Who We Are

Robin Walter:

Robin graduated from Colorado College in 2012 with a major in English literature and creative writing. She grew up on the edge of the plains in Colorado Springs where she developed an early relationship with the outdoors exploring Colorado’s vast open spaces. Growing up, she spent most of her time at the stables or in a saddle, riding the trails in Colorado Springs and the Big Horn Mountains in Sheridan, WY.

“With a background in poetry, inquiry is at the heart of how I relate to the world. I am keenly interested in discovering and articulating the subtleties of our relationship with people and place, uncovering patterns that are at once familiar and surprising, and in engaging the reader in an intimate reflection of their relationship to the subject explored. I am excited about this project because it will provide me with a unique occasion to do just that, and in a landscape that is absolutely crucial to conservation efforts in North America. I have a life-long respect for nature and the outdoors, a zeal for stories and the craft of writing, a long history with horses, and I have a deep interest in conservation and the prairie landscape. This project takes each of these interests, and combines them in an exciting and imaginative way.” –Robin

Sebastian Tsocanos:

Sebastian was born in the regenerating coastal forests of Connecticut, where he developed an early enthusiasm for exploring the natural world. Feeling the call to move west, Sebastian studied environmental science at Colorado College (’12) which allowed him to further explore his lifelong interests in ecology, conservation, and sustainable agriculture all from various scientific, social, cultural and personal perspectives. Completing his thesis on the rare and threatened remnants of tall grass prairie along Colorado’s Front Range, Sebastian fell in love with the American prairie, coming to appreciate its beauty and the myriad threats it faces.

“I was first acquainted with the great plains landscape on long road trips across the country with family and friends. Driving across the plains, it was impossible not to notice how transformed the landscape is. What was harder to notice was the wildlife that remained: along the roadways, along the railroad tracks, in the small state and local parks, national grasslands set back from the highway, and on the well cared for farms and ranches scattered through the country, host to the rapidly disappearing native plants and animals that barely hang on in these islands of refuge. Mostly stopping at rest-stops and in major cities along the interstate, it was hard to meet the people that remain in the rural landscapes. Driving through this wide stretch of country, I always want to slow down, get off of the main roads, to really know the place. This project excites me because it is an opportunity to do that in a very special way, combining my long time love of horses and long distance travel with my passion for prairie conservation, sustainable agriculture, and creative forms of community building, all in the heartland of America.”  -Sebastian