"Promoting & ensuring conservation of private lands in the Uncompahgre, North Fork, and Lower Gunnison Watersheds."
Black Canyon Land Trust Staff
Barbara Hawke, Executive Director. Through her years of service as a statewide project manager with the Nature Conservancy, urban park supervisor and community development project manager in the Midwest, volunteer bird naturalist, and county open space advisor, Barbara has a strong background in conservation, management, and community relations.
In addition to having much volunteer and professional experience with conservation, Barbara has a graduate specialization in Environmental Policy (with course work in natural resource law and conservation biology), and a Master’s in Business Administration (including non-profit strategic planning and public policy).
Barbara’s professional qualifications for Executive Director are far reaching, but she has no lack of love for the area she will now call home. In a recent letter to BCLT, Barbara stated, “The fundamental quality that motivates my service to the land trust is a passion for the beauty of western Colorado, and a commitment to support the culture and history that stewarded the land for many generations”. Barbara’s grandfather owned a farm in Michigan, which continues to be worked by family members. She regards her work with ranchers, farmers, and landowners in Colorado to be especially gratifying, and looks forward to continuing that work with BCLT.
Jedd Sondergard, Land Protection Specialist. Jedd coordinates the land protection program, including working with land owners in conservation easement transactions, easement stewardship, database development, GIS mapping, and conservation values modeling. Over the last several years, Jedd has worked on a diverse range of conservation easement projects from farms and ranches to wildlife and open space easements. He has coordinated the mapping program for the land trust including creating a map of all conserved properties, compiled conservation values data sets and created a weighted conservation value model for assessing values on private land. Prior to joining BCLT, Jedd spent 8 years in consulting as well as federal and local government as a field hydrologist and engineer. He is a 1996 graduate of Colorado State University with a B.S. in Watershed Science. As a Colorado native, his interest and love of the outdoors has led him from co-founding an outdoor gear company to currently serving on the board of a regional mountain bike group.
Greg Clifton, Legal Counsel. Greg started as Board Member of Valley Land Conservancy in 1995, and assumed the role of legal counsel for the merged organization (Black Canyon Land Trust) in 2003. A graduate of CSU (Forest Management), Greg spent several years consulting in the area of forestry and hydrology. He later attended law school at the University of Denver, graduating in 1991. He has considerable background in water law, land use and municipal law, and has served on numerous boards at the local and statewide level, being appointed President of the Colorado Municipal League in 2001. He has returned to school to earn his Masters in Public Administration (CU Denver), and currently serves as Manager for the Town of Ridgway and City Attorney for the City of Ouray, in addition to his duties for the Land Trust and other non-profit endeavors.
Natalie Lutz, Colorado Conservation Trust Fellow. Natalie Lutz joined the Black Canyon Land Trust as the Colorado Conservation Trust Fellow in July 2007. She will gain the fundamental skills and tools needed to further her career in land conservation. She graduated with honors, cum laude, from Colorado State University in 2001 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism. She attended Vermont Law School, graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor. In addition to her law degree, she obtained a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School in 2006. She is a member of the State Bar of Colorado. As a native of Colorado, she has a strong commitment to preserve the diverse cultural and natural landscapes of the State. During her free-time, she enjoys running, skiing, and exploring her new beautiful surroundings.
Robin Valdez, Office Coordinator. Although Robin is the newest member of the Black Canyon Land Trust staff, she is not new to the area. Robin’s family is native to the Delta County area with her great grandparents arriving to the Paonia area by covered wagon in the early 1900’s. Having lived in several areas throughout Colorado she has chosen Delta as home to raise her children. Robin is currently enrolled at Mesa State College where she is pursing a degree in Business Management with plans to eventually receive a Masters Degree in Non-profit management. Although her favorite place in Colorado is the Ouray area, Robin’s love for the beautiful Colorado landscapes drives her to travel throughout Colorado whenever she has the chance. With strong family and emotional ties to the Western Colorado area Robin looks forward to playing integral part in helping to conserve this area for her children and for generations to come.
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