Q&A with Jim Petterson, Vice President, Mountain West Region, The Trust for Public Land
K: Tell us a bit about your land trust and how it’s working for Colorado’s future.
J: Community is at the heart of everything we do at The Trust for Public Land. We pride ourselves on being active listeners and good partners, working to connect people to the outdoors through land protection, trails, green schoolyards and parks and open space. We’ve been working in Colorado for over 35 years to ensure healthy, livable communities for generations to come.
K: What is one thing you wish every Coloradan understood about the work of land trusts?
J: In just about every bit of consumer research I’ve read about land trusts, the conclusion always seems to be: “People love what you do, but so few have heard about your organization.” So, my wish is not so much about understanding as it is about awareness. I wish every Coloradan could name their local land trust and organizations working statewide to make sure that future generations experience a Colorado as amazing as the one we celebrate today.
K: What inspired you to join the board of Keep It Colorado?
J: I fervently believe that the land trust and conservation community in Colorado is uniquely positioned to shape the future of our state by ensuring we have healthy lands and waters, sustainable and thriving economies and ample room to roam outside. In order to have that kind of impact, we need to be focused, effective and together. Keep it Colorado, with its focus on elevating our collective game, will be a big part of sustaining the way of life that draws and keeps each of us here.
K: What does conservation mean to you?
J: To me, conservation is all about tomorrow. As a community, we seek out perpetual obligations in the form of conservation easements, conserved private lands and waters and shared public lands. That means we are obligated to take a long view. So, we work with others today to ensure that tomorrow those that follow have an opportunity to thrive in a healthy, verdant and prosperous place.
K: What is your favorite thing to do outdoors in Colorado?
J: After a bunch of years wringing what I could out of my body as a mountain endurance runner, I’ve happily become an unabashed peak bagger and bushwhacker. I love mountains and big landscapes, and am motivated by exploration and finding out what’s over the next ridge, or around the next bend in a trail.
K: What is your favorite…
River, lake or stream in Colorado? Mill Creek in the West Elk Wilderness.
Mountain peak? Belleview Mountain in the Elk Range.
Prairie or grassland? Konza Prairie in Kansas’ Flint Hills, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy. (I stop by there to run whenever I drive to visit my dad in Topeka, Kansas.)
Ranch or farmland? Trampe Ranch in the Gunnison Valley.
Colorado-grown food? Teocalli Tamale’s burritos in Crested Butte.
Form of wildlife? Bobcat.
Thank you for your service to Colorado and your leadership on our board, Jim!
