The Center for Western Priorities' Keep Parks Public summer advocacy campaign will feature events across the Western U.S. to hear from local leaders, public lands advocates, former federal employees, and others to share their perspective and examples of how communities are being impacted by anti-public lands policies and actions, and how members of the public can support efforts to protect public lands.
Please join CWP and Conservation Colorado at the Denver Patagonia store for the campaign kickoff event that will include a live recording of The Landscape, the Center for Western Priorities' podcast in which we will hear from Scott Fitzwilliams, Kelly Nordini, and Kara Matsumoto. (bios below) Light refreshments will be provided by Patagonia and Tocabe.
Registration is requested for each attendee. Please click the RSVP button at the top of this page to sign up. Note that you may receive emails from the Center for Western Priorities after the event.
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If sign ups are full, click the 'Add To Waitlist' button and you will be notified of any openings.Â
Kelly has been at the forefront of Colorado politics and conservation policy for over two decades. She has played a pivotal role in the conservation movement by leading efforts to advance clean energy, transform our transportation sector and elect environmental champions to office. In her previous roles as a Campaign Strategist, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Ritter, and Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Colorado State House, she has played a role in some of Colorado’s largest environmental successes including the voter approval and development of the light rail system, increased renewable energy standards and various nationally-leading clean energy policies. She lives in Denver with her husband and two daughters.
Scott recently resigned after 34 years with the US Forest Service; the last 15 years he served as Forest Supervisor of the White River National Forest. He has also served as the Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Willamette National Forest in Eugene, Oregon and the Staff Officer for Recreation, Wilderness, Lands and Minerals on the Tongass National Forest in Sitka, Alaska, District Ranger in North Dakota and Public Affairs Officer in Jackson, Wyoming. From September 2000-March 2021, he served as Acting Director of EMC in the Washington Office. Throughout his 32-year career, Scott has specialized in the human dimensions of natural resource management focusing on public involvement, collaboration and policy development.
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Scott has a BS in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin and a MS in Environmental Planning from the University of Colorado.
Based in the Denver metro area, Kara Matsumoto currently serves as the Public Lands Policy Director at the Conservation Lands Foundation. She began her career with early roles at the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, sparking a lasting passion for using policy to advance conservation and environmental outcomes. Originally from the DC area, Kara earned an undergraduate degree in environmental science and master's degree in natural resources policy from Stanford University. She has since worked on a wide range of issues—wildlife, climate, public lands, and access to nature—including through her most recent work at The Wilderness Society. Kara works to promote equity in the outdoors through her roles as a board co-chair of the nonprofit Environmental Learning for Kids (ELK) and as a former co-chair of the Next 100 Colorado coalition.
