Last Updated on February 9, 2025 11:09 am
Blue Ridge Conservancy (BRC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Abbey Rankins as the Conservancy’s Land Protection & Stewardship Fellow. This position is part of the Wyss Fellows Program that aims to foster the next generation of conservation professionals, and over the two years of the program Rankins will meet with a cohort of other Fellows from six conservation organizations across the country. Under the mentorship of BRC’s land protection and stewardship directors, her focus will be implementing BRC’s Conservation Plan by coordinating land purchases and conservation easements, securing conservation capital, and stewarding conservation lands.
“BRC is honored to be chosen as one of the six conservation organizations in the nation to host a Wyss Fellow,” says BRC Executive Director Charlie Brady. “The selection process requires that the organization be invited to apply to host a Fellow, and BRC’s invitation to apply is an affirmation of BRC’s reputation as a national leader in land conservation.”
A 2024 graduate of Appalachian State University’s Department of Geography and Planning with a concentration in Geographic Information Systems and a minor in Community & Regional Planning, Rankins was chosen after a rigorous nationwide search led by BRC’s Director of Land Protection and Stewardship, Eric Hiegl. “Blue Ridge Conservancy is excited to hire Abbey as our Land Protection & Stewardship Fellow. I look forward to mentoring Abbey as she begins her career in land conservation,” says Hiegl, who is in his 25th year as a conservation leader in the High Country.
The Wyss Fellows Program provides campaign experience and training for individuals who have the potential to become future conservation leaders. Fellows work at sponsoring organizations on a variety of projects and campaigns determined by the sponsoring organization during their two-year fellowship. Fellows must focus their work on land conservation issues in the United States.
The Wyss Foundation is a private, charitable foundation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and strengthen connections to the land. To confront the global conservation crisis, the Wyss Foundation launched a $1.5 billion campaign, called the Wyss Campaign for Nature. Learn more at www.wyssfoundation.org.
BRC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit land trust, partners with landowners and local communities to permanently protect natural resources with agricultural, cultural, recreational, ecological, and scenic value in northwest North Carolina. Learn more at www.blueridgeconservancy.org.
