director of Palmer Land Trust, a conservation organization committed to protecting southern Colorado’s recreational open space, working agricultural land, and stunning scenic vistas. Under Rebecca’s leadership, Palmer has moved away from traditional, decades-old land conservation methods and into a more proactive model, pursuing audacious and outside-the-box conservation strategies across a variety of landscapes. By focusing on community above all else, Palmer is finding win-win scenarios that benefit all of southern Colorado’s numerous stakeholders, from ranchers and farmers to mountain bikers and climbers, and from cities and municipalities to counties and rural areas. • Rebecca is a fifth-generation Coloradan who grew up deeply immersed in the outdoors, which instilled a passion for open space that has guided her career trajectory. After ten years in public lands-related work, she made the shift into private land conservation when she took the helm of Palmer. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Rebecca has big plans for tackling some of Colorado’s most pressing conservation issues, issues that threaten the West from ecological, economic, and community perspectives. Her enthusiasm for her work is contagious, and her ability to communicate complex issues in an engaging way is second-to-none. • Folks who follow me on social media may already know, but I was so impressed with Rebecca and the rest of the Palmer team that I recently left the ranch brokerage business and joined the organization as a full-time employee. The opportunity to apply my professional expertise in real estate and finance to some of the West’s most challenging problems was too great of an opportunity to pass up—so I’m officially a full-time Palmer staff member, Rebecca is my boss, and I couldn’t be more excited about the work ahead. • I know you’ll enjoy this conversation, because Rebecca and I cover a wide range of topics that should be of interest for anyone who loves the West. We discuss the importance of water, agriculture, open space, and recreation, and how conservation can bring together stakeholders from all of those factions. We talk about the Arkansas River basin where Palmer focuses its efforts, and how it encompasses every Colorado landscape, from 14,000-foot mountains to flat, open grasslands. Rebecca elaborates on her leadership style, and also talks about her experience being a female leader in a once male-dominated industry. She also explains some specific projects that Palmer is taking on, and how the entire Colorado land trust community collaborates toward common goals. As usual, we also cover favorite books, films, places in the West, and much more. • If you haven’t already, give Rebecca and Palmer Land Trust a follow on social media, and be sure to check the episode notes for links to everything we discuss. Enjoy! ••• http://mountainandprairie.com/rebecca-jewett/ ••• TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:30 - How Rebecca describes her work 4:40 - Palmer Land Trust explained 6:10 - The Arkansas River Basin 8:25 - Balancing all the conservation stakeholders 10:50 - Importance of community 13:30 - Palmer’s focus on being proactive and strategic 17:25 - Water and conservation in the Lower Arkansas Valley 20:50 - Alternative valuation for conservation 23:00 - The “dust bowl” results of drying up farmland 24:25 - Uniqueness of conserving farmland 27:45 - Water projects in southeastern CO 29:45 - Bipartisan nature of private land conservation 31:35 - Palmer’s work conserving public lands 33:45 - Rebecca’s family history in Colorado 36:25 - Colorado College 37:40 - Early career, grad school, and Rocky Mountain Field Institute 40:30 - Early outdoor experiences 41:50 - Joining Palmer Land Trust... ...visit http://mountainandprairie.com for full episode notes.