{"id":24761,"date":"2024-11-20T23:41:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T06:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/young-adults-engaged-in-conservation-in-montezuma-county\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T23:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T05:01:25","slug":"young-adults-engaged-in-conservation-in-montezuma-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/young-adults-engaged-in-conservation-in-montezuma-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Young adults engaged in conservation in Montezuma County"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A
A volunteer at a previous event put on by the New Generation Advisory Board, a branch of the Montezuma Land Conservancy that involved youths in what they\u2019re doing. (Courtesy Montezuma Land Conservancy)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

To bring young voices and views into a larger conversation of conservation, a group banded together under a bigger umbrella that is the Montezuma Land Conservancy.<\/p>\n

The Next Generation Advisory Board formed during the pandemic, roughly four years ago now.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a youth board \u2013 made up of five individuals ages 21 to 45 \u2013 that meets once a month in Cortez, usually on the third Tuesday, to talk conservation, locally.<\/p>\n

This month\u2019s meeting was on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and drew in a few new faces with its promise of soup on a brisk autumn evening.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a normal meeting, we just added soup,\u201d said Ilana Newman, the interim chair of the youth board, as people filled mix matched bowls with their choice of soup.<\/p>\n

Once everyone settled around the table and introduced themselves, the board started talking.<\/p>\n

They agreed that a lot of people wonder what they do.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a \u201ccontinuous conversation,\u201d though \u201cI think we\u2019re getting really close to understanding what we are,\u201d said Elise Goggin, a board member.<\/p>\n

Goggin added that people who join can help morph it into what they think it ought to be, as it\u2019s constantly evolving.<\/p>\n

And with that, they\u2019re trying to figure out their purpose as it relates to the Montezuma Land Conservancy, which works to secure easements that protect the land in a lasting, \u201cin perpetuity and forever\u201d kind of way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard so many cool ideas come out of this group,\u201d said Molly Mazel, a liaison to the youth board from the Montezuma Land Conservancy. \u201cSome are still on the chalkboard, others we\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazel said the very existence of the youth board is unique, and inspired by a land trust with a similar model in Montana.<\/p>\n

Beyond getting involved in local conservation, the board serves as a place to grow professional skills, Mazel said.<\/p>\n

When more people join, they\u2019d like to create a funding committee to have a better handle on budget and expenses, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t need to be a funding guru,\u201d said Mazel. \u201cA big part of this is professional development and cultivating leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Because this board could be the ones to step in and take over where folks on the Montezuma Land Conservancy leave off; they\u2019re the next generation of leaders and thinkers.<\/p>\n

A large part of the meeting focused on event planning, and what they\u2019d like the next one to look like.<\/p>\n

Traditionally, the Next Generation Advisory Board puts on two events per year that helps raise funds, spread awareness of its existence and thus recruit new members and\/or simply educate.<\/p>\n

\"A
A bike event the New Generation Advisory Board put on and have since \u201cnailed.\u201d (Courtesy Montezuma Land Conservancy)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

They\u2019ve had a bike event in the past that they\u2019ve \u201cnailed,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n

Sometime in January, they\u2019d like to screen a film \u2013 so long as they can get rights \u2013 that sparks conversation and makes people think, too.<\/p>\n

Later on in the year, when the snow melts and it\u2019s good biking weather again, they\u2019ll put on the bike event again, as it\u2019s been a great success.<\/p>\n

One thing they\u2019re working to do is grow as a group and a board; they need a vice president and a new secretary come March.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in getting involved, visit the Montezuma Land Conservancy website and apply through the Next Generation Advisory Board<\/a> tab under the \u201cAbout Us\u201d section.<\/p>\n

In addition to attending seven of the 10 meetings each year, there\u2019s also requirements for volunteering time and providing \u201ca meaningful contribution,\u201d too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a roughly three to five hour commitment each month, Mazel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on what we\u2019re doing,\u201d Newman added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Next Generation Advisory Board seeks to expand the reach of MLC\u2019s efforts by working to inspire the next generation of land stewards, hosting events that highlight the importance of conservation and engaging our broader community in MLC\u2019s mission,\u201d its website said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Generation Advisory Board is a branch of the Montezuma Land Conservancy <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-24761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78664,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24761\/revisions\/78664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24761"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=24761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}