Teresa Eaker Gray, MSW – Director of Wind River Ranch Foundation
Teresa grew up immersed in the ecological diversity of Southeastern New Mexico, where nature served as an inspiration for respectful cohabitation with the natural world. She was an only child, but was raised in a house with extended family, including many young aunts and uncles. Teresa’s childhood was filled with barefoot walks through rain puddles, swimming in reservoirs, and kickball games that often outlasted the day’s light. She spent much of her youth observing and collecting insects, plants, reptiles, and amphibians.
As a student at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Teresa developed a lifelong love for hiking and nature and quickly realized the world needed more naturalists. An early introduction to Permaculture and Watershed Restoration in Teotecacinte, Nicaragua later manifested into her lifework of connecting people to the natural world and using the power of community to educate and transform public perceptions and practices.
After two years of travel abroad, Teresa returned to Roswell, New Mexico and married her lifelong love Andrew Gray. There she taught middle school Language Arts and enjoyed the opportunity to introduce transcendentalism to her students. Teresa was often found with her classes reading poetry under a tree in the schoolyard.
Teresa’s daughters, Alyssa and Alia, were born in 2002 and 2004 respectively. In 2006, she and Andy moved their family to northern New Mexico to take a job with the Wind River Ranch Foundation.
Moving afforded Teresa many new opportunities, including working alongside conservationist Brian Miller, which opened her eyes and passion to the new world of Conservation Biology. In 2007, Teresa met Dr. Jane Goodall, which she describes as a “life changing” moment. In meeting Goodall and learning of Jane’s Roots and Shoots Foundation, it became apparent to Teresa that with every generation young people were less and less aware of their natural world. She says, “I never dreamed my kids would not be exposed to nature. So many people in this country are constantly moving and driving from place to place. Some children have busier schedules than their parents. In all of this movement, we lose something. We lose the connection to the land and the creatures that live on the land. We lose appreciation and we continue to separate ourselves from nature.”
Teresa has developed an education outreach program for schools in the Las Vegas area. She takes into consideration the environmental education local children are currently lacking and what teachers need help teaching, in addition to factors such as academic standards and benchmarks. This curriculum allows local students to become environmental stewards and encourages them to consider future careers rooted in conservation and the environment. Teresa’s current project focuses on developing a State Environmental Literacy Plan for New Mexico, which will provide all young people with access to and understanding of their natural worlds.Wind River Ranch consists of five thousand acres and five miles of the Mora River, and is where Teresa feels blessed to make her home.
Written by Emily Withnall