Michael Scisco | Conservation Director

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michael sciscoMichael is a trusted expert contractor that manages our land conservation program. He has spent over 15 years in the non-profit land conservation industry with another 10 years working as a consultant to private landowners for conservation and natural resource management strategies.

Michael is a licensed real estate professional with over 12 years’ experience transacting farm, ranch, and conservation lands. In addition to his work in land conservation and real estate, he also has nearly 20 years’ experience in geospatial technologies with an emphasis on land and community planning. He has worked to conserve directly and in partnership over 200,000 acres of land in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

Michael has direct experience in conservation funding and planning for parks, greenspaces, green infrastructure, residential developments, large estate properties, and landscape scale conservation efforts. Through his conservation work, he has secured well over $200M in funding for conservation and transacted over $500M in land and other real estate. Through his geospatial work, he has produced thousands of mapping and design assets over his professional career. Michael focuses on creating information that is accurate, effective, and useful over time and is inspired by developing content and tools that enable people to become more engaged and informed. Examples include helping design green infrastructure planning for the Hill Country of Texas and discovering affordable housing opportunities in Los Angeles County.

Michael also gives back to his community and currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the New Mexico Land Conservancy and is a Board Member of the City of Albuquerque Open Space Advisory Board.

Michael received a Graduate Certificate in GIS from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University, Huxley College of the Environment in Bellingham, Washington. Michael also holds a second-degree black belt in Shoshin Ryu Martial arts and is an avid tennis player. Michael hails from rural Arizona and Eastern Washington State.  He and his wife currently live in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico.

photo of free flowing river after dam removal

Sam Warnock, April 2025

How Dam Removals Sustain & Enhance Natural Capital - Part Two

In the first part of our series, we explored the historical significance of dams and the myriad benefits they have provided over the centuries, from hydroelectric power to flood control. We also highlighted the serious environmental drawbac...

photo of river after dam removal

Sam Warnock, April 2025

How Dam Removals Sustain & Enhance Natural Capital - Part One

While dams provide significant benefits, such as reliable water sources and energy with relatively low maintenance costs, these advantages often come at a cost to the environment. Dams can disrupt ecosystems, alter river flows, and generall...

photo of toadstool conservation easement mitigation bank north carolina

Michael Scisco, April 2025

Toadstool | Conservation Easement

Total Acres 79.7 Project Year 2025 Located in Caswell County NC The Toadstool Mitigation Project is a 79.9-acre ecological restoration effort located in the Cape Fear River Basin. Developed by Water & Land Solutions and protected in perpetu...

photo of twin burros conservation easement mitigation bank north carolina

Michael Scisco, April 2025

Twin Burros | Conservation Easement

Total Acres 33.9 Project Year 2023 Located in Caswell County NC The Twin Burros Mitigation Site is a large-scale stream and wetland restoration project within the Cape Fear River Basin. Developed by Wildlands Engineering and permanently pro...