We welcome Lesli Allison and Morgan Wagoner of Western Landowners Alliance to Talking Water ...

The Western Landowners Alliance advances policies and practices that sustain working lands, connected landscapes, and native species. WLA envisions a future in which private and leased public lands in the West are resilient to stressors, healthy and biologically diverse, and provide for prosperous rural business and critical ecological services.

WLA recognizes that economic vitality and conservation go hand-in-hand. Given that private lands encompass the most productive and biologically diverse landscapes, including the majority of water resources, landowners have a pivotal role to play in shaping the future. WLA provides a collective voice, a peer network and a shared knowledge base for landowners striving to keep the land whole and healthy.

We will be joined by CEO, Lesli Allison and Western Water Program Director, Morgan Wagoner who will dive into the themes of conservation, stewardship and the water issues for the Colorado River Basin.

Lesli Allison - Lesli is a founding member and chief executive of the Western Landowners Alliance. She was also a founding member of the Chama Peak Land Alliance. For the past three decades, Lesli has worked extensively with private landowners and multiple stakeholders to advance conservation, sustain working lands, and support rural communities. Prior to Western Landowners Alliance, Lesli managed a large ranch in the southern San Juan Mountains of Colorado. During her 16-year tenure, she implemented progressive conservation management through award-winning programs in restoration forestry, prescribed fire, grazing, stream restoration, hunting and wildlife management, and scientific research and monitoring.

Morgan Wagoner - As the Western Water Program Director for Western Landowners Alliance, Morgan oversees the development and execution of strategies and policies that facilitate collaborative learning and action to address western water issues. She also works to support landscape scale initiatives and place-based watershed groups in efforts to protect and improve watershed health. Before joining WLA, Morgan worked with nonprofits on water quality protections, water policy, and community outreach. She also worked for environmental engineering firms performing environmental compliance and as a river guide around the Southwest.

Talking Water with Western Landowners Alliance