Meet Christie Greene | President and Founder, Wild Aware

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

Hi Christie, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
My nonprofit, Wild Aware, works with our community to create a respectful coexistence between humans and wildlife. Our work is primarily based on outreach and education as well as offering opportunities for tangible results like removing barbed wire fencing or placing “watch for wildlife” signs in yards. We have a growing pool of passionate wildlife advocates who appreciate living in our foothills communities and want to encourage fellow residents to make wildlife-friendly choices such as cautious driving, letting wildlife be wild by not feeding or otherwise influencing their behavior, foregoing fencing or choosing wildlife-friendly fence materials and designs, using humane methods to control unwanted wildlife in homes and gardens, responsibly managing domestic animals with regards to wildlife predation, considering wildlife in development and road design decisions and more.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Wild Aware in 2019, a few months before Covid struck, to address wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Evergreen area in the foothills west of Denver. Home to a large elk herd, Evergreen has some of the highest elk-vehicle collision numbers of all of the eastern slope of Colorado. We have grown from 12 people in my family room to a 501(c)(3) organization with growing numbers of volunteers, community recognition, and impact. We have no paid staff at this time.

I am still in the beginning of my journey to strengthen the mission of this group so that it will prevail for years to come. With no experience at running a company or managing people, I have been challenged to meet the needs that Wild Aware has for a strong leader.

Thus far, my tactics have included developing a thicker skin, being forgiving to myself for the mistakes I make while always trying to do better, identifying where I need help and asking for it, being patient with myself and others as we try to balance volunteering with other obligations, and asking for input about what I can do better.

As it turns out, wildlife advocates are pretty good folks! When people hear there is a movement to help wildlife in the community, they sign up! Before I knew it, the mission of Wild Aware had grown far wider than my original ideas and I was, and still am, always one step behind the progress this group is making. They are naturally caring souls and can be counted on to be kind but fierce supporters of the rights of wildlife. They make excellent allies in the work to educate our neighbors in how to peacefully and respectfully coexist with wildlife. And animal people make the best sort of friends.

I would like to challenge our communities to consider wildlife in all decisions-be kind, be compassionate and understand the hard work it is to be a wild animal in our society today. As well, if you are called to be a leader, go forth with kindness to yourself, joy in your heart for your mission, and the gutsy tenacity you will need. When people push back and criticize you, and it will happen, have a quiet saying in your heart : I am the one who had the vision, started the work and will be here til the end.

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?
I enjoy theater and dining in Denver, so that could include cinema experiences at the Mayan Theater or the Sie Film Center (to this visit we add Tattered Cover and Chocolate Lab) or theater productions at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Definitely, a couple of Film on the Rocks movies are in order which take place at Red Rock Amphitheater. I also love attending lectures and programs at the University of Denver or University of Colorado.

The outdoors is truly why many of us live in Colorado, and for me, it’s all about the wildlife. Visitors will immediately be driven around Evergreen in search of ubiquitous elk and glimpses of other animals like mule deer, red tailed hawks, and even bald eagles (lucky people might see moose here). I love to drive people to the top of Mt Evans (big horn sheep, mountain goats, and marmots), over Guanella Pass in the fall (big horn sheep, maybe moose, and marmots) and possibly a hike up Butler Gulch (pikas!). Hiking anywhere along the front range is perfect. Estes Park with a stop at the cherry store along the way.

Dinner at the Bistro in Marshdale, Willow Creek or Keys on the Green in Evergreen, lunch in Evergreen at Bread Lounge, Blackbird Cafe or Dandelions; Blue Sky Cafe or Table Mountain Inn in Golden. Potager for a little European flair or people-watching at Union Station over granitas at Stoic and Genuine. Stays in Denver at the Brown Palace, the Oxford or the Monaco. Spa day at Tall Grass in Evergreen is a must. Buckhorn Bakery in Frisco is awesome and can be combined with some winter nordic sports nearby.

Let’s not forget biking-mountain biking is hugely popular (beware wildlife!), and there are road biking routes everywhere. Lookout Mountain is a short, somewhat steep ride to the top with astonishing views all along the way, and for a challenge head up Guanella Pass in September for amazing color.

So that is Day 1…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank the special human beings who have shared my vision and taken it to new levels of success and impact. Our original founding group includes Christine Kahane, Mary Novaria, Michelle LeBlanc, Carolyn Tweedy, Cheryl Keough, Doug Day, Amanda Keil, Julie Whitfield, and Jake Forsline. Partners and supporters who have had an outsized effect on Wild Aware include: Jeff Peterson and Francesca Tordonato from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Vicki Vargas Madrid of Denver Parks and Recreation, Emma Vacisek from Evergreen Audubon, Joe Nicholson, Joe Walter, Scott Murdoch, Jason Clay and Mark Lamb from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Julia Kintsch from EcoResolutions, and Mary Ann Bonnell with Jeffco Open Space. Volunteers and supporters who have given enormous energy to this effort are Jeanne Alt, Betsy Hoke, Gail Sharp, Allan Casey, Tim Grace, Pandora Erlandson, Conifer Radio, the Evergreen and Conifer Chambers of Commerce, Serenity Magazine, Mountain Connection, and the Canyon Courier. And we are just getting started!

Website: www.wildaware.org

Facebook: Wild Aware

Other: Find us on NextDoor as Wild Aware

Image Credits
All photos courtesy of Christie Greene; logos by Michelle LeBlanc