The April 2025 “Be What You Don’t See” interview features Chris Hill, a passionate advocate for social justice and environmental conservation, in dialogue with environmental activist and iFishiBelong advocacy chair J. Michelle Swope. With over 15 years of experience in grassroots organizing, environmental law, and advocacy, Chris served as the first Chief Conservation Officer of the Sierra Club. She is now the CEO of Conservation Lands Foundation and divides her time between Washington D.C. and Southeast Alaska.
Chris shares how her passionate connection to the outdoors led her to become a groundbreaking conservationist.
Chris came to fly fishing as an adult, after exploring rock climbing as a child. Growing up in the Washington D.C. area, Chris was not fond of the outdoors. But at age 12 she attended the Calleva outdoors camp in Great Falls National Park, Virginia. There, she slept outside for the first time and learned not only rock climbing but how to conserve and protect nature and leave no trace.
“At that moment my career trajectory started. I wanted to be outside all day long, to protect the land and the animals and the water. This is what I wanted to do the rest of my life.”
She became an avid rock climber but rarely saw people who looked like her in magazines outside enjoying nature. She has since developed a love of backpacking and snowboarding, with fly fishing as her favorite passion. Chris’s enjoys fishing on the Chilkoot River in Southeast Alaska, where she appreciates the vibrant spring weather and the awakening of nature. Chris believes that fishing and taking up space on the river and encouraging other black women and BIPOC people to do the same has created a growing movement of equitable access.
After earning her J.D. from Vermont Law School, Chris started her career in conservation as a grassroots organizer in Appalachia. Now, along with serving as the CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, Chris is on the National Board of Trout Unlimited, a Board Member of OneGreenThing and Mennen Environmental Foundation, and a Leadership Team Member of Artemis Sportswomen, a program of the National Wildlife Federation.
In 2019, Chris collaborated with The Outbound Collective to share her story through the film “Where I Belong” shedding light on her affinity for fly fishing, her advocacy endeavors, and the importance of outdoor equity.
The Conservation Lands Foundation is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and expanding America’s 38 million acres of National Conservation Lands. The organization collaborates with over 80 grassroots organizations across the West to protect at risk public lands and promote community engagement in conservation efforts.
“Our secret sauce is the work we do on the ground…when communities sit down and focus and raise their voice up we can see the change happening.”
- Follow @misschrisyface and @conservationlands on social media to stay updated
- Share content like the Where I Belong film on your social media to help spread the message
- Support Conservation Lands Foundation by donating what you can
- Share the work of Conservation Lands Foundation onto your social media stories and static feeds
- Contact your member of Congress to oppose urgent and ongoing threats to public lands
- Speak to friends and family about your love of the outdoors and the value of public lands
- Volunteer for groups in your area working to preserve public lands
You don’t have to be a policy expert or wilderness guide to make a difference in conservation. Whether you’ve got five minutes or five hours a week, your voice and presence matter. Here are some simple, powerful ways to support the work, the people, and the movement:
- Talk About It.
- Start the conversation with friends and family. Ask them: What would it feel like if our favorite trail, river, or park wasn’t accessible anymore? These personal conversations are the foundation of real change.
- Share What Inspires You.
- See a great video or post from a conservation group led by BIPOC, youth, or women? Repost it. Amplify voices. You never know who else it might inspire to take action.
- Make Time for What You Can.
- Not everyone can attend rallies or clean-ups—and that’s okay. Maybe it’s a weekly email or phone call to your representative. Maybe it’s joining a local “Friends of” group. Small, consistent actions matter.
- Support Local and Place-Based Groups.
- Look for grassroots conservation organizations in your area. Many work directly with national monuments, public lands, and watersheds.
- Be What You Don’t See
- Representation matters. Whether you’re a woman, person of color, or LGBTQ+ individual who loves the outdoors—your presence and story matter. Showing up as your full self can be a powerful form of advocacy.
Conservation isn’t one-size-fits-all. But it is all of us. Together, our voices, stories, and actions create the movement.
- You belong here.
- No degree or outdoorsy background required—just passion and care for nature.
- Start where you are.
- Talk with friends, post on social media, call your reps—small actions create big impact.
- Don’t wait to be an expert.
- You don’t need to know every law—start by sharing what the outdoors means to you.
- Representation matters.
- If you don’t see yourself in the movement, show up anyway. Be what you don’t see.
- Follow your joy.
- Love fishing, hiking, biking? Let that guide your involvement.
- Do what you can.
- 5 minutes a week or 5 hours—every bit helps.
- Stay connected.
- Join local “Friends of…” groups, Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, or similar orgs.
- Keep showing up.
- This work takes time—but community, joy, and persistence move mountains.
“Over the last 10 years, there has been just a growing movement of equitable access to the outdoors. BIPOC folks have really been taking up space in nature being joyful on the land. Now if somebody says, I don’t fit the mold (of a conservationist), I’ll be like, where are you looking? I don’t know what mold you’re talking about or where you’re looking because I do fit a mold that I created.” ~ Chris Hill
The 2025 iFishiBelong “Be What You Don’t See” campaign highlights leaders breaking barriers in the fishing industry. Each month, we will feature individuals who challenge conventions and inspire change with passion and resilience, motivating the next generation of anglers to create their paths and “be what they don’t see.” By highlighting these trailblazers, we aim to inspire broader participation and show that leadership roles in the fishing industry are accessible to everyone, creating a more inclusive vision of success.
