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Wildflowers and mountain views at sunrise on top of Mt. Axtell.
WHERE EXPERIENCE MEETS STEWARDSHIP

CENTER FOR PUBLIC LANDS

Our Mission

Western Colorado University’s Center for Public Lands is a hub for cross-boundary land management and study. This training and resource center brings together students, land managers, and communities with a goal to develop creative responses to contemporary land management challenges. We are an educational and community-serving institution working at the nexus of service, science and scholarship.
Ecology and Environmental Management graduate student, Sophia Reggiani, smiles as a boy holds up a small plastic vessel containing an aquatic insect in a sample of water.
Our Approach

Training for real world experience.

Our approach brings together three elements: technical assistance through faculty expertise and research; the ability to support discussion, decisions, and actions that shape best management practices; and applied project work to train the next generation of public land practitioners. Our mission is to train a diverse group of leaders who can address public land problems collaboratively and creatively by applying scientific and socio-economic knowledge in the context of the complex realities of planning, management, and policy development for public lands.

Our People

  • Gillian Bauer

    Gillian Bauer

    MS in Ecology Graduate Program Facilitator; Lecturer in Environment and Sustainability

  • Briget Eastep

    Briget Eastep

    Co-Director of the MS in Ecology; Center for Public Lands Director

Our Partners

National Park Service Logo Center for Humans and Nature Colorado Parks and Wildlife Great Outdoors Colorado Logo Society for Wilderness Stewardship Logo US Forest Service Logo US Fish and Wildlife Service Logo National Geographic Logo

Student Opportunities

EMPLOYS Traineeship

Ecological Management and Public Lands Opportunities for Young Scientists. Students earn a dual degree in MEM and MSE.

Go to EMPLOYS

MEM Fellowships

The Master of Environmental Management offers fellowship opportunities to offset tuition costs.

Go to MEM Fellowships

Ecology Fellowships

The Master of Science in Ecology program has financial opportunites to helps students afford their graduate degrees.

Go to MSE Fellowships

Our Projects

  • Rich Stromberg tests the voltage of a solar panel

    Clark – Coldharbour Institute

    Students tackle sustainability challenges through research, conservation, and regenerative land management in a real-world setting.
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  • A team works on creating biochar.

    Clark – Biochar Climate Solution

    Students create biochar from local wood waste, gaining hands-on experience with practical climate solutions.
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  • Several students gather near an alpine lake during a headwaters session

    Headwaters Conference

    This immersive conference connects students with experts to explore pressing environmental and social issues firsthand.
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  • Holding an aquatic net, a student wades through knee-deep water upstream in the Taylor River with fall colors and the canyon in the background.

    River Studies & Leadership Certificate

    Students dive into the science and stewardship of rivers, gaining hands-on experience in fieldwork, conservation, and water resource management.
    Read More
  • Graduate student wearing a cowboy hat standing on Verzuh Ranch wetlands with cattle behind him

    Verzuh Ranch

    Offering hands-on academic experiences in sustainability, agriculture, and environmental sciences at Western.
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Clark Family School of Environment & Sustainability

Dean

Undergraduate Administrative Assistant

  • Patricia McCarthy

  • Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences Administrative Assistant

Contact Information

970.943.2248
ses@western.edu

Contact Location

1 Western Way
Gunnison, CO 81230