Summer of Stewardship: Finding Common Ground with India Barker
By Jenny Williams
I recently had the chance to sit down and interview MDF’s India Barker. As I am one of the newer members of the MDF team, I was eager to learn more about conservation, Colorado, and conifers—but what I came away with was something deeper. Our conversation quickly shifted toward collaboration, connection, and the importance of finding common ground, all of which are essential in the conservation space.
I was fortunate to be able to steal a bit of her time, as the summer months usually find her out of the office and on the move across her jurisdiction, which spans the northwest corner of Colorado and parts of eastern Utah. As the Northwest Colorado Sagebrush Conservation Partnership Coordinator, her title may be lengthy, but her focus is clear: building healthier landscapes and stronger partnerships to benefit mule deer and the habitat they depend on.
With summer in high gear and a boots-on-the-ground approach to conservation, India is leading a host of habitat restoration projects across Colorado. Each tailored to meet the specific needs of mule deer in a variety of landscapes—from fire-scarred mesas to overgrown pinyon-juniper woodlands.
One recently completed effort, the Beavertail Fire Seeding Project, restored 60 acres of burned BLM land between Cameo and De Beque. Working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the BLM, India coordinated aerial reseeding and is now developing a monitoring plan to track native plant recovery.
Another recent project, wrapped up in May, the 161-acre North Howard Mastication Project near Howard, thinning pinyon and juniper to reduce fire risk and improve habitat for mule deer and elk. Farther west, she launched the 160-acre East Salt Lop and Scatter Project near Loma, targeting pinyon-juniper encroachment in sagebrush habitat—an effort she hopes to expand through partnerships on neighboring private land.
Her work also includes infrastructure improvements—modifying fences to be more wildlife-friendly and maintaining guzzlers for critical water access in dry regions. In July, she’ll begin the 447-acre Stadtman Mesa Mastication Project near Meeker and Rangely, with more fuel reduction and habitat enhancement on the horizon.
Looking ahead, India is planning a new wildlife-friendly fencing initiative in North Park, aimed at improving seasonal movement corridors.
From reseeding burned slopes to nurturing sagebrush habitat, making connections, building relationships, and finding common ground, India’s efforts are a testament of what hands-on stewardship looks like – and what it means for the future of Colorado’s mule deer.
Jenny: Can you tell me a little bit more about your title and role with the Mule Deer Foundation?
India: My position is a little bit unique in that it’s a position that the Intermountain West Joint Venture, or IWJV, put into place to be hosted by the Mule Deer Foundation in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. It’s a bit of a hodgepodge of support to create this position but it allows me to be a little bit nimbler and more flexible within the conservation space. I work out of the BLM Grand Junction Field office hosted by the Mule Deer Foundation, but I have affiliations with BLM and IWJV. My position is also supported by Colorado Parks and Wildlife as well as other funders and partners. All with the same goals in mind.
Jenny: What was the path that led you to MDF?
India: While getting my degree from Colorado Mesa University I took seasonal jobs as often as I could. I did two seasons as a range tech with Forest Service, two seasons with CSU as an agricultural research assistant, two seasons with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and various desk roles within the State Wildlife Department. I had this whole kind of melting pot of experience though college and then got my degree. Thankfully, between my degree and all those seasonal jobs I had enough experience to apply for this position with MDF.
Jenny: What does this position mean to you on a personal level?
India: I had always been an outdoor kid. Always loved wildlife and knew that I wanted to go into natural resources for a long time. On a personal level, I believe super strongly in being a good steward of the Earth and felt that was kind of a calling on my life to take care of the planet. I felt that going into natural resources, I could not only do something I enjoy and be outdoors, but also kind of fulfill that calling of taking good care of the landscapes we’ve been given. I think there is a huge need for that. A need to protect wildlife, the ecosystems, landscapes and just the western way of life really. I wanted to be a part of all of that and be someone who understands the landscape and can advocate for it. Someone who understands how all the different uses of land work together.
Jenny: What is something you love about this job?
India: Something I love about this job is that it focuses on multiples uses. We’re managing lands for wildlife, which in turn supports the prevention of massive wildfires but it also creates and protects recreation opportunities. I love having an intimate relationship with the landscape and helping to improve and maintain it for those multiple uses. It’s pretty special. Also, getting to see projects planned – from science to benefit on the ground is really snazzy.
Jenny: Do you have a story or an example of a time when you’ve been able to witness the human impact you’ve had, beyond the species and landscape, with the work that you do?
India: The nature of my position is collaborative. It wouldn’t exist without the partnership of all those different groups. A lot of my work occurs on BLM land but that doesn’t mean this it’s just a BLM project, so a lot of the work I do is a partnership. Often there’s a third stakeholder, whether with a grant funder or with Colorado Parks and Wildlife. CPW has been awesome and super involved. They are very easy to work with and generous with their time, resources, and efforts. As far as the impact we have on the people in the community, there is one example that really sticks out to me. A big focus of my job is on sagebrush and maintaining and restoring sagebrush rangelands because they are shrinking. We were at a lop and scatter project site last summer for conifer removal (they suck up a lot of groundwater and shade out everything) out of this former sagebrush park. There was an older gentleman on site who was a fifth-generation rancher from the area. He was talking about how they have had the same grazing allotment all these years with the BLM. He referenced this sagebrush park and how he remembered it being packed full of mule deer in the winter when he was a kid. He continued to tell us that over the decades he watched it get crowded with conifers and how the deer began to thin out and didn’t hang out there as much as they used to. He was so excited that this project was happening and would restore this sage park back to what he remembered from decades ago. That was really special to see how excited he was and how much he cared.
Jenny: That must feel very rewarding. Back on the subject of multiple land uses, do you find that there are times where people are surprised to know that hunting and conservation go hand in hand?
India: Yes, I love having that conversation with people actually.
Jenny: Tell me more about that.
India: I just feel like people can fall into two very different camps when it comes to wildlife and conservation and what that means. Biologists, environmentalists, and hunters are all advocates for wildlife. It’s just cool to bridge that gap as a person who has been in both the environmental camp and the hunting/outdoorsman worlds. Conservation, hunting, wildlife management, and promoting wildlife advocacy are oftentimes the same thing. We just look at it through different lenses sometimes. That’s why I love having that conversation with people. Reminding them we all have the same goals here.
Jenny: How important is it to have volunteers involved with these projects?
India: We would love to amp up our volunteer involvement in this part of the state. It’s tricky with some of the kind of work we do as some of the projects are not volunteer friendly. Looking forward, we have a lot of fencing opportunities on the horizon and then water development either building guzzlers or maintaining guzzlers. These are things that we’re really hoping to get volunteers involved with. I’ve spoken with our local Regional Director, Eric Martinez, regarding this. The people in his MDF chapters are excited and hungry to do volunteer work, so it’s just a matter of us creating those opportunities for them. Even if we have projects that volunteers can’t be involved with, having a community that’s supportive and understanding of the work we’re doing is hugely impactful.
Jenny: One last question. Do you hope to inspire others, particularly women, to enter this field?
India: I like that question. My hope is that I can be an example of finding common ground. Just how we were talking earlier about some of the misconceptions around what conservation is, what wildlife management is and how these fit together. I think as a young woman in the conservation space and hunting world, it’s fun to bring people together and find common ground. I think especially for women, that’s something I think most of us excel at. We have a natural aptitude towards building relationships, finding common ground, and connecting over shared goals and interests. I think there’s a place for everyone in conservation, but I think there is definitely a place for women in that world.
Great Job India!
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