Who We Are
CWPL is a niche organization with a broad perspective. Collectively our organization has over 100 years’ experience with public lands management. Differentiated by our technical expertise and nerdiness, we know the processes and we mobilize people.
Founded in 2014, Colorado Wild Public is lead by a small, but
passionate volunteer Board of Directors, assisted by one full-time staff member. Our Board meets quarterly on the first Wednesday of the month, beginning in January. We invite all our members and other interested parties to join us at regular meetings and special events or contact Brian Lorch, our Executive Director for more information or assistance at info@coloradowildpubliclands.org
Meet our team
Stefanie Davis
President
Stefanie is a marketing and public relations professional, with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit and public sectors. She has worked in the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and for the Aspen Community Foundation, communicating their messages to the public. She advocates for true transparency from government and nonprofit organizations. Stefanie lives in Glenwood Springs, and also serves on the Glenwood Springs Arts and Culture Board.
James Katzenberger
Vice-President
James is a Roaring Fork valley local. Currently he lives in Carbondale with his young family. James brings many talents to the CWPL Board including his in-depth experience with new technologies. James is also a talented musician and teacher of classical guitar. His full bio is pending a break from being a busy Dad.
Graham Ward
Treasurer
Graham has been a user and lover of Colorado’s public lands from before he could walk. Since graduating from University of Denver with an MBA, focused in environmental policy & management, he has worked in a variety of nonprofit roles ranging from sustainability and zero waste, to food security, to renewable agriculture and public lands. Graham believes that our public lands are a unique and absolutely invaluable resource we share the responsibility to protect, and he is excited to lend his passion and expertise in nonprofit growth to CWPL.
Anne Rickenbaugh
Board Member
Anne is a 5th generation Colorado native with a breadth of experience enjoying and preserving public lands. With a BA in Government and an MS in Environmental Policy, Anne has worked as a consultant on energy policy and economics and was a founding member of CWPL. Her service on the Pitkin County Agricultural Board and for the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails program has provided Anne extensive experience with interactions between private and public landowners, land regulation, stewardship and management.
Franz Froelicher
Board Member
When Franz returned to Colorado from Alaska in 1975, he committed to stewardship of wild places in this state. With a B.S. from Colorado State University, Franz has a background in natural resource management as well as 10 years teaching and coaching at Colorado Rocky Mountain School. He owns and operates Blue Heron Forge. Previously a member of the Pitkin County Open Space And Trails Board, Franz co-founded Colorado Wild Public Lands to address a critical link in protecting public lands – the federal land exchange process.
Erica Rosenberg
Board Member
Erica has been involved with public lands issues for decades–serving as counsel to both House and Senate Committees overseeing public lands; teaching public lands policy at Arizona State University law school; consulting on, writing about, and advocating for public lands; and serving on several NGO boards, including Western Lands. Based in DC now, she has done stints in Boulder and Phoenix (and in the Western Pacific). In 2021, she retired from the federal government (most recently, working as a NEPA attorney at the FCC), and is consulting and working at the local level on parks. But mostly, she’s spending time with her horse, whom she rides on public lands.
Brian Lorch
Executive Director
Bio Pending
HISTORY
How we got started.
In 2009, members of Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Board were tasked with evaluating a proposed land exchange in Pitkin County that was initiated by private individuals. The proposal was a land exchange between the private parties (proponent) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
Step one was to find out “What was a land exchange (LEX) all about?” While researching land exchange proposals, another proposal was identified in Gunnison County. It was identical to the first, and the two were being brokered by the same consulting firm.
With our new knowledge, we connected with local communities, reached out, and raised awareness about the two land exchange proposals, their connections and their potential to NOT be in the public interest.
We learned that land exchanges are controversial, often dividing communities, and that the evaluation process often discounts public values. As a result of our work and communities’ engagement, these efforts quieted the Bear Ranch, Gunnison County proposal, and encouraged improvements and more public process for the Sutey Ranch, Pitkin County proposal.
Such advocacy requires a great amount of time, effort, education, and money; in 2014, we founded Colorado Wild Public Lands (CWPL) to help communities address public lands issues. CWPL helps organize local resources to evaluate, monitor, comment on, and influence, potential changes to public lands and assets.
Our Values
These values reflect what we stand for, and what our members and stakeholders can expect from us. They are our enduring beliefs and ideals that direct our organization’s behavior and decision-making.
Access: We believe in freedom to access and enjoy our natural, unfettered landscapes
Wisdom: Our wisdom comes from honoring the value of large, natural, holistic public landscapes.
Integrity: We stand in the integrity of our word and our work.
Respect: We strive to earn respect by listening to different opinions and thoroughly researching the issues.
Commitment: We are committed to the hard work required to be vigilant on natural public land issues.
We define Public Lands as those held in trust for the citizens of the United States and for enjoyment by all. These include lands held by federal, state and local government e.g. Forest Service or County.
Our public lands are what make Colorado our cherished home; as such, they are indivisible from our daily lives.
HISTORY
Our Principles.
- Public lands should remain public, unless a trade provides overwhelming public benefit.
- Access to public lands is critical. Without access, these become essentially private lands.
- Land management challenges must be met by public management, not through privatization. Such stewardship is a sacred trust that must be open and accessible.
- The power of people is transformative. CWPL is committed to being a proactive citizen voice. We foster public lands awareness and education.
- We work and persevere to protect the public’s interests in their land.
Timothy Egan
NY Times Columnist