Ernie Atencio

Ernie Atencio is a native Norteño who grew up displaced in inner-city Denver but eventually found his way back home. He has worked throughout the West as a wilderness instructor, park ranger, environmental educator, and journalist. Ernie is currently Southwest Regional Director for National Parks Conservation Association and spent many years as executive director of Taos Land Trust and in a variety of other conservation and consulting work. With a master’s degree in applied cultural anthropology and a lifelong interest in remote landscapes and traditional cultures, he has spent years exploring wild places and promoting the connections between land and culture, researching and writing about sustainable development on the Tibetan Plateau, Havasupai oral history, Navajo forestry, cowboy culture, and Norteño resource stewardship. Ernie’s publications and conservation work have been recognized with several awards and he lives next door to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument just north of Taos.