Q&A with Travis Custer, Executive Director, Montezuma Land Conservancy
K: Tell us a bit about your land trust and how it’s working for Colorado’s future.
T: The Montezuma Land Conservancy is working to explore unique solutions to conservation through an emphasis on a community-informed process. Our programs seek to find the intersection between our human communities and the natural world, and look at land as a tool for community and environmental health. We believe that conservation is not just setting aside important lands, but also working to educate our community, address social issues like equity and inclusion, and connect people to the land that sustains us all.
K: What is one thing you wish every Coloradan understood about the work of land trusts?
T: I wish people understood how diverse our work can be. Land trusts can be great community partners in open space projects and agricultural projects, but also in the realm of public health and education. We have a powerful vehicle for convening around community issues and taking action.
K: What inspired you to join the board of Keep It Colorado?
T: I joined the Keep It Colorado board to help bring a lens of innovation and one that comes from being a small, community-led organization. I feel like we all have a responsibility to help drive change and creativity, and I saw this as a way for me to contribute to a larger discussion.
K: What does conservation mean to you?T: For me, conservation is about reconnection. It’s about reconnection to ourselves as human beings and to the natural world. In this connection we find things often forgotten or lost. Land has the powerful capacity to unite people upon common ground (literally) and break down barriers. Conservation is about finding this harmony and shared value so that we can work to promote a healthy, livable future.
K: What is your favorite thing to do outdoors in Colorado?
T: My favorite thing to do in Colorado is enjoy the mountains in the fall with my son. I enjoy the shift in the seasons and the smell of the high country when I’m out hunting or cutting firewood for the winter. To me, these things signify a deep connection to place and the repetition of cycle.
T: What is your favorite…
River, lake or stream in Colorado? I’m partial to the Mancos and Dolores River watersheds where I live.
Mountain peak? Dibé Nitsaa which is the Navajo name for Hesperus Mountain. It overlooks my home.
Prairie or grassland? Comanche Grasslands.
Ranch or farmland? I enjoy the diverse ag landscape around Colorado but am probably partial to the fruit orchards.
Colorado-grown food? Peaches.
Form of wildlife? Definitely elk.
Thank you for your service to Colorado and your leadership on our board, Travis!
