Craig Utter
Craig was born and raised in the town of Evergreen on the eastern slope of Colorado, so he is no stranger to the issues faced by developing mountain towns. He received a bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University. Shortly after graduation, owned and operated a 300-head cow-calf ranching operation in the Sandhills of Nebraska for 13 years. During this time, he was involved with the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association and eventually chaired their Natural Resources and Environment Committee. Simultaneously, he became involved with a variety of private land conservation programs, most notably the Leopold Conservation Award presented by the Sand County Foundation. Craig was instrumental in bringing this prestigious national private land stewardship award to Nebraska. Much of the success of the Nebraska award can be attributed to the collaboratives he helped facilitate between private landowners and a diverse group of stakeholders.
In 2006, he moved to McCall and was hired as a USFS firefighter on an engine stationed in Warren. “I thought I would fight fire for one year and then go back to graduate school” Craig said “Then I was hired on as a member of the Krassel Helitack crew and rappelled out of a helicopter. One summer turned into ten, never made it back to school.” He remained on the helicopter crew from 2007 until 2017 and today still contracts with the USFS as a Helibase manager and Night Dispatcher.
During his winters off from fighting fire, he continued to work with the Sand County Foundation, coordinating the Nebraska Leopold Conservation Award from McCall. Craig has also worked 3 seasons in Antarctica for the National Science Foundation. Two seasons as a fixed wing cargo specialist and one year as a helicopter crew member.
Craig brings almost 25 years of environmental and conservation-based non-profit experience and a strong understanding of the importance of collaboration.