Justin spent much of his childhood and youth in the foothills of southern Alberta, including time spent working on his family’s ranch near Pincher Creek. This connection to the land influenced his decision to pursue a B.Sc. in Biology and a MA in Public Policy, with an interest in shaping and implementing better environmental policy and practices.
Justin got to know SALTS when he started looking for options to preserve the agricultural values, habitat, and watersheds on his family’s land. As a result, Justin and several of his neighbours ended up doing conservation easements with SALTS. His positive experience with SALTS and his passion for preserving Alberta’s natural landscapes led to him working full-time on private land conservation.
Prior to SALTS, Justin had a varied career in wildlife conservation, the electricity industry, and his own home-building business. He continues to run a small ranch operation on his land in partnership with his family near Pincher Creek. Justin’s unique combination of business, non-profit, and agricultural experience is helpful in his role as he directs and implements the work of SALTS.