Natalie Allio
Agriculture Projects Manager
natalie@centralcoloradoconservancy.org
The focus of Natalie’s work is “keeping working lands working” through innovative and collaborative programs with Central Colorado Conservancy and the Upper Arkansas Conservation District. Drawing on her own experience in agriculture and her education in Ecopsychology and Collaborative Solutions in Natural Resources, Natalie leads innovative and collaborative programs that support water quality, water quantity and soil health in the Upper Arkansas Watershed.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
pretty much any place that can be accessed from the back of a horse
Kyle Clifton
Senior Conservation Manager
kyle@centralcoloradoconservancy.org
Kyle works with landowners and Conservancy partners to protect land, waters and ways of life in the region. She previously worked in private lands conservation research for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at Virginia Tech. She has a background in both the biological and social sciences of conservation, with degrees from the University of Kansas, Victoria University of Wellington and Texas A&M.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
Browns Canyon National Mounument
Sarah Hamilton
Agriculture Projects Manager
Sarah implements collaborative programs to help producers and landowners meet the challenges facing agriculture today. She lives in Leadville and works in with the Lake County Conservation District around issues of water, land and soil health. She grew up living and working on a farm in the lower Arkansas Valley and studied Biology at Colorado College. These experiences instilled in her a passion for connecting people with how and where their food is grown and for viewing conservation through the lens of agriculture.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
Any swimming hole along the Arkansas River on a hot day
Jes Walton
Communications &
Development Manager
jes@centralcoloradoconservancy.org
Jes’s work is all about connecting with those who make our conservation work possible. She grew up in Salida and returned to be closer to family and get more involved with issues in her hometown. In the past, Jes has led several food and agriculture-focused programs and brings an educational background in natural resource management and environmental science with degrees from Colorado College, American University and the UN University for Peace.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
top of the Monarch Crest trail and a very secret camping spot on Marshall Pass, both along the Continental Divide Trail
Buffy Lenth
Watershed Restoration Specialist
buffy@centralcoloradoconservancy.org
Buffy coordinates our collaborative watershed restoration projects. She holds a BS in Conservation Biology from Middlebury College and a Master’s degree in Ecology from Colorado State University. She and her husband served in the Peace Corps in Mexico, conserving the natural resources of the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve. They are raising three daughters who love to camp, ski and paddle board--and hope to grow deep roots in the Arkansas River Valley.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
the combination of many wonderful places like O'Haver Lake, Fooses Creek, Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, any aspen grove...
Julie Richardson
Membership Coordinator
julie@centralcoloradoconservancy.org
As membership coordinator, Julie is the first person to get to know you at the Conservancy. Her work with the Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas began in the spring of 2013. She is from Kansas City where she grew up, raised her children, was a board member and volunteered with Wildwood Outdoor Education Center, and was an elementary teacher for over 25 years. In 2003, she assumed the role of director at the girl’s camp, High Trails Ranch, Sanborn Western Camps in Florissant, CO for the next 10 years.
Favorite Place(s) in Central Colorado:
looking out her front window, sunrises, sunsets, stars and exploring around Salida
STAFF
