Risk and reward: A conversation with BRN’s founder

Photo by Jaime Rojo

Borderlands Restoration Network has grown from the seed of an idea into an effective environmental non-profit thanks to years of work by a group of people coming together to make challenging things happen in the borderlands. On a beautiful Wednesday in April, I had the opportunity to sit down with BRN’s founder, Ron Pulliam, to hear first-hand how the organization was founded and evolved into a regional changemaker. 

“There were almost no young people living in Patagonia when Borderlands was started,” Ron said, overlooking the busy Gathering Grounds cafe from his chosen chair in the back corner. “About half of the people you see with strollers around town, one way or the other, came here because of Borderlands.”

To hear Ron tell it, the idea for what has become BRN started after meeting Valer Clark at an interdisciplinary symposium and later traveling to Mexico for a few days to see the regenerative conservation techniques she was doing at Cuenca Los Ojos. 

“On the way back we went to a ranch on the U.S. side and watched a full eclipse of the moon, and by the end of that visit, I was sure that I wanted to move to Arizona and get involved in conservation work,” he said. 

Ron’s return to the Southwest came after retiring from a long and storied career as an ecologist that not only comprised years in academia (including at the University of Arizona) but also brought him to the highest levels of government. Moving to the borderlands provided an exciting second act: a worthy challenge where he could combine his scientific knowhow with his knack for fundraising to build an organization that could make a lasting impact.

“The idea was to be able to technically do the restoration but also to build community so people care about what you restored, and there would be ways to create income and jobs that would take advantage of restored habitats,” Ron said. 

With the goal of healing the fractured landscapes of the borderlands through a strategy that combined land acquisition with hands-on work and community education, Ron aimed to build BRN’s reach and influence through networking and action.

“What matters to me is what gets done,” Ron said. “There are huge problems—we don’t have a lot of time to solve them. And we can’t just be comfortable, we have to take risks.” 

This risk-taking ethos is rooted in Ron’s experience in Washington, D.C. where he was once the Director of the National Biological Service, a short-lived federal agency under the Clinton administration. Our conversation drifts into stories of his time there, as he recalls showdowns with powerful figures, giving speeches all over the world, and the friends he made along the way who were willing to lend an ear, and sometimes a checkbook. But one thing is clear, advocating for the environment has never been smooth or easy. 

Conservation is a complex business model, Ron explains. He credits the teamwork of a passionate and talented group of Patagonia locals and a network of funders with keeping BRN going in its early days when money was scarce and the challenges continued to stack up.

“It all boils down to one thing, I’m an idea person, and these people know how to get things done,” Ron said.

Alongside other early supporters, Ron focused on acquiring a tiny strip of land nestled between two sections of the Coronado Forest that was slated to be a housing development. The land was identified for its importance as a corridor for migratory animals such as jaguars, black bears, mountain lions, and mule deer. But that plan was fraught with challenges — and legal battles — before he ultimately emerged victorious and was able to help create what is now the beloved Borderlands Wildlife Preserve. It was another example, he says, where the risk-taking was worth it.

“I’ve always been in situations where I could afford to be a bit naïve. I had people who believed in what I was doing and who were able to help with the funding, and I was able to get results from how those funds were spent,” Ron said of the support that has helped him achieve his goals throughout his career. 

He is incredibly proud of not only BRN’s conservation efforts but the lives that have been changed through the organization’s education programs and internships. BRN has built a strong network of friends, funders, and allies, and Ron believes that this teamwork will help the organization in its next chapter as it looks to expand its conservation strategy into Mexico, grow its programs, and take on even bigger challenges.

“It’s the right time for Borderlands to spread its wings,” he says.