Nate Owens, Policy Director
Nate joined Heart of the Rockies Initiative as policy director in 2022. Having spent 10 years working for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as an aquatics program manager focused on aquatic invasive species and boating access, he transitioned to the policy world, where he now focuses on legislation and policy around carnivore conflict reduction, rural development, and private land conservation. Nate enjoys the challenge of trying to understand how pieces of a complex issue fit together, which ultimately will help shape how the landscape he loves will look moving forward. He holds a BS in zoology with a fisheries minor from the University of Washington and an MS in natural resource conservation with a focus on international conservation and development from the University of Montana. He also completed the University of Utah Environmental Dispute Resolution Program’s Collaboration Certificate Course. Nate lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he spends long hours running up and down mountains.
Q: What led you to choose a career in conservation?
I loved visiting Hebgen Lake, Montana, as a kid because my family had a cabin on the lake. Those trips up there each summer were the highlight of my year, and I became fascinated by big landscapes and big wildlife.
Q: What inspires you in your daily work at Heart of the Rockies Initiative?
I enjoy getting people together to tackle really hard, complex problems and hope that the work I am doing will have a positive impact long after I am gone. Seeing the pieces connect into a potential solution is always exciting and believing that I am contributing to protecting something that has placed such an important role in my life is important to me.
Q: When you’re not working, how do you engage with the people, lands, or wildlife of the Central Rocky Mountains?
I like to spend long days running trails up and down big mountains. I enjoy traveling down remote Forest Service trails and roads and finding places where it is a little easier to slow down and be overwhelmed with awe, while also meeting interesting people along the way who care about the land as much as I do.
There is nothing better than being somewhere special to you with the most important people in your life.
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