FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Karina Puikkonen, karina@ccalt.org, 720.557.8277

January 9, 2024

LAKEWOOD, Colo. –  The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust (CCALT) is beginning the New Year by welcoming two new members to its Conservation Team.

Courtney Hurst is joining CCALT as a conservation manager and will support landowners across the San Luis Valley and southern region of Colorado while managing the organization’s regional office in Del Norte.  She will begin her duties on January 13 and will be responsible for managing conservation easement transactions, stewardship, annual monitoring and assisting with additive conservation projects.  She will also lead CCALT’s community relations efforts in the San Luis Valley, focusing on opportunities and issues related to land and water conservation while advancing CCALT’s conservation-focused mission.

Hurst brings an extensive background in working lands conservation to CCALT and its landowner-partners, having served as southwest district manager for the Colorado State Land Board (SLB) since December 2021.  Based in Alamosa, she was responsible for managing a portfolio of real property assets owned by the State of Colorado across 20 counties.  She worked closely with the Division of Water Resources to understand and protect the SLB’s water assets and rights in Western Colorado, with a specific focus on the San Luis Valley.

From 2017-21, Hurst served as a resource specialist for the Colorado SLB, first in the South-Central District Office located in Pueblo before moving to the Alamosa office in 2019.  She began her professional land management career in 2013 by serving as stewardship director for the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust in Del Norte and has also worked as a ranch hand at two Southern Colorado ranches: the James Ranch in Durango and San Juan Ranch in Saguache.

Hurst earned a bachelor’s degree in archaeology / environmental studies from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in natural resource stewardship from Colorado State University.

Girija Kulkarni is joining CCALT as additive conservation manager for Eastern Colorado.  She will lead additive conservation efforts focusing on CCALT’s conservation solutions through restoration, enhancement projects and expanding ecosystem service market opportunities for landowners in Eastern Colorado. 

Kulkarni will support landowners who wish to enroll in government cost-share or financial assistance programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, both offered through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  In addition, she will manage a Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integrity Program grant for Northeast Colorado and support annual conservation easement monitoring. 

Kulkarni will begin her new role on January 27 and will be based at CCALT’s headquarters office in Lakewood.  She brings extensive experience in environmental science, conservation strategies, project management, research design and stakeholder engagement to CCALT.

Most recently, Kulkarni has served as an environmental sciences lab instructor, University Innovation Alliance fellow, and social media and communications manager at the University of Colorado Denver.  Her varied professional background also includes serving as head wrangler for 12 Mile Stables in Arapahoe County and WJWJ Ranch in Eagle County.

She holds a master’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of Colorado Denver, specializing in ecosystems and environmental policy, and a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Colorado Boulder.

“We are thrilled to welcome Courtney and Girija to the CCALT team,” said CCALT Director of Conservation Brendan Boepple.  “Their diverse backgrounds, deep expertise and passion for CCALT’s mission will greatly enhance our ability to serve Colorado’s agricultural landowners. With their addition, we are poised to expand our conservation services and develop innovative solutions that benefit working lands, rural communities and the people of Colorado.”

About Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
The mission of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust is to conserve Colorado’s Western heritage and working landscapes for the benefit of future generations.  Since 1995, CCALT has partnered with over 450 families to conserve more than 805,000 acres of Colorado farmland, ranchland, open space, and wildlife habitat.