Travis Custer is the executive director of the Montezuma Land Conservancy, a Southwest Colorado land trust established in 1998 in the town of Cortez. They are working to explore unique solutions to conservation through an emphasis on a community-informed process, and believe that conservation is not just setting aside important lands, but also working to educate the community, address social issues, and connect people to the land that sustains them.

As for Travis, he has spent most of his life in Colorado, and nature has always been an important part of his life. He was formerly a board member of the Mancos Conservation District and spent time working for the Natural Resource Conservation Service and High Desert Conservation District where he worked closely with farmers and ranchers, as well as local and state agencies and land conservation organizations. In 2016, Travis was the recipient of the John Stencel Leadership Award from the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union for dedication and leadership in agriculture. He also serves on the Keep It Colorado board where he hopes to help drive forward the innovation of the statewide land protection community.

We talked about the amazing landscape of the Four Corners region that Travis and his team work to conserve. We covered MLC’s efforts to go beyond transactional land conservation and to build a community around love of land, including fostering connections with Tribal Nations and facilitating youth programs. Finally, we discussed creating a land ethic at home and raising kids to love and care for Mother Nature.

Check out Montezuma Land Conservancy at this link and Keep it Colorado here.