Gary guided CLLC for 18 years with a vision grounded in science, drawing upon more than 25 years of experience working on large-scale conservation efforts in Africa, Australia, Canada, and South America, and more than 12 years within the U.S. environmental philanthropic community.  

“Gary is a founding father of connectivity conservation, and he has made an enormously significant, irreplaceable contribution to its theory and practice.” 

Bob Debus 
Chair, The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative
(Australia) 

He grew CLLC from an organization of two employees to an interdisciplinary team of nearly 30 scientists, policy experts, and changemakers. CLLC started out as an organization focused on the western US, but now we have projects and impacts that span the globe.  

But our gratitude to Gary runs even deeper than our own organization—in the years since CLLC’s founding, Gary has become renowned as a global leader in large landscape conservation and ecological connectivity. He supported Australian conservationist Graeme Worboys to establish the foundations of the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG) under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and was appointed its first official chair in 2016. For nine years he led coordination of its membership that has grown to more than 1,300 experts in over 135 countries. In this pivotal role he had a remarkable impact mainstreaming connectivity conservation science, policy, and practice, such as securing its inclusion in numerous international guidelines, goals, and agreements.  

 “Gary Tabor has made major contributions to the WCPA, particularly through his leadership of the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, where he elevated the importance of connectivity and mobilized the global conservation community. He has built a strong conservation legacy and will continue to influence connectivity conservation in important ways.” 

~ Dr. Madhu Rao 
Chair, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 

A dynamic and engaging presenter, Gary has generously shared his expertise and passion for connectivity conservation with professionals worldwide, accepting invitations to speak to countless groups and gatherings on almost every continent. In his roles as professor, conservation fellow, and advisor at several universities, Gary has mentored many early-career conservationists and educated graduate students on the emerging field of connectivity conservation. And somehow in his “spare time” he co-authored more than 100 scientific papers and reports. 

Through all of these endeavors he has profoundly inspired and prepared the next generation of conservationists to think holistically by preserving those critical places in between protected areas, understanding that people only thrive when we have healthy wildlife and ecosystems. 

 “As Chair, Gary truly shaped the direction of the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, bringing a remarkable perspective supported by great effort, dedication, and hard work. He opened pathways for new careers and consistently encouraged and supported younger colleagues. Together with the CCSG team and under the Center for Large Landscape Conservation’s umbrella, he set a strong foundation for future opportunities in this field.” 

Dr. Ancuta Fedorca  
National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, Head of Wildlife Molecular Genetics Laboratory and Action Chair GENOA 
(Romania) 

While we think of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation as Gary’s crowning achievement, he has also left his mark on many other organizations and places. His conservation achievements include the establishment of Kibale National Park in Uganda; establishment of the World Bank’s Mgahinga/Bwindi/Impenetrable Mountain Gorilla Conservation Trust; co-founding the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative; pioneering the field of Conservation Medicine; co-founding Patagonia Company’s Freedom to Roam wildlife corridor campaign; and co-founding the Network for Landscape Conservation. 

“Gary has helped reshape how connectivity conservation is understood across the world. What was once a niche topic has now become mainstream — not only in academic circles, but also in conservation policy and practice.” 

Dr. Marcelo Gonçalves de Lima  
Director, Biodiversity Without Borders 
Conservation Research Fellow, CLLC 
(United Kingdom)

While we bid a fond farewell to Gary, we know our work to reconnect our fragmented natural world will continue to be informed, inspired, and propelled forward by his lasting legacy. 

The post Honoring a Visionary: Celebrating Gary Tabor’s Conservation Legacy appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

This growing recognition that connecting protected areas is key to stemming biodiversity loss has been fueled in large part by dedicated professionals collaborating in the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG). The CCSG was established in 2016 under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) CCSG’s mission to serve as the global hub providing scientific, policy, and technical advice that mainstreams connectivity conservation as a nature-based solution to enhance the integrity of protected areas, save biodiversity, and increase resilience to climate change across all lands and waters.

While international in scope, composed of 1200+ volunteer members from 125+ countries, much of the CCSG’s day-to-day coordination is conducted from the offices of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) based in Bozeman and Missoula, Montana, in the United States.

CLLC has served this role as the “Secretariat” of CCSG since its inception, acting as the group’s central administration and providing crucial coordination, communication, and logistical support to the growing network of volunteer connectivity conservation experts around the world. Staff members also play leading roles in the Specialist Group and its working groups.

Connectivity Conservation Leadership

Center for Large Landscape Conservation founder and CEO Gary Tabor was the CCSG’s first Chair and has served for the last eight years with Deputy Chair Jodi Hilty, President and Chief Scientist at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. Both Tabor and Hilty recently reached the leadership term limit allowed by WCPA and are passing the torch to three new Co-chairs.

“I am proud to have inspired and supported the ambitions of this wonderful, growing community,” Tabor said in a message to the CCSG membership.  “And now, as I leave and take on the new sage role of Senior Advisor, I congratulate you all on our numerous achievements and look forward to seeing our new cohort of leaders continue to build upon them.”

WCPA Chair Madhu Rao has selected three new co-chairs: Aaron Laur from the Center for Large Landscape Conservation in Bozeman, Montana, USA; Jordan Reeves from the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, also in Bozeman; and Zhicong Zhao from the Institute for National Parks at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

CLLC’s Laur assumes the role of Co-chair after nearly 20 years of experience in international conservation that has always had a focus on contributing to and advancing the mission of IUCN.

When asked about his hopes for the future as he steps into the role of Co-chair, Laur said, “I look forward to working with fellow Co-Chairs to build on the outstanding example set by IUCN’s and CCSG’s pioneering leadership fostering innovation, collaboration, and a dedicated community that has inspired a fully-fledged worldwide movement for connectivity conservation. Together, CCSG will seize the momentum it has generated in science, policy, and practice to support each other and partners around the world to more efficiently and effectively conserve nature at large, connected scales.”  

The Co-chairs will now lead CCSG into its next, exciting chapter. They will govern the group membership, guide its strategic direction, foster inclusivity and collaboration, and continue supporting the development of knowledge products, tools, and policy advice. Leadership will also include representing the Specialist Group across IUCN and coordinating members for local to global gatherings, including the World Conservation Congress.

CCSG’s Global Impact

CCSG is one of IUCN WCPA’s most active Specialist Groups. Thanks to its dedicated members, connectivity conservation has moved from an outlier to the mainstream of conservation. Among many collaborative activities, its efforts are the basis for Canada’s National Program for Ecological Corridors, Asian Elephant range states prioritizing connectivity and wildlife-friendly linear infrastructure, and establishment of the Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity.

Furthermore, thanks to the leadership of this group, connectivity is now embedded in several global conservation agreements, including the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) for 2030 and beyond.

Developing Conservation Tools and Guidance

CCSG Members have produced dozens of peer-reviewed papers, technical reports, and guidance documents to help inform and guide connectivity conservation worldwide. Among the largest collaborative efforts are IUCN’s groundbreaking Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors and Technical Report Addressing ecological connectivity in the development of roads, railways and canals.

Behind the scenes, CLLC staff members Laur and Gabriel Oppler have shepherded many of these publications from concept through completion by editing, facilitating reviews, overseeing photos and layout, and navigating all official manuscripts through the IUCN approval processes.

Key to making the work of the CCSG available to all, its website features ongoing projects and activities along with a sizable resource library and digests synthesizing the latest news, science, and policy surrounding connectivity conservation.

What’s ahead for CCSG

Recent adoption of IUCN Resolution WCC-2025-Res-126, Recognising and Reporting Ecological Corridors, provides a strong mandate for CCSG and its working groups to lead coordination and collaboration over the next four years. Priorities will include advocating for an authoritative international definition and frameworks to delineate and manage ecological corridors; applying the IUCN Connectivity Guidelines globally to strengthen consistent corridor design, governance, monitoring, and implementation; launching the World Database on Ecological Corridors to improve tracking and reporting; and encouraging sustained funding and investment for long-term corridor conservation.

CCSG will also continue implementing IUCN Resolution WCC 2020 Res 071, Wildlife-friendly linear infrastructure, to address fragmentation caused by transport infrastructure through cross-sector collaboration. In parallel, the group will contribute to preparations for CMS CoP-15 (2026 in Brazil), CBD CoP-17 (2026 in Armenia), and the World Protected and Conserved Areas Congress (2027 in Panama).

Top photo: CCSG Outgoing Deputy Chair Jodi Hilty (far left) and Outgoing Chair Gary Tabor (second from right) with the team from CLLC in Romania in 2019. (credit: CLLC)

The post Saving the Spaces in Between: CLLC Promotes International Collaboration for Connectivity appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

BOZEMAN, MT (December 3, 2025) – Today, Dr. Mary Pearl, Board Chair of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), announced that Brendan Moynahan will become the next CEO of CLLC in January 2026, succeeding founder and CEO Gary Tabor. Moynahan is Chief, Wildlife Conservation Branch, National Park Service and a nationally recognized leader in wildlife science, conservation, and policy.

“Brendan Moynahan combines the expertise, skills, and experience that will make him an excellent CEO for CLLC, and is a worthy successor to our founder,” said Dr. Pearl. “He has worked at the intersection of connectivity conservation science and human community sustainability while shaping conservation policy. He has led population and habitat connectivity initiatives and implemented at-risk species recovery in consultation with all stakeholders. He possesses all of the critical qualities CLLC needs in its next leader: demonstrated commitment to science, policy, and connectivity; a keen understanding of the critical importance that wildlife connectivity plays in communities; and the ability to help CLLC further its work as a leading voice in the U.S. and global connectivity sector.”

Moynahan has spent nearly two decades working in conservation. In his role as Chief, Wildlife Conservation Branch, National Park Service, he led the development of the 2020 Bison Conservation Initiative. This effort secured $25 million in funding for bison conservation and resulted in a commitment to a continental-scale metapopulation system, new forms of historically significant relationships through shared stewardship with Tribes, and a signed trilateral Letter of Intent to Collaborate on North American Bison Conservation among the federal governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. His work included the coordination and facilitation of approximately 100 natural and cultural resource investigations totaling $10 million in investments.

“I have admired and respected the work of CLLC for years and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve as its next CEO. I look forward to partnering with the CLLC staff and board to build upon two decades of conservation results rooted in technical excellence and authentic partnerships,” said Moynahan, incoming CEO of CLLC. “It is an honor to succeed Gary Tabor. The sector owes Gary a tremendous thanks for the groundbreaking work he has done to elevate the importance of wildlife conservation and connectivity. I am committed to ensuring CLLC remains a leader in advancing innovative solutions to keep natural and human systems undivided.”

Moynahan’s appointment follows an extensive national and international search led by DSG/Koya, which began when Tabor announced that he would step down after leading the organization since its inception. Tabor not only founded CLLC but helped to create the field of ecological connectivity. In CLLC, he leaves in place a strong voice and advocate for the needs of wildlife and communities in this time of unprecedented urbanization and development.

“Congratulations to Brendan Moynahan as he prepares to take on the leadership of CLLC,” said Tabor. “His experience working with multiple conservation stakeholders (government, nonprofit, and community) will undoubtedly serve as a tremendous asset to the organization and the sector.”

Prior to his tenure at the National Park Service, Moynahan was a Supervisory Wildlife Biologist at the National Bison Range Refuge Complex with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, managing a biological program focused on plains bison conservation, migratory birds, and remnant Palouse prairie. He also worked as a Program Manager for the Southeast Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network in Juneau, Alaska, where he implemented a landscape-scale monitoring program for all national parks in Southeast Alaska and established interagency agreements with external partners for seabird, intertidal, hydrologic, oceanographic, and environmental contaminants monitoring and research.

Moynahan holds a Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana where he received his M.S. in Resource Conservation. He completed a B.A. in Political Science with a focus on environmental policy at Bates College.

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. Largelandscapes.org

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CONTACT: Christine Weinheimer, christine@largelandscapes.org

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NEWS RELEASE

BOZEMAN, MT, July 1, 2025 — The Board of Directors of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) announced today that the organization’s visionary founder, Gary Tabor, will retire from his role as CEO of CLLC.

Mary Pearl, Chair of the CLLC Board of Directors, made the announcement: “Gary Tabor let the Board know of his plans to retire from his role as CEO after leading this organization since he founded it eighteen years ago in 2007. Through CLLC he developed an entirely new sector of conservation theory and practice, and all of us at CLLC are grateful to Gary for his leadership, drive and service. The Board will now begin the task of identifying his successor while we celebrate Gary’s contribution to our collective goals in large landscape conservation and ecological connectivity.”

Gary stated, “It has been the joy of my professional life to have founded CLLC, to have worked with such inspiring colleagues and to have built together the field of connectivity science. Starting with only two employees, CLLC currently employs around 25 dedicated conservation professionals and operates 10 networks of experts and institutions supporting more than 2,000 conservation practitioners around the world to connect habitat and protect species and ecological systems. CLLC is well positioned to continue to extend its influence and impact in the years ahead.”

With Tabor at the helm, CLLC helped craft national legislation on wildlife corridors and crossings, co-authored the first-ever international guidelines on ecological connectivity and created groundbreaking scientific tools for measuring and combating habitat fragmentation, among many other accomplishments. By any measure, Tabor has had an extraordinary career in a broad range of conservation science and practice, including co-authoring more than 100 scientific papers and reports. Not only a pioneer in connectivity science for the past 40 years, Tabor was also a leader in the field linking environmental change to human, wildlife and ecosystem health, Conservation Medicine and One Health.

After retiring as CEO of the Center, Tabor will continue as a professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University and adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, Australia. He also serves as Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, which connects 1,300 scientists from 135 countries.

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation will welcome a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as part of a thoughtfully planned transition from its founder. The firm DSG|Koya is leading an international search for an individual who will be able to build on Gary Tabor’s extraordinary legacy.

More information about the executive search is available on DSG|Koya’s website.

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. Largelandscapes.org

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For more information, contact:

Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager
Center for Large Landscape Conservation
christine@largelandscapes.org 406-586-8082

The post Center for Large Landscape Conservation Founder and CEO Gary Tabor to Retire appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

A plethora of evidence backs the claim that the earth and its biodiversity are at a tipping point. Yet, many feel helpless in enacting any change or stopping the trajectory of the crisis. Human beings are not built to withstand an existential threat at a constant and unrelenting battery. The term “eco-anxiety” has become common and a true mental health issue that is affecting members of society of all ages, especially those who must confront these realities daily through their work. 

Conservation professionals, volunteers, and others on the frontlines of fighting the impacts of climate change encounter a unique exposure to this type of exhaustion. Countless individuals, communities, tribes, governments, and organizations—including ours—dedicate their time towards remediating the damage done to Earth’s ecosystems and mitigating impending harm, but the burnout from saddling the steady stream of loss is ever-present.  

The first step in tackling a predicament is defining the issue at hand. Two terms encapsulate this type of overwhelm: solastalgia and eco-anxiety. Solastalgia is the existential anguish and pain felt as a direct result of environmental change. Eco-anxiety is the fear or worry surrounding climate change and environmental disasters. Once we delineate our emotions, we can proceed with understanding, self-compassion, and ultimately, practices of relief.  

So what are these methods? How do we keep up the good fight and not get bogged down by the endless to-do list or paralyzed by the magnitude of the issue? Why not ask the conservation professionals at the Center whose lives are steeped in this work? Here are some of their thoughtful answers on their ways of recharging and then re-engaging. 

1. News cycle breaks

Part of being a contributing member of society is to educate oneself on community matters and international affairs. But taking a reprieve from the steady stream of despair does not make you completely inactive. The river of reported catastrophes will be waiting for you to jump right back in after a couple hours, a few days, or a week if possible! So hit pause, delete an app, and turn off the TV. As International Connectivity Project Specialist Melissa Butynski puts it: 

“When the weight of publications and news articles spelling doom and gloom for the future of our natural world becomes too heavy, I try to prioritize time in nature. Cycling through intact ecosystems or floating along wild and scenic rivers reaffirms that while there is work to be done, there is still abundant joy to be found.” ~ Melissa Butynski 

Melissa’s prioritization of time outside brings us to our next tool for respite.

2. Recreate

Nature is the gift that keeps on giving, and when we spend time recreating in outdoor spaces, it is evident. Not only does nature assuage mental health problems—a proven byproduct—it allows us to disconnect from the chatter and buzz of a productivity-focused world. One goes from being on top of the food chain to being at the mercy of nature’s blessings and unpredictability, which is incredibly humbling.

However, we want to acknowledge that many have limited access to the outdoors, a growing concern that deserves action and attention for its unjust and compounding inequity. Read an article about the importance of green spaces and corridors in urban areas.  

When Conservation Project Director Megan Parker and her son grapple with despair about global geo-political conflict, land conversion issues, and climate change, they address their anxiety in the same way:  

“We walk, ride, and paddle our breath and brains to let go. We head to the hills.” ~ Megan Parker 

Center CEO Gary Tabor copes in a similar manner and returns to the Adirondack Park in Upstate New York to run in the foothills and explore the mountainous, wild areas. 

“The area was designated Forever Wild, and it has been that way for me for over 55 years. Here are the photos of the same spot I’ve gone to since I was 11, Silver Lake Mountain.” ~ Gary Tabor  

The photo at the top of this page was taken in this location when Gary was 18 years old.

3. Meditation and mindfulness

Although an ancient practice, meditation is now a widely used modality. It is incredibly useful in separating what we can control from what we cannot, relieving ourselves from the burden of the latter. There are many types of meditation, such as mindfulness, loving-kindness meditation, Zen meditation, transcendental meditation, and more: a buffet of choices on how to get yourself grounded again. If you are curious about learning more or how to get started, visit your local public library as there are many resources and materials on each kind.  

Senior Conservation Director Katie Deuel exercises a brew of these meditative approaches, releasing the things that are out of her mastery.  

“I enjoy every day for what it is, not just what it should be or was before climate change.  Acknowledge and give gratitude for the plants, the birds, the animals that are here singing and moving and eating and living each day as it comes…I can experience eco-anxiety so easily when I look at miles of asphalt, or sit in a sea of cars, or notice the weeds where wildflowers used to be dominant. I have spent enough time in my life mourning those things and, oddly, also denying them. Now I try to celebrate what is right here right now, all the complex beauty and brilliance and connectedness of people and place…” ~ Katie Deuel

4. Books or other writings

A host of books offer advice and tools for quelling eco-anxiety or finding a more productive landing space for it. All We Can Save by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine Wilkinson is another great read for those seeking eco-anxiety mitigation tools. The collection of essays and poetry, written by women from all walks of life, validates the sense of overwhelm we all feel, nudges us gently along, and nurtures our seeds of hope. Center staffers read it in our Racial Justice & Climate Equity Book Club.  
 
One Green Thing by Heather White, with a foreword by Erin Brockovich, is a trusted guide for saving your sanity while contributing to remediation. White is a lawyer, author, former Senate staffer, and environmental nonprofit professional, so certainly qualified to guide others on this topic.  

Or, you can always transport yourself temporarily to another world and read a fantasy novel.

5. Enact visible and tangible change in your local community

To reiterate, sometimes our empathetic reach can extend only so far, for so long. When this occurs, shift your attention to your local community. Where are opportunities for tangible change? What causes can you rally behind? While we often feel powerlessness at a global scale, our impacts within our neighborhood can ripple far larger and longer. Let your local impact fuel your re-engagement for larger-scale issues. Practice what you preach and set an example for the next town over.   

The Center’s Linear Infrastructure Ecology Advisor Fernanda Teixeira exemplifies this very concept. Her home country and current residence Brazil has undergone treacherous and cataclysmic floods. She recounts the experience of hopelessness that eventually spurred action.

“We stayed a couple of days without energy and almost a week without water supply–we still had water from our water tank. Then, after the first week, we decided to take action to avoid feeling so useless, so we reorganized ourselves to be able to provide the security and attention our daughter needed at that moment AND also help other people in our community.” ~ Fernanda Teixeira 

The listed methods facilitate reprieve but could not possibly cover all the possible pathways for respite since it is deeply individually based and personal. However, we should embrace others’ ideas as the future challenges are still unknown and more remains to be done and will in perpetuity. From the gleaners to the business executive, every person has a role to play.  

We hope this list stokes reflection on your end about your relationship with the climate crisis and means of rest and recovery.    

_{Photo, top: CEO Gary Tabor at age 18 on Silver Lake Mountain, the Adirondack Park, New York.}

The post Eco-anxiety: How to Recharge and Re-engage appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Back in 2013, conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb toured the Highway 93 wildlife crossings on the Flathead Reservation with crossings expert Marcel Huijser, Center road ecologist Kylie Paul, and others. 

“As the sun set, we climbed atop an overpass and watched traffic flow beneath us, a powerful experience that both inspired and fascinated me. We do so much on this planet to make animals’ lives harder and more dangerous, often with our roads — yet here was this multimillion dollar piece of infrastructure, built thanks to the leadership and support of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, that humans had created to make things easier and safer for wildlife. What could be more beautiful than that?” 

Little did he know that that day in Montana would send him on a journey to learn more about this world of wildlife crossings, culminating in his literary feat, CROSSINGS: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet. Roads are an omnipresent form of travel, but most humans neglect to recognize them as an obstruction to nature’s natural processes as they bisect habitats and fragment landscapes.

But some are paying attention, and a few are dedicating their life’s work to understanding and dissecting the relationship between infrastructure and nature. One such individual is Ben Goldfarb, who examines the destructive effects of the 40 million miles of roadways that crisscross the earth and uproot ecosystems that took eons to establish. Listed as one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, the New Yorker, and the Smithsonian, CROSSINGS paints a broad brush stroke upon this pervasive issue that harms wildlife populations and ultimately, us. 

Ben conducted an impressive amount and array of research for the book, including riding a bike slowly through Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, logging dead deer and other animals for a citizen-science project. He says he was thrilled to learn about the worldwide diversity of wildlife crossings, describing in the book many examples from several continents, and discovering that the movement to reconnect habitats is truly global. “The U.S. is undoubtedly a road ecology leader, but it has plenty to learn from other nations, too,” says Goldfarb.

Lucky for Western Montana folks, Goldfarb is embarking on a six-stop book tour within the state in June 2024 to spread awareness of this pressing issue. Each event will include a reading and a Q&A with Ben and experts from the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and partners. The Center, along with Yellowstone Safe Passages and Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance, is proud to sponsor Goldfarb’s Montana pilgrimage. 

Ecological connectivity, the degree to which a landscape facilitates or restricts organisms’ movement or exchange, is gaining traction within the collective consciousness and government policies as an important tool for counteracting climate change, protecting wildlife, and bolstering our ecosystems. Within the U.S., there is a growing momentum for wildlife crossings, a tool for increasing connectivity while improving road safety, with the Federal Highway Administration’s Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program and state-specific legislation that provides funding mechanisms for such types of infrastructure. As it stands today, Montana is poised for potential wildlife crossings on U.S. Highway 191 and an initiative to increase wildlife and motorist safety on U.S. Highway 89, just outside Yellowstone National Park. 

When asked what he hopes people will take away from reading CROSSINGS, Goldfarb replies:

“I hope this book helps people realize just how much we can all do to help wildlife. We can change our own driving habits, for example by driving more slowly and carefully, and less frequently at night. We can become volunteer road ecologists ourselves, by helping to collect the roadkill data that informs future wildlife crossings. And, most importantly, we can publicly support infrastructural fixes like wildlife crossings and fencing, and encourage our elected officials and agencies to build more of them. In a sense, we all contribute to conflicts between roads and wildlife — I’ve hit animals myself. But we’re all part of the solution, too.”

See the locations and dates listed here to attend one of Ben Goldfarb’s highly anticipated readings and get involved!

The post The Center Sponsors Book Tour of “CROSSINGS” Author Ben Goldfarb appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Submerging ourselves in different perspectives ultimately enriches our work, and nothing facilitates that like delving into a good book. As the bears take to their dens for a long winter’s nap, we nestle into armchairs with blankets and a good book in our lap. 

Atop my rickety nightstand lay several books: Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, a collection of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s drinking tales and one-liners titled On Booze, some Pablo Neruda love poems to warm your ticker—all of which I peruse through ploddingly for pleasure. I’m neither fast nor slow at reading; call it middle ground. I imagine my bedside table mirrors many others who wonder where all the time goes by the end of the day to just read. So we must make the time, prioritize the time.

I was curious what my fellow staff members are reading once the workday ceases, so I asked them what’s atop their nightstands. Some are about facets of our natural world, and others may be for those times when we need a break from thinking about environmental challenges.

Melissa Butynski, International Connectivity Project Specialist
Crossings by Ben Goldfarb

Very rarely do I stray away from the comfort of fiction. My day is filled with reading about the stark realities of conservation in an increasingly tumultuous world, so I prefer my leisure reading to offer a heavy-handed amount of escapism. I will, however, make an exception for one of my favorite environmental journalists writing about one of my favorite conservation topics. Crossings by Ben Goldfarb is a witty and engaging deep dive into the collisions between wildlife and society (literally). Crossings highlights the environmental and societal costs of these collisions and the many solutions available to us. Ben covers a complex topic well, offering an incredible range of relatable anecdotes. Next time someone asks me what I do for a living, I will hand them this instead!

Kylie Paul, Road Ecologist
Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey

I am midway through reading The Underworld: Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean by Susan Casey, and holy cow, what a new world I’ve been exposed to – the bottom of the ocean and those brave enough to explore it. Not too long ago, the world thought nearly nothing lived at these tremendous depths, but in fact, an incredibly diverse and beautiful ecosystem thrives in the abyss. We can name every nook and cranny of the moon and many other planets, but humans have only explored and mapped FIVE PERCENT of the ocean and its depths. Frustratingly, like many natural resources, without understanding it, we still seek to plunder what we can from it. Meanwhile, not only are the creatures living in the deep entirely intriguing, but the people leading the way to research the depths are outliers. They are intensely high achievers and driven to undertake the massive risks of extraordinarily high pressures (both physical and mental) of deep-sea diving. I can’t wait to finish this book.

Gabe Oppler, International Connectivity Program, Policy & Partnerships Specialist
Northwoods by Daniel Mason

Last fall, I joined my first-ever book club, which feels like a rite of passage (I’m a real adult now!) Our first pick was Demon Copperhead, which was probably my favorite book of all time. Now with high expectations, we’ve plunged into Northwoods by Daniel Mason. It’s historical fiction, a genre I love because I can connect with characters who serve as a guide to another time and place. Northwoods traces the history of a cabin in the woods of western Massachusetts. The story arc follows the cabin’s inhabitants (human, animal, and spirit) across nearly 500 years. I’ve only made it to the late 1800s, but I’ve already met a rebellious Puritan couple, an industrious apple orchardist, and a despicable slave catcher. Narrative vignettes are punctuated by poems, letters, and paintings. As someone who works on land use policy, it’s especially interesting to read about the changes the characters have brought to the landscape – felling timber, sowing crops, splicing apple scions, and building homes. I’m excited to see how this story develops. With sub-zero temperatures on the horizon here in Montana, I have a feeling I’ll reach the end of this book soon!

Megan Parker, Conservation Project Director
Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson

I’ve become that annoying reader who has several books going at once; something challenging and new is The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling—which I highly recommend)—some chapters easily consumed before I sleep, and an old favorite that I can pick up and put down knowing I will be in a better frame of mind. Sex Advice to All Creation is that book. Olivia Judson is an evolutionary biologist who writes of mating behavior across the animal kingdom in Dear Abby style, with species writing in asking for help. Imagine the plight of the male praying mantis and the help he needs navigating his girlfriend’s moods. It is incredibly entertaining, thoughtful, intellectual, and nerdy.

Katherine Somerby, Communications & Development Coordinator
All We Can Save by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnston
She Had Some Horses by Joy Harjo 

As part of my CLLC book club for Racial Justice and Climate Equity, I am reading All We Can Save by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnston: a collection of poetry, short stories, and essays—by all women writers—that light a path forward amid this climate crisis. I highly recommend it for a wide range of readers and ages, as we need as many coping mechanisms as possible to endure what feels like an insurmountable calamity. It’s brought me peace, but what soothes me in the morning or at night is Joy Harjo’s She Had Some Horses. Harjo’s poetry grapples with womanhood, the despair of womanhood, the disconnect between nature and society, her lens as a Native American, and the beckoning, estranged homeland that calls.

Aaron Laur, International Connectivity Program, Policy & Partnerships Manager
Dead Cities, and Other Tales by Mike Davis

I recently went back to my collection of books from undergraduate studies at the University of Wyoming, which included Dead Cities and Other Tales by Mike Davis. If not evident from the title, readers beware that these vignettes are often astounding and downright troubling. A number of the chapters—with engaging writing and ample footnotes—can help dispel the myth of the wild, unspoiled western United States and illustrate the reality of an ongoing legacy of deception, destruction, and delusion that will continue to plague our people and ecosystems. Have you heard about the replica German houses constructed on the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah that helped perfect incendiary bombing techniques to burn out the populations of Berlin, Dresden, and Leipzig during World War II? If not, this is the book for you. Have you heard about the Navy’s “Bravo 20” site in Nevada that belched radioactive clouds from atmospheric and underground nuclear detonations and poisoned scores of communities downwind of the site over decades? If not, this is the book for you.

Rob Ament, Senior Conservationist
The Undertakers Widow by Phillip Margolin

The book I am reading I wouldn’t recommend to anyone unless you like cheesy whodunits. The Undertaker’s Widow by Phillip Margolin is a story not worth repeating. Why, you ask, am I reading it then? Commitment! Once taken up, I always read a book cover to cover. I picked this one out in a used bookstore in Chiang Mai, Thailand, literally at the bottom of a barrel of English language paperbacks. I was desperate and in immediate need of a mindless read for the twenty-plus hours of flight time to get home, never mind all the hours languishing at three layovers. I now proudly consider myself a detritus feeder of literary leftovers. My equivalent in nature, decomposers, are indispensable, keeping the cycle of life and nutrients spinning round and round. They don’t receive much attention, are often dismissed as uninteresting, but their role is essential. I am now one of their brethren for the literary glitterati. My forlorn book will soon appear in my neighbor’s lending library box along her front sidewalk to keep it in rotation. So I am not recommending this specific book as much as the act of sharing, reusing, and recycling the books we read!

The post What We’re Reading: A Roundup of Book Recs from Our Staff appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Life seems to be coming full circle for Senior Conservation Scientist Dr. Annika Keeley. She currently resides in her sleepy German hometown of 6,000, working remotely for the Center for Large Landscape Conservation while visiting her parents—her typical habitat is that of Davis, California, just west of Sacramento. But it is her homeland countryside that spurred Annika’s love for nature and, more specifically, the science behind it.

Upon joining a biology club in the eighth grade, Annika spent hours outside learning bird songs, identifying local butterfly species, and roaming around at midnight with a bat detector. She and her clubmates even conducted a study to determine the prey items of local barn owls by dissecting owl pellets and identifying the skulls contained within. Annika’s childhood exchange with nature and science sounds idyllic—the exact type of field-based, implicit learning that so many children crave and few receive. 

“My interest in studying the natural environment came from here,” muses Annika.

Today the drive to investigate and unpeel the ecological matrix is at the crux of her work. As a child watching the natural processes unfold – how the landscape and wildlife interacted—Annika discovered her interest in connectivity science, narrowing in on a future career dedicated to measuring these systems and understanding how to best support the ecosystem’s interactions. Defined as the study of species movements and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth, ecological connectivity science underpins the focal vision and mission at the Center. 

After earning a bachelor’s degree in zoology and botany in Canada, she traveled to the states to further her academic qualifications and has been here ever since. She went on to procure a master’s degree in wildlife biology and a Ph.D. in forest science, grounding her vocation with a broad knowledge base and a finely-tuned expertise. Not to mention that the father of connectivity conservation science, Dr. Paul Beier, was her advisor. 

Annika’s vast scientific reach affects the lives of many tangibly, unbeknownst to them, as the world begins to grapple with how to mitigate biodiversity loss, build resilience, and save nature in the face of climate change and growing human development. Before working at the Center, she was a bat biologist in Austin, Texas, developing a statewide bat conservation plan in coordination with agency biologists. She conducted systematic reviews for California’s 4th Climate Change Assessment, analyzing methods used to integrate connectivity and climate science and studying barriers and opportunities related to corridor planning and practice. As the senior environmental scientist on the Delta Stewardship Council, she led the ecosystem component of the Sacramento-San Joaquin, California, climate change vulnerability assessment. 

In the past year, she has presented at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Conference in 2022. The list of notable works goes on, as does Annika’s wealth of publications, like this one on connectivity conservation planning.

So, what’s next on the docket? Annika continues to work at the Center as the director of our Connectivity Science program, expanding our science leadership and building upon our long history of being leaders in connectivity conservation. The measuring and monitoring of connectivity take precedence in her projects as countries get ready to implement corridors and other nature-positive initiatives.

“The need for information, the desire for science-based decisions…I hear it all the time. The ask for it is there. My team and I can help provide it,” states Annika. 

To encapsulate her is to know her favorite ice-breaker question: “What is your favorite animal adaptation?” How many individuals struggle to answer because there are too many to choose from in their mind’s Rolodex? If you were wondering about her answer…

“The ability of bats, and even some birds, to reduce their body temperature to conserve energy, otherwise known as torpor,” reveals Dr. Keeley. 

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While she is passionate about biodiversity conservation, she leans into the human side of conservation as a necessary component of the work on the ground, buttressing collaborative work environments and supporting the organization through the growing pains of rapid expansion. While some flee at first sight of a challenge, Deuel charges towards the epicenter of it and delicately dissects the root issues. With a track record of leadership in developing strategic, mission-driven goals and programs, she hopes to continue fostering an inclusive culture that promotes diversity, leverages everyone’s strengths, and empowers resiliency in human and natural communities.

Deuel is a lifelong student of conservation and the American west: its natural and human History, ecology, current people, cultures, and problems. Raised in St. Louis, she self-proclaims as a typical Midwest teenager (this equates to many hours at the local mall). But throughout childhood and adolescence, time spent outdoors emerged as a common theme for her fondest memories—typical of many environmentalists’ pasts. During school breaks, the family frequently backpacked, even heading to the Wind River Range in Wyoming. These early travels would later influence Deuel to work as a course leader at NOLS, the well-respected National Outdoor Leadership School. Guiding for seven years, Deuel led expeditions in the Rockies, Colorado Plateau, Southwest U.S., Alaska, and Kenya. 

“My life has been a balancing act of grounding myself in nature, being a change agent for issues that I think are important, and pursuing life-long learning through academia, teaching, and experience,” states Deuel.

She completed her undergraduate at Princeton University, majoring in American History and minoring in American Studies. Her senior thesis explored environmentalism’s History—a foreshadowing of her career. Deuel went on to gain a Masters of Science in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana and subsequently worked as the U.S. Conservation Director at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, finding herself drawn to multi-party mediation and even attending mediation programs outside of work. 

Then in 2009, her career took a sudden and curious turn; she returned to school for a Master’s degree in Social Work. But in recalling Deuel’s keen interest in building resilience in complex systems, her curiosity about systems thinking and commitment to social justice aligns with her prior work.

“At the heart of every conservation decision are humans working with other humans, and understanding the complexities and strengths of systems at any scale is a key to good decision making,” declares Deuel. 

Not surprisingly, Deuel’s graduating thesis was a portfolio project that applied human attachment theory to both humans and landscapes, recognizing the cultural trauma to a sense of place and community connection from the disruptions of climate change. After procuring her second master’s, she continued to boost an already impressive resume that includes: building North Wind Consulting and providing organization assessments, development, and strategic planning; family and workplace place mediation; contract work on biodiversity protection, climate impacts, and educating for a sense of place in the Northern Rockies; and leading Home Resource as executive director, form a non-profit building materials reuse center to the regions leading community sustainability center. All industries and roles bred and grew her knack for facilitating and directing organizations aiming to improve their operational systems to excel in their mission. 

Outside work, Deuel can be found outdoors hiking, biking, skiing, and appreciating the beauty of the land she has dedicated her career to protecting.

When asked about a single piece of advice for the youth, Deuel, with a slight catch in her voice, says, “Do what you love, find your aptitude, lean into it without the shoulds or woulds. You’re going to do great things.” 

Katie Deuel, an individual whose genuine care for those around her and the land they inhabit, is a highly anticipated and welcomed addition to the Center’s team. 

The post Empowering Resilience: Senior Conservation Director Katie Deuel appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

In addition to his work with the Center, Theobald is a research scientist at Conservation Planning Technologies in Fort Collins, Colorado, a company which he founded in 2013, and is the author of several widely used biodiversity datasets available on key platforms such as the UN Biodiversity Lab, the GEOSS portal, and Google Earth Engine. 

Theobald, who earned a PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder, was a faculty member at Colorado State University and has written more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. Learn more about Dr. Theobald here.

What is landscape ecology?
Landscape ecology seeks to describe the dynamic relationships between ecological patterns and processes across spatial scales, from plot or forest-stand level to watersheds, from local regions to ecosections, or globally.¹

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Dr. Annika Keeley, Senior Conservation Scientist at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, says that Theobald is continuing to make a global impact in the field of conservation science. He is currently working on several innovative projects at the Center including:

• Modeling connectivity for biodiversity in the western US using his brand-new, updated human impact map that will help determine priority locations for wildlife road crossings.
• Developing a new connectivity indicator to measure the connectivity of ecological networks of a specific country or region.
• Contributing to the development of the monitoring framework for the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework by being the specialist intimately familiar with all the different connectivity metrics and indicators.

“Dave has a deep background in ecological theory paired with knowledge of and attention to the intricate details of spatial analysis,” says Keeley. “This combination, along with his ability to take full advantage of the sometimes overwhelming amount of available environmental data, make him an extraordinary scientist who sees the big picture while understanding how all the tiniest of pieces fit together.”

¹ Newman, E. A., Kennedy, M. C., Falk, D. A., & McKenzie, D. (2019). Scaling and complexity in landscape ecology. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, 293.

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