The Nature Conservancy Announces: A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey, a Book by Heidi Redd
Heidi shares stories of adventure, courage and resilience in one of Utah’s most spectacular landscapes.
Media Contacts
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Tracey Stone
Phone: 602-738-1586
Email: tstone@tnc.org
On Sale Now
Buy your book today at The King’s English Book Shop or Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, or order online.
The Nature Conservancy’s Utah Chapter is proud to announce the publication of a new book, A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey: Stories from the Dugout Ranch, by Heidi Redd. Featuring a foreword by former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, this book is a collection of thrilling stories and stunning photos from Heidi’s remarkable life at the historic Dugout Ranch in the heart of Utah’s canyon country—and her unique partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to save the ranch from development.
One of the most significant conservation and ranching properties in the West, the Dugout Ranch is adjacent to the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and is the largest private inholding in Bears Ears National Monument. In 1997 TNC purchased the Dugout, joining with Heidi and her family to preserve this spectacular working ranch from development and helping to foster the growing alliance between ranchers and conservationists.
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Heidi’s devotion to a vanishing way of western life and her passion for the unique desert landscape led her into a life-changing relationship with TNC, contributing to one of the organization’s most important conservation partnerships.
Praise for A Cowgirl's Conservation Journey
“Redd blends her no-nonsense approach and candor with style and grace. … Her story is chronicled in the book via a collection of stunning photos and artful prose that captures her struggles, her triumphs, her heartbreaks and her grit.”
—Amy Joi O'Donoghue, Deseret News
“The photos are brilliant and the yarns flow like mountain creeks. I’ve heard people talk about their passion, interest and magnetic draw to this landscape. But never have I experienced a more intimate telling of a lifetime of devotion to it and with such a spiritual bond. The stories are full of humor, hard work, experience and reflection.”
—Jill Pearson, San Juan County Record
Readers will be captivated by Heidi’s tales of adventure, loss and courage as she reflects on her transformation from a young ranch bride to a gritty cattle boss to a trailblazing conservation ambassador in a mission to save the land she loves. Heidi’s devotion to a vanishing way of western life and her passion for the unique desert landscape led her into a life-changing relationship with TNC, contributing to one of the organization’s most important conservation partnerships.
“Meeting Heidi, listening to how she was working with TNC to adapt to ranching at a time of climate change, and witnessing the incredible natural and cultural features of this place left an indelible impact on me,” writes Sally Jewell, who served as the U.S. Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration.
Today, Heidi has retired from running cattle, but she still rides the range at the Dugout and serves as a valuable ally to TNC. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2022. The Dugout itself is now home to TNC’s Canyonlands Research Center program, a science collaborative that is advancing climate change research and sustainable land use solutions for ranchers and other arid-land users and managers.
“TNC’s Dugout Ranch is one of our organization’s marquee conservation projects, and it remains a source of pride representing the work we do,” said Dave Livermore, former TNC in Utah state director. “This deal never would have happened without Heidi Redd and her family, who ensured that the Dugout will live on, undeveloped, as it has been for centuries.”
Get Your Copy Today!
Special large-format, author-signed copies of A Cowgirl’s Conservation Journey are available for purchase at The King’s English Bookshop and Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City while supplies last. You can order a smaller-format version of the book online at: A Cowgirl's Conservation Journey (lulu.com). Book sales support The Nature Conservancy in Utah but are not tax deductible.
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About The Nature Conservancy in Utah: The Nature Conservancy has been protecting Utah’s unique natural resources since 1984. Statewide, TNC has helped to protect more than 1.2 million acres of private and public land. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to the world’s toughest challenges so people and nature can thrive together. Working with partners, we are tackling climate change and conserving land and water at an unprecedented scale. We engage community members to help make a difference in our natural world to maintain our high quality of life.
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 81 countries and territories (40 by direct conservation impact and 41 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.