Lauren Hall Ruddell, Board Member
Lauren grew up around exotic and domestic animals which instilled a tremendous love of nature and wildlife. The child of a San Diego Zoo family, she herself became a keeper while pursuing a degree in Zoology and Outdoor Recreation Administration from San Diego State University. After being in a wilderness Explorer Post troop as a teen, Lauren’s interest in conservation propelled her toward an M.A. in Conservation of Environmental Quality. Then came a decade of work as an environmental analyst and endangered species biologist and riparian restorationist.
Ultimately sick of urban life, she moved to Paonia in 1995. She pursued sustainable farming and ranching on the Western Slope, while shoehorning in environmental education activities for youth, serving on the board of the Ouray Farmer’s Market, volunteering as a cartographer for the High Country Citizens Alliance, and working as a seasonal zoologist for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program.
Lauren left her beloved Colorado home to pursue a PhD in Natural Resource Management through the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah. Upon retirement from teaching at that institution, she finally got to move back to the Western Slope with her pack goats in tow. Lauren can be reached online at www.laurenhallruddell.com.
Term end date: 2025