Our Board

Board of Directors

Wendy Millet

Chair

Jeff Laszlo

Former Chair, Member

Paul Vahldiek, Jr.

Former Chair, Member

Gus Holm

At-Large Member

Christopher Robinson

Member

Mary Anne Dingus

Vice Chair

Nelson Shirley

Former Chair, Member

Tom Page

Member

Valerie Gordon

Member

Rob Lindner

Secretary

Joel Bernstein

Member

aud_may-valley-ranch_portraits_may-2019_audubon-rockies_photo-evan-barrientos

Dallas May

Member

Judy Lopez

Member

Bob Budd

Treasurer

Marissa Taylor

Member

Kelly Bennett

Member

Justin Howe

Member

Board Members Emeriti

Bill McDonald

Craig Taggart

Mary Conover

Kenyon Fields

“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.”

- Aldo Leopold

Join WLA to stay up to date on the most important news and policy for land stewards.

Become a member for free today and we will send you the news and policy developments critical to the economic and ecological health of working lands.

WLA works on behalf of landowners and practitioners throughout the West. We will never share your contact information with anyone.

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Western Landowners Alliance is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit recognized by the IRS.

Paul Vahldiek, Jr., Former Chair, Member

High Lonesome Ranch, CO

Paul R. Vahldiek, Jr. is Chairman of The High Lonesome Ranch (HLR) and President of Deep Water Cay (DWC). He received his undergraduate degree from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas in 1977 and a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas in 1979. He began practicing law in 1980 and in 2008 received the Distinguished Graduate Award from the St. Mary’s University School of Law.

The High Lonesome Ranch comprises approximately 300 square miles of deeded and permitted public lands (BLM), located northeast of Grand Junction, Colorado. The ranch includes lands ranging from approximately 5,000 to 9,200 feet in elevation that have been in agricultural and ranching uses since the mid 1800’s. The High Lonesome Ranch’s vision is committed to ensuring its lands, waters, and resources are healthy and productive for compatible values and uses, demonstrating how private and public lands can be stewarded in perpetuity for ethical uses and economic vitality. This effort will further and model a land ethic.

In addition, Mr. Vahldiek and HLR are actively supporting the development of the High Lonesome Institute (HLI) that is being established to: advance scientific and scholarly knowledge relevant to stewardship of resources on working landscapes in the Intermountain West. It accomplishes these purposes through intentional science, education, and outreach focused (1) on improving land and resource management decisions, and (2) on being a venue for dialogue among diverse groups seeking to find common ground on conservation and sustainable development.

In 2009, Paul and his partners purchased and focused on the refurbishment, expansion and modernization of Deep Water Cay in the Bahamas. The commitment remains to bring the same science ethic to the island and surrounding marine environment.

Additionally, Paul serves as a board member of Trout Unlimited’s Coldwater Conservation Fund, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Theodore Roosevelt Conversation Partnership and Wildlands Network. He is also regular member of the Boone & Crockett Club and supports The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Mule Deer Association. Paul is chairman and a founding member of the Western Landowners Alliance.

Dallas May, Member

Dallas May was born and raised in Colorado in a ranching and farming family.

When he was young, he started a herd of purebred Limousin cattle from one heifer calf given to him by his grandpa on his thirteenth birthday. That began a lifelong quest to protect native grassland and wildlife habitat.

Today, he sells purebred breeding stock all over the United States and Mexico, and also operates an irrigated farm operation raising alfalfa and corn. His three grown children and their spouses are actively involved in the operation.

As he was growing up, May watched most of the remaining ranches around be converted to farmland. This had a profound effect on him as wildlife habitat disappeared in order for families to find a way to survive economically. This shaped his philosophy in searching for ways in which farming, ranching and the preservation of wildlife and associated habitat could coexist.

Ranchers and farmers were basically on their own in achieving sustainability by being able to support their families and provide a dependable and affordable supply of food for the growing population, while protecting the environment that they loved and worked for. If not for ranching and ranching families, very few if any pristine native grass ranches would be in tact today. This is the reason ranchers are the ultimate conservationists.

Today is a different environment. Even though the economic pressures are still daunting there are an extraordinary number of organizations and people who are seeking to form collaborations to achieve these important goals.

Several years ago, May partnered with Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Western Landowners Alliance and several other groups to place a conservation easement on his ranch.

His desire has always been to conserve wildlife, wildlife habitat, water, property rights, working lands and ranching and farming families. This has to be done from the ground up, literally. May’s ranch strives to maintain maximum diversity from the ground up and believe that an all-natural balance is important from the tiniest lifeforms in soil to the largest species of wildlife.

May serves on several boards and committees associated with water issues to protect water rights and keep local communities viable and give them the opportunity to thrive.

Board of Directors

Wendy Millet

Jeff Laszlo

Paul Vahldiek, Jr.

Gus Holm

Christopher Robinson

Mary Anne Dingus

Nelson Shirley

Tom Page

Valerie Gordon

Rob Lindner

Joel Bernstein

Dallas May

Judy Lopez

Bob Budd

Marissa Taylor

Kelly Bennett

Justin Howe

Board Members Emeriti

Bill McDonald

Craig Taggart

Mary Conover

Kenyon Fields

“Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.”

- Aldo Leopold

Join WLA to stay up to date on the most important news and policy for land stewards.

Wendy Millet, Vice Chair

Jeff Laszlo, Member

Paul Vahldiek, Jr., Former Chair, Member

Gus Holm, Member

Christopher Robinson

Mary Anne Dingus, Vice Chair

Nelson Shirley, Former Chair, Member

Tom Page, Member

Valerie Gordon, Member

Rob Lindner, Secretary

Joel Bernstein

Dallas May, Member

Judy Lopez, Member

Bob Budd, Member

Marissa Taylor, Member

Kelly Bennett, Member

Justin Howe, Member

Bill McDonald, Board member emeritus

Craig Taggart, Board member emeritus

Mary Conover, Board member emeritus

Kenyon Fields

Join the Alliance