Introduce us to The Nature Conservancy!
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation non-profit working in all 50 states and more than 77 countries. Founded in New York in 1951, TNC started working in Colorado in 1966. Our main office in Colorado is in Boulder, but we are thrilled to have a Denver office at Shift.
All of our work is based on science and we have hundreds of scientists on staff across the world. Our staff in Colorado are focused on tackling the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by conserving our lands and waters, restoring our forests, creating a greener future for cities, and much more. By working together with diverse partners such as farmers, ranchers, Tribal Nations, municipalities, businesses and more, we are overcoming barriers to the solutions our planet needs to thrive.
What are the primary goals and missions of The Nature Conservancy?
Our mission is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends. Our guiding pillar, “Together, We Find a Way” demonstrates our commitment to collaboration and leveraging the power of working at all levels to achieve ambitious goals for our planet. We know we have years, not decades, to make defining progress for the planet. TNC’s 2030 goals include:
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- Reduce or store 3 gigatons of CO2 emissions yearly.
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- Benefit 100 million people
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- Conserve nearly 10 billion acres of ocean
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- Conserve 1.6 billion acres of land
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- Conserve more than 620,000 miles of rivers
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- Support 45 million local stewards
Read more about our goals and check out a video here!
Can you share some successful projects or initiatives that The Nature Conservancy has undertaken recently?
Colorado River Maybell Ditch Project The Nature Conservancy and its partners are helping to tackle the West’s water crisis, one irrigation ditch at a time:
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- A lot depends on the Yampa River in northwest Colorado. The river provides irrigation water for farming and ranching, creates habitat for fish and wildlife, and supports the boating and outdoor recreators who contribute to local economies. However, drought and low river flows have impacted all who rely on the river. In the fall of 2023, TNC, Maybell Irrigation District, and JHL Constructors embarked on a $6.8 million project to update the Maybell diversion and headgate on the Yampa River. A multimillion-dollar upgrade is helping to give a ditch in the Yampa River —and by extension, the community of Maybell—a new lease on life. Funded in part by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act, which was approved by Congress in 2021, this project shows what can happen when unlikely partners get together to better steward the West’s most precious resource. Construction began in September 2023 and is now nearly complete, almost a year ahead of schedule. Read more here.
Denver Regional Conservation Assessment. The Nature Conservancy in Colorado is enhancing habitat in the Denver metro region for people and nature.
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- Our planet today is more urban than ever before. More than half of the people in the world now live in cities—and that growing population has important implications for conservation. At their best, cities can help solve global challenges like the biodiversity and climate emergencies by supporting and creating more sustainable, efficient ways of living. Colorado’s Front Range is home to most of the state’s largest cities, as well as diverse ecosystems. But as our climate continues to change, neighborhoods get hotter, demand for water outpaces supply, and air quality worsens, our more vulnerable populations—including the elderly, working families, and people of color—feel the brunt of these effects. Our future in Colorado and around the world will be shaped by the ways we adapt and harness the potential of cities to address these challenges. So how can we make sure that cities help balance the needs of people and nature?
- Let us introduce you to the Regional Conservation Assessment (RCA). Developed by the Metro Denver Nature Alliance (Metro DNA), The Nature Conservancy, and Biohabitats, this analysis identifies high-priority places in the seven-country metro Denver region to protect, connect, restore, and enhance for people and nature. The RCA is designed for anyone interested in exploring the lands and waters of our region. This tool can also be used to assess and communicate relative regional quality and connectivity of habitat to:
- Support equitable access to nature and enhance community well-being.
- Protect native biodiversity, including wildlife species and the habitat on which they depend.
- Create a base of ecological knowledge to inform policy, planning, and funding actions.
- Deepen collaboration across the wide variety of organizations in the region that steward our critical lands and waters.
- Improve planning and decision-making between stakeholders through the development of shared goals, priorities, and metrics.
Farming the Sun with Agrivoltaics. In Colorado, The Nature Conservancy is learning how it’s possible to harvest more than just electricity on a solar farm.
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- TNC recently led a pilot project at a small solar array owned by Boulder Housing Partners (the city’s affordable housing agency), dedicated to offsetting energy for low-income residents. The half-acre pilot site sits on rocky, degraded soil left over from the array’s construction. TNC assembled a diverse group of partners in 2022 to see if the site could be brought back to life. Our goals were threefold: demonstrate the added value offered by agrivoltaics, improve the soil health and biodiversity of the site, and provide a benefit to community members living in the city’s affordable housing. Byron Kominek, owner and manager of Jack’s Solar Garden, provided advice on best practices, while Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR), a regenerative agriculture collective, took on the task of preparing the site for planting. The Nature Conservancy consulted with local business WishGarden Herbs and the University of Colorado’s Foundations for Leaders Organizing for Water and Sustainability program to help decide which plants to grow. The eventual list included 30 different perennial species. Volunteer planting days helped build relationships with the local community. We wanted our project to deliver tangible benefits to the local community members who live in affordable housing. We provided several paid opportunities and workshops that brought community members out to the site to help implement the vision of the project. After only a year, over 83% of the plant species had survived. The Agrivoltaics Retrofit Partnership project showed that we can grow a variety of crops under a solar array that wasn’t originally designed for planting, even if the site is in bad shape to start. Done right, agrivoltaics can support local ecosystems while helping us meet future clean energy requirements.
- The Nature Conservancy’s climate priorities, such as its Natural Climate Solutions strategy, include protecting, managing, and restoring nature to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon. One key is identifying suitable locations for renewables that minimize biodiversity loss and habitat disruption. That’s why, in 2022, we developed the Site Renewables Right map, which aims to help energy developers identify sites where renewable energy can be developed while avoiding important wildlife habitat.
How the West Fights Fire with Fire The Nature Conservancy is working to increase resilience across Western dry forests by conducting ecological forest restoration, including the use of prescribed fire, in partnership with Tribes, local communities and agencies like the United States Forest Service (Forest Service).
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- TNC recognizes that there are many types of forests in the Western United States, each with its own characteristics, and there is not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. That’s why ecological forest restoration must be carefully tailored to each situation. The use of proactive, prescribed burns for forest management goes hand-in-hand with strategic thinning, reforestation, enhancing soil health, protecting watersheds and a wide range of other practices that support healthy forests. Prescribed fire is one form of fire that provides benefits to people and nature. The cultural burning practices of Indigenous Peoples, who for millennia have tended the forests of the West with fire, are another form of beneficial fire—one that has contributed greatly to the fire-adapted evolution of Western dry forests. Recognized by science and traditional knowledge, it’s time to elevate beneficial fire, along with its cultural and natural values, and accelerate the safe use of cultural burning and prescribed burning. Across the West, TNC is advancing ecological forest restoration through a wide range of projects, partnerships, and initiatives. Take a tour of the many different approaches that are currently underway by clicking here.
What are some of the biggest challenges The Nature Conservancy faces in its conservation efforts?
We must act now to halt catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss. What we do between now and 2030 will determine whether we slow warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius—the level scientists agree will avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Our actions will also determine whether we conserve enough land and water to slow the rapid acceleration of species loss. If we do both, we will safeguard people from the disastrous effects of these crises. Three quarters of the carbon dioxide emissions driven by humans have occurred since 1950. We have seen a nearly 70% average decline of birds, amphibians, mammals, fish and reptiles since just 1970. We need to act fast and we need more people acting on behalf of conservation.
How does The Nature Conservancy collaborate with local communities and governments to achieve its conservation goals?
TNC has a long history of bringing diverse voices to the table. As a bi-partisan organization, we work across continents and aisles to achieve conservation goals. Local communities know the problems and have great ideas on solutions, whether it is a ranching community or a Tribal Nation. By listening to their concerns and ideas, we can work together to find solutions that will endure.
What are some ways individuals can get involved with The Nature Conservancy’s work?
- Sign up for our free e-monthly newsletter to receive the latest conservation news, volunteer opportunities & other ways to get involved!
- Check out our website nature.org/colorado and follow us on our social media channels (@co_nature – Instagram) (The Nature Conservancy in Colorado – LinkedIn)
- Join our 13ers Young Professionals group to connect with more young professionals from all sorts of backgrounds and professions who connect on their love for nature.
- Tune in to Mountain & Prairie Podcast for exclusive conservation stories, updates, advice and more from TNC leaders and host Ed Roberson.
In what ways does The Nature Conservancy advocate for policy changes to support environmental conservation?
TNC Colorado has a policy team that works to support conservation at both the state and federal level. The team, along with colleagues across North America, works with members of Congress, their staff and senior officials of the public agencies to transform how we use the world’s resources by affecting policy and practices that affirm the value of nature locally and globally. The Conservancy most often pursues its public policy and public funding objectives in partnership with other organizations that share our mission. Maintaining strong partnerships with governments, other nonprofits and private sector organizations is an essential part of our approach.
Looking ahead, what are The Nature Conservancy’s plans and priorities for the future?
We are focused on our 2030 goals and growing our membership and support in Colorado.
How has your time at Shift Workspaces Bannock contributed to the growth and success of TNC?
The Nature Conservancy is a global organization. Several of our staff, from local to global teams are based in the Denver Metro area but lacked a central office space in the Denver area until TNC joined Shift Workspaces Bannock. Shift has enabled TNC staff from different teams to find a sense of place and connection with other colleagues who they might not have met otherwise. Shift has created a special place for building relationships and helping improve our work-place culture by having a place of gathering and sharing for our staff. Shift has also supported TNC’s work with Denver partners by providing a professional, cozy, and welcoming meeting space for TNC staff and external partners that are based in the Denver area. The Nature Conservancy has been named the #1 most inspiring non-profit workplace in the 2024 North America Inspiring Workplaces Awards—and fourth overall—reflecting the exceptional culture and sense of purpose we foster every day. Shift has contributed to TNC’s work quality by providing an exceptional working environment; from great Wi-Fi and excellently equipped meeting spaces to clean facilities and fun amenities that make you want to return day after day to Shift Workspaces.
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