With a lifelong commitment and passion for protecting public lands in hand, University of New Mexico senior Kai Hollenberg embraces the challenges of conservation. As a biology major with a focus in conservation who serves as the president of the UNM Wilderness Alliance, her ongoing work with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service and opportunities to address pressing environmental concerns across the country have prepared Hollenberg for a life of service in the conservation sector.
“When I think about how much time the average human spends working, I really want it to be for something I believe in,” Hollenberg said. “Conservation and the health of our planet is definitely at the top of that list for me.”
At UNM, Hollenberg is an outspoken voice for outdoor advocacy and engagement. She has served as president of the UNM Wilderness Alliance for two years and aims to reinforce the initiatives of the organization to advance biodiversity and climate change goals through trail maintenance, education and legislative efforts. Hollenberg also hopes to increase the representation included in the alliance, noting that “the history of conservation is very euro-centric, especially with the brutal removal of Indigenous people from their land.”
“Human values aside, I hope we can all appreciate these complex plants, animals, insects, etc. and their habitats,” Hollenberg said. “Habitat destruction is … for a lot of species, the driving force behind (decline) of population numbers.”
Hollenberg said conservation of private and public lands is increasingly important due to “accelerated loss of species (and) biodiversity and extinctions around the globe.”
“Our work focuses on public lands and wilderness,” Hollenberg said. “We hope that by getting more students outdoors and having physical experiences in the landscape that students … will feel more passionate about protecting those areas.”
Regents’ Professor of Biology Joseph Cook said having Hollenberg as a student of conservation biology affirmed her commitment to the subject.
“Kai has been great at organizing activities with different federal natural resource agencies, and opportunities to do different environmental actions related to improving our planet Earth,” Cook said.
The UNM Wilderness Alliance has participated in public hearings concerning ecosystems, including on allowing wastewater from fracking to be reused after filtration and the proposed mine in the Santa Fe National Forest.
“This is a way for students to engage and learn about civic duties and how to participate in a participatory government,” Cook said. “Kai has been a shining example of how you do that (work).”
Hollenberg said there are clear lapses between scientific research and implementation of conservation-centric policy in Washington and hopes to address those concerns in office one day.
Hollenberg has worked with the Forest Service and park service out of state, which spurred a love for being in new places. She said issues concerning conservation are what motivates her to work in outdoor spaces, educating others and participating in public discourse on matters pertaining to natural lands.
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Hollenberg was inspired to work in conservation by her mom, a professional biologist, who encouraged her to be outside often as a child. She was a member of the Yellowstone Youth Conservation Corps at Yosemite National Park in high school.
Following her work at Yosemite, Hollenberg began to work as a structure firefighter in high school, which proved to be “a good test of perseverance.” Hollenberg said structure firefighting is a male-dominated profession, and that motivates her to keep being involved and provide representation for other women.
“Doing physically challenging jobs, especially in the outdoors, has really helped me gain confidence in myself and what I can do, not only in that work but also throughout my life,” Hollenberg said.
According to Cook, Hollenberg’s passions for conservation and working with others are clear, and her abilities to organize and problem-solve make her an ideal candidate for responding to these issues.
“Kai is following in the footsteps of independent deep-thinkers with regard to how our planet is changing,” Cook said. “I think she’s going to emerge as a leader in conservation biology.”
Rebecca Hobart is a senior reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @rjhobart
