The original item was published from March 8, 2019 9:18 AM to March 8, 2019 9:21 AM
Roylene Rides at the Door was born and raised on the Blackfeet Nation in northwestern Montana. Her family continues to reside on the original allotment the government assigned to her great-great-grandfather, Rides at the Door.
She graduated from Montana State University, where she majored in range science and minored in soils. She grew up in a traditional environment on her family’s ranch and was raised with cultural values of caring for the land. Her father’s work in natural resources and her mother’s role as a science teacher contributed to what she felt was her destiny – a career in conservation. In her spare time, she enjoys caring for her horses, a family tradition that has spanned seven generations.
Roylene began work with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) 29 years ago as a trainee. After graduation, she worked full-time as a Soil Conservationist for NRCS in several field offices in Montana. A promotion to District Conservationist took her to Shelby, Montana. Her next career move took her to Phoenix, Arizona where she served as the American Indian Liaison for the state. She was promoted to Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations in Oklahoma and was later selected as State Conservationist in Rhode Island in 2006. In 2009, Roylene was named State Conservationist in Washington State.
Roylene will share her perspective about leadership in conservation, American Indian style. Her talk will explore her experience as an American Indian woman serving as a leader of a federal agency and how she combines that with her American Indian culture.
We're honored to have Roylene joining us as we look back at the last 70-years of conservation in Pierce County, explore what modern conservation work looks like, and look forward to what the future of conservation holds. We hope you'll join us!
