Heidi Redd is an accomplished adventurer; skydiving led her to ranching. She is credited with co-creating an innovative partnership between working ranches and land conservation organizations. In 1967, Redd and her then-husband, Robert, purchased the Indian Creek Cattle Company and historic Dugout Ranch near Canyonlands National Park. They ran cattle on 5,200 acres of land with 300,000 acres of grazing allotments. Redd partnered with The Nature Conservancy Utah Chapter in 1997 to preserve the ranch’s biodiversity and unspoiled red rock scenery, and in 2009 established the Canyonlands Research Center as a year-around outdoor laboratory for scientists, universities, and federal agencies. Still ranching, she is an active member of the Utah Cattlemen’s Association and the state’s Bureau of Land Management Resource Advisory Committee. For her advocation of conservation in ranching, Redd has received much recognition, including Conservation Farmer of the Year from the Natural Resources and Conservation Service, the Wallace Stegner Conservation Award, and the Conservation Leadership Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
