Meet Cheyenne Johnson | Conservation Enthusiast & Philanthropy Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cheyenne Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheyenne, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
Most people are unaware we exist at all! Colorado Open Lands is a non-profit working across the state to preserve the precious landscapes we all cherish and love. Open space doesn’t just happen, there is a whole industry dedicated to protecting the best of Colorado’s wild and working lands. We have a low profile but a big impact in permanently protecting land, water, wildlife, heritage, and families across the state of Colorado. The next time you’re on your favorite scenic drive, the view might just be preserved for you thanks to groups like ours!

Colorado Open Lands has a proven 40-year track record of conserving Colorado’s last best lands, waters, and wildlife, with close to 640,000 acres already protected in perpetuity and a leadership role as one of the most effective and innovative land trusts in the nation. Our projects span the entire state and include urban farms and parks from the front range to the western slope; the rangeland of the world’s second largest elk herd in northwest Colorado; and the precious waters, farms, and ranches of South Park, the San Luis Valley, and our eastern plains. Currently, COL has identified additional critical conservation projects throughout Colorado totaling more than 200,000 acres that would preserve more new land than all of Colorado’s state parks combined. We believe there is no greater gift to future generations than to protect these lands.

COL is investing to increase its capacity and has established a goal to conserve 800,000 total acres of the best lands by 2025.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
While attending the University of Texas, I worked in the Title Industry for 4 years learning about real estate. Over the years, I supported the closing and conversion of several large ranches in the Texas Hill Country into 2,500- 5,000 home subdivisions. As child who found beauty in the rolling hills of the Texas Hill Country, I couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for new landscape I had helped to create. This experience was invaluable to me and led me to serendipitously participate in a real estate course at UT about Conservation Easements. From this moment on, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life and my career. Saving land, saving water, saving wildlife, saving families, and the quality of life that make stunning places like Colorado and Austin a few of the fastest growing places in the country.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Wow, there are so many great places in Colorado!

A show at Red Rocks and the Mission Ballroom as two of the best venues in the country.
One day rafting the Arkansas in Buena Vista.
One day fly fishing and rafting the Colorado River
Dinners at Uchi and Wildflower for more of an upscale experience.
Shopping and eating my way through Tennyson Street.
Disc Golf in Bailey
Stop at Kenosha Pass to see the incredible viewshed, hike a section of the Colorado Trail, and see elk corridor conserved by Colorado Open Lands.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Huge shout out to my mentors in conservation George Cofer of Hill Country Conservancy, Carolyn Chipman Evans of the Cibolo Center for Conservation, and Carolyn Vogel for hiring me as an intern in the industry.

Website: https://coloradoopenlands.org/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyenne-johnson-6802aab/