Maggie Hanna’s Personal TOP-10 at CCALT
January 19, 2024
CCALT Community
Above and beyond, CCALT staff, board of directors, and community that surrounds this work is my ultimate highlight. The belly laughs, tears, frustrations, jokes, relationships, and immense amount of work make this work and this team deeply special. The fact that this work happens best through collective uplift is a lesson I will hold close forever.
Landowner Partners
Of the many things I am proud of from my time with CCALT, the piece that really fills my cup are the many people who trusted me to shepherd their legacy and the legacy of these important landscapes. The families who invited me to their kitchen tables and shared with me their hopes for days yet to come. To the people who believed in CCALT enough to invest financially and to see their legacies through their donations to this work.
2020 Forever Colorado BBQ
Each BBQ was a highlight for one reason or another. But the experience that lands on this list is nailing the 2020 VIRTUAL Forever Colorado BBQ during the beginning of the pandemic. The CCALT team pivoted and delivered an excellent production. It was such a special way to see a challenge, find a solution, and overcome!
Leopold Conservation Award
I had the opportunity to guide the Leopold Conservation Award program in Colorado for more than five years. This program is such a special way to highlight the important conservation work happening voluntarily on Colorado’s farms and ranches. The program brings together incredible partners, and impactful land stewards.
National Western Stock Show
There were a few special moments from my years at the National Western Stock Show with CCALT.
We had the chance to experience the parade from the Wells Fargo Stagecoach. Pete Coors, of Molson Coors, bought me a Coors Light! A surprise lunch with colleague Jayne Thompson Nolan and the late, great, Baxter Black.
Dr. Rick Knight
I had the chance to sit in on a lecture by Dr. Rick Knight, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Conservation in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. During this particular lecture, Rick was highlighting the important and lasting work of CCALT. There is nothing more special than to share the passion for this work with other people.
Cycling
Riding hundreds of miles through eastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas, building relationships and celebrating the very nature of the prairie!
The Oasis Cafe
The ever-cherished lunch at The Oasis in the town of Saguache with Erik Glenn. The best French fries around!
Travel
In the many thousands of miles spent on the road, I only ran out of gas once!
Records Management
Successfully transitioning CCALT’s permanent records storage to a new, more useful space.