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“The puzzle of nature continues to intrigue me, and I’ve always had a desire to make a difference,” says Frogard Ryan, a native of Germany who worked for the Colorado Springs Zoo as the Director of Education before joining The Nature Conservancy. Combining these characteristics into furthering grasslands preservation is Frogard’s forte. As the Central Front Range Grasslands Project Director, she has been instrumental in furthering innovative partnerships, like the Bohart Ranch, that offer ecological protection to valuable grasslands while simultaneously maintaining the use of the land for traditional ranching and cattle operations.
Though she makes it seem easy, these win-win situations require hard work and a willingness to collaborate with a variety of partners. By overcoming misconceptions and finding common ground, Frogard works to build relationships with landowners, their families and their communities as land values continue to rise and commercial development pressures keep increasing. Frogard works closely with these stewards of the land to determine what can be done to help them while ensuring overlap with the overarching mission of the Conservancy, “to protect lands and waters for people and nature.” Voluntary conservation easements, tax credits, estate planning, and outright purchases are part of the “wide-open tool kit that we use to explore what their individual needs are and what we can do to help.” Frogard’s deep commitment will help ensure that Colorado’s intricate grassland systems remain in tact for generations to come.
Because certain types of grasslands offer considerable carbon sequestration as well as vital migratory corridors, wetlands, playa lakes (seasonal rainwater lakes), and a host of rare plants and animals, Frogard has worked to shine a light on their value to Coloradans and the west. In doing so, she says, “I’ve developed a passion for the oceans of grass and I’d like to see that survive into the future.”
Her enthusiasm for people and possibilities, working closely with landowners and partners, drive Frogard to discover what is mutually beneficial for people and nature. “We have to learn from each other,” she says. Using this philosophy, Frogard was instrumental in the recent preservation of the 23,300 acre Smith Ranch, which will remain a working cattle operation, protecting not only invaluable grassland habitats, but also the character of Colorado’s ranching and prairie heritage.
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