The Conservation Cowgirl
CC

Women-Centered Cooperative · Regeneratively Farmed · Forever Protected

A Ranch Worth
Building Together

Community land stewardship for people who give a damn.

We're building a community-owned cooperative ranch on the edge of public wilderness: where members co-own the land, grow food regeneratively, learn skills that help them feel more competent and capable, and protect some of the most biodiverse country in North America. This is not a subscription. This is co-ownership.

Express Your Interest
What We're Building

Conservation, Agriculture,
and Community Ownership

The Ranch (actual name pending) is a women-centered hybrid nonprofit land trust and for-profit consumer cooperative. The land trust holds the land permanently in conservation: it can never be sold, subdivided, or exploited. The cooperative runs an agricultural operation and retreat-style programming, distributes food to member households through a CSA, and fosters skills that most of us have lost and all of us need. Members own it together. One member, one vote.

This is a working ranch. The food is real. The conservation work is real. The community is real. And the land will be protected forever.

80–200
Acres bordering
public wilderness
100%
Community owned.
No single majority.
Forever
Land held in
permanent conservation
How It Works

Six Things This Ranch Does

01

Regenerative Agriculture

The ranch produces food using Traditional Ecological Knowledge-informed regenerative practices that restore the land rather than deplete it. We champion indigenous voices and experts, learning from the people who have stewarded this land the longest. Member households receive food through a CSA. What the land gives us, the community shares.

02

Ranch Retreats and Workshops

Weekend and multi-day experiences range from learning hands-on skills like food preservation, animal husbandry, foraging, water management, leatherwork, and more to retreat-style wellness programs and masterclasses with wildlife ecology experts.

03

Conservation Stewardship

The ranch borders public wilderness. We manage the property to support wildlife movement, restore native habitat, and steward land that connects to some of the most biodiverse landscape in North America.

04

Community Experiences

Conservation field days, TEK learning sessions, seasonal celebrations, founding member gatherings, and accessible outdoor trips that connect members to the land and to each other.

05

Women-Run, From the Ground Up

Every aspect of this ranch is operated by women. From land stewardship and livestock management to programming, leadership, and community building, this is a ranch built by women, run by women, and owned by women. That is not a detail. That is the point.

06

Founding Member Profit Share

Once the ranch reaches profitability, Founding Members receive an annual patronage dividend proportional to their membership stake. This is not a passive investment. It is a reward for being part of building something real from the beginning. You take the early risk. You share in the reward.

The Build

How This Ranch Gets Built

Here is the path from here to the day the doors open.

01

Build a community of women who believe in this vision

Before anything else, we build the community. A group of like-minded women, passionate about protecting the planet and supporting each other and their communities.

02

Validate interest through a non-binding pledge campaign

We simply ask: are you in? The response tells us everything we need to know.

03

Form the legal structure

We build the legal foundation that protects the land, the mission, and the community permanently.

04

Raise the capital together

The community funds the ranch. Every contributor becomes a co-owner of something real.

05

Find the land

We find the right piece of land. Bordering public wilderness. With water. With room to grow and room to breathe.

06

Build the ranch

We build it right. Regeneratively. With intention. With the community involved every step of the way.

07

Open the doors

The food grows. The retreats run. The community gathers. The land is protected. We enjoy what we built and worked hard for.

08

Help others do the same

Once this operation is running, we turn our attention outward. We want to help other ranchers, farmers, and producers build similar programs into their operations, centered around whatever causes matter most to them. A model that works should not stay in one place.

Join the Build Team

Ways to Help Build This

We are building something real and we need real people to help. Whether you have skills, resources, connections, or something else entirely, we want to hear from you.

Skills + Expertise

  • Cooperative and agricultural attorney
  • Agricultural advisor or ranch operations co-founder
  • Water rights attorney
  • Graphic designer
  • Web developer
  • TEK experts and Indigenous knowledge collaborators
  • Wildlife ecologist or conservation scientist
  • Regenerative agriculture advisor or mentor
  • Skills retreat instructors

Equipment + Resources

  • Ranch vehicles
  • Stock trailers
  • Agricultural equipment
  • Fencing tools and materials
  • Irrigation supplies
  • Connections to agricultural real estate agents
  • Land leads in target regions

Partners + Collaborators

  • Indigenous communities open to TEK collaboration
  • Conservation organizations interested in partnership
  • Regenerative ranching mentors
  • Women-centered outdoor and conservation groups
  • Academic and research institutions

Brand + Sponsor Partners

  • Sustainability-focused brands aligned with our mission
  • Outdoor and western lifestyle brands
  • Agricultural supply companies
  • Food and wellness brands aligned with regenerative agriculture
  • Companies who want authentic access to our community

Have something to offer that isn't on this list? We want to hear about it.

Tell Us How You Can Help
Jess Evans, founder of The Conservation Cowgirl, with her horse
Jess Evans
Founder · The Conservation Cowgirl

I grew up on a small farm where we grew our own food, raised our own livestock, and worked with our hands. I did not know at the time that those skills weren't commonplace. That upbringing gave me something I did not fully appreciate until much later: a deep sense of competence, a connection to the land, and a belief that hard work and community can sustain almost anything.

I went on to work as a herdsman and barn manager, caring for cattle and horses on working ranches. I also spent years guiding in Sierra National Forest and Yosemite National Park, leading people into wild places and witnessing what happens when someone connects with the natural world in a meaningful way. I learned that people care about and protect what they themselves have experienced first-hand. Being the one to facilitate those experiences never gets old.

This ranch is my life's dream and my life's work. Yes, I hope to one day pay my bills doing something I love. But that is the smallest part of why I am building this. I want to lift people up. I want women to feel more self-assured in their ability to take care of themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors. I want to protect the planet in a way that is practical and lasting. I want to build the kind of community where people actually show up for each other. And I want to steward a piece of land in a way that makes it better for every generation that comes after us.

I am a conservationist. I'm a cowgirl. I am LGBT+, and I believe the people who know how to work the land, feed their communities, and show up for wild places are exactly who this planet needs right now. I want to build this with you.

Get Involved

Tell Us You're In

The cooperative raise hasn't launched yet. Right now we're gathering interest: no money, no commitment. Just raise your hand and tell us how you want to be involved. You'll be the first to know when the formal raise opens.

No spam. No money collected. Just a conversation about what we're building together.

You're in. 🌿

You're in. We'll be in touch as the ranch takes shape. Thank you for believing in this with us. 🌿