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Deb Love with daughter Sabine and son Alex.
“Now that I’m a mom, our mission inspires me more than ever.”
DEB LOVE FOR THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND’S
NORTHERN ROCKIES DIRECTOR, CONSERVING LAND AND CREATING PARKS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR
interview by allie ferguson
What drew you to a career in conservation? It all started in the fifth grade, when my two best friends and I spent two years researching, designing, and ulti- mately building a nature trail behind our elementary school. As an adult, I went to business school at UC Berke- ley and then worked for an invest- ment banking firm in Boston. I took an environmental management night class at Harvard, and I fell in love with it. I was doing a study on the recycling potential for the high-rise office building where I worked and my boss caught me dumpster-diving. She really sweetly and profoundly changed my life by saying, “You know, you really should pursue your passion for the environment.” 20 · LAND&PEOPLE · FALL/WINTER 2013
How did you discover The Trust for Public Land? After the dumpster-diving incident, I interviewed for a job at The Trust for Public Land and saw an Aldo Leopold quote on the wall: “The weeds in a city lot convey the same lesson as the redwoods.” It struck me that this organization
understood the power of close-to- home nature. That connection is so critical. How can you expect people to advocate for the global environ- ment if they’re not connected locally? This philosophy has resonated with me for the 23 years I’ve been with the organization.
Your husband used to work for The Trust for Public Land, too. Together you closed the largest land conservation deal in U.S. history—protecting 300,000 acres in Montana surrounding the Swan Valley—an incredible achievement. What was that like? He was actually Northern Rockies director before I was; we worked very closely together for 15 years. Because of the Montana Legacy Project, the Swan Valley has become our family place. We take the kids there every summer to swim and paddle in the lakes and just be out in nature. I look around at the land we’ve protected together and I’m just in awe.
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