"You cannot save the land apart from the people or the people apart from the land. To save either, you must save both." --Wendell Berry
I have lived my entire life in the Rocky Mountains. I grew up as a wild banshee in the wide open spaces of Wyoming, became a desert rat in the rugged terrain of New Mexico, and chose to go to university amid the towering peaks of Colorado. The mountains have always been my ladder to the sky, and the desert awakened in me a spirituality grounded in the earth. Always I have loved the land and the life that inhabits it, and so I chose my major and my career out of my passion for saving it.
My interest in wildlife began on a dark beach on Pea Island, North Carolina. I was lucky enough to witness the hatching of eight baby loggerhead sea turtles, which then had to be escorted safely to the ocean. The tiny turtles, about the size of a silver dollar, were the cutest things I had ever seen, and when I though of all the obstacles they faced - brightly-lit highways, predators, pollution, fishermen's nets - I resolved that there must be something I could do to help.
The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I went to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Although my interest was primarily wild animals in the beginning - I wanted to be around hawks and wolves and the like (no sea turtles in New Mexico) - I came to realize that preserving the habitat where these animals lived was vital to their survival. My work in habitat restoration took me to the most remote areas of New Mexico. I have seen some of the most beautiful areas-white sands, painted canyons, rugged mountains, barren flats. Most people drive through New Mexico as fast as they possibly can, never realizing the beauty of the desert or the wide array of life that occurs here.
I consider myself fortunate to live in the open West and work in some of the last great wilderness areas. My travels to the East Coast and Europe have convinced me that being crammed into a city like a sardine is no way to live. I want to make sure that my children, and everyone else's children, have the opportunity to spend time away from civilization, to see the natural wonders and biological diversity that exist in our wildlands. I want to make sure they have clean air and water. When we take care of our natural resources, our quality of life improves. I hope to one day work internationally, helping developing countries to implement sustainable development practices, such as solar energy, organic farming, and wildland preservation. Our future is tied to the sustainability of our planet. I hope to be part of the fight to save it.
Congratulations to Lindsay and to everyone else who entered!
