"Where I grew up in the South, there was limited access to public lands, so I distinctly remember the overwhelming feeling of aliveness, curiosity, and sense of purpose I felt at age 10 when I stepped foot on my first National Forest hiking trail. That moment set the trajectory of the rest of my life. Through the incredible work of National Forest Foundation, it is my hope that we can sustainably create and maintain access to wild places for everyone to be able to experience that similar feeling throughout their lives."
BIO
Kaily Raley joined the National Forest Foundation in June 2023 as the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests (GMUG) Recreation Coordinator. In this role, Kaily works closely with the Forest Service and local partners to plan and implement recreation infrastructure projects across all five districts of the GMUG - Ouray, Norwood, Gunnison, Grand Valley, and Paonia. Kaily has several years of experience working with natural resource-focused NGOs, and she has a strong passion for creating opportunities for all to enjoy the beauty and experiences our public lands have to offer.
Prior to joining NFF, Kaily worked at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) where she lead operations for large-scale green building retrofits and affordable, equitable housing policy projects. Before RMI, she worked with the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment, facilitating collaborative forest management in the Plumas and Lassen National Forests and researching the State of California’s watershed and forest health investment programs. Kaily holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sociology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she studied the interconnectedness between communities, the natural resource-based industries of South Louisiana, and the fragile coastal wetland ecosystem that she calls home. Since her youth, Kaily remains committed to keeping our most special landscapes healthy, viable, accessible, and in balance for all to experience now and in the future.
When she's not working, you can almost always find Kaily outside exploring public lands in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah - hiking, camping, swimming, and chasing sunsets and wildflower blooms with her dog, Caya, and husband, William. Kaily is based in Grand Junction, Colorado.