Russ Schnitzer - A Life Devoted to Western Landscapes

Russ Schnitzer is a Colorado-based conservationist and professional photographer whose love for the landscapes and people of the American West shines through in all aspects of his life. Russ is the Senior Program Officer for Natural Resources at the Gates Family Foundation, one of Colorado’s most effective and generous conservation funders. As a photographer, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in the flyfishing world, including Patagonia, R.L Winston Rod Co., Orvis, The Drake Magazine, The Flyfish Journal, and more. And to top it all off, Russ is a former hotshot wildland firefighter and smokejumper, and, as you’d expect, he has some amazing stories from that period of his life. Russ grew up in the midwest, but he headed to Idaho for college and has never looked back. During and after college, he fought fires throughout the West, and through that challenging, intense, dangerous work-- and at least one devastating tragedy-- he learned lessons that he still applies to his life today. Russ’s entire career has focused on protecting Western landscapes, and prior to the Gates Family Foundation, he worked for such notable organizations as Trout Unlimited and the Nature Conservancy. In his current role with Gates, he is laser-focused on finding community-driven conservation solutions for threatened landscapes, and during this episode, we go into great depths discussing his philosophies around effective conservation in the West. Whether you’re interested in the nitty-gritty details of large-scale land conservation or lessons learned from a life of hardcore adventure, there’s something in this episode for you. Russ and I were on a tight schedule, but we still managed to cover a lot... and left plenty of room for a part two at some point in the future. We discuss the value of private land conservation in the West and the need for community buy-in and ownership for all conservation initiatives. We talk about the importance of agriculture from an ecological and economic standpoint, with some very specific examples from eastern Colorado. Russ also shares some stories from his time as a hotshot and smokejumper-- the life-long bonds he formed with his teammates, the impact of these intense experiences on his life, and how he pushed through a terrible tragedy early in his firefighting career. There is so much wisdom and valuable information in this episode, so listen closely and check the episode notes for links to everything. Thanks again to Russ for taking the time to chat. Hope you enjoy! http://mountainandprairie.com/russ-schnitzer/ http://schnitzerphoto.com TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:55 - How Russ describes his work 5:10 - Background in photography 7:00 - Growing up in Minnesota 9:00 - Intersection of photography and conservation 11:00 - Importance of community in conservation 14:40 - Conservation in southeast Colorado 20:30 - Ecological diversity in southeast Colorado 21:30 - Importance of grazing for grassland health 27:00 - Favorite conservation books 29:00 - Importance of aggression in conservation 33:00 - Water in Colorado 38:20 - Greater Sage Grouse discussion 41:10 - Tips for those who want to get into conservation 47:30 - Career as a smokejumper and hotshot 55:00 - Hard work and teamwork in firefighting 56:40 - Enduring tragedy in firefighting 59:00 - Joining the smokejumpers 1:00:15 - Remembering life as a smokejumper 1:03:00 - Lessons learned from firefighting 1:08:00 - Importance of self awareness 1:12:00 - Connect with Russ online