Christy Wyckoff

Dr. Christy Wyckoff is the owner-operator of Redwing Ranch, a cattle ranch in Southern Colorado on the eastern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. As a wildlife ecologist, Christy’s career has focused on wildlife conservation and ecological land management, skills that she is now using to move Redwing Ranch from conventional to regenerative grazing practices. Prior to her move back to Colorado in 2022, Christy was the Deputy Director of the Santa Lucia Conservancy, in Carmel, California, where she led the wildlife research, prescribed-fire and community-fire-preparation programs. She also supervised the land management program which included the Conservancy’s novel conservation cattle grazing program. Christy received her BS in Biology from Stanford University, ‘02, chased feral pigs at Texas A&M University-Kingsville for her MS, ‘07, and delved into the molecular world of chronic wasting disease in elk at Colorado State University for her PhD, ‘13. Over her career Christy has advised and mentored over 40 students (undergraduate and graduate) advancing the careers of young conservation and land management scientists.

Christy grew up on a ranch outside of Paso Robles, California, where she connected with the wide-open spaces and independent spirit of western communities. She is deeply interested in helping address the challenges western communities and landscapes are facing including drought, climate change, wildfire, rural “brain-drain,” and urban growth. Christy Wyckoff joined the Lane Center Advisory Council in 2018 .