Land Tawney
Conservationist
Sentinel High School, 1993
Most people know Land Tawney as one of the fiercest advocates for public lands and backcountry conservation. But I first knew him as my 3rd grade pen pal. Our teachers paired students from Lewis & Clark and Russell to write letters. I was matched with Land, a name I’d never heard and could barely decipher through his handwriting. But that name came to reflect the core values of our public spaces: freedom, fairness, and community.
It was his 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Wagner, who first instilled the sense of fairness. “If you acted out, it didn’t matter who you were, you were held to the same standard as everyone else,” he said. “Fairness,” he added, “connects to how we think about opportunity, how we spend our tax dollars, and whether we’re really giving every kid an equal shot.”
Land remembers the bus rides to school as formative, not for the drama, but for the daily sense of community. “Every single kid that got on that bus I knew really well… I’m still friends with people I rode the bus with, which is kind of crazy to think about.” It was his first lesson in connection across income and background. Money didn’t matter, “we were just classmates.”
His favorite high school teacher? “Hal Stearns, by far. He taught Montana history. Growing up here, I’ve always loved Montana, but he made me fall in love with Montana.” What set Stearns apart was how deeply he cared. “He started every class by asking, ‘How are you doing today?’ And we had to give a thumbs up, a thumbs down, or a mugwump” – the term for a mediocre day. “It wasn’t a gimmick, he really cared, he wanted to know how you were doing, not just as a student, but as a person.” That lesson stuck: when people feel seen and valued, they’re more engaged.
Land has spent his career living out those values. He has created a big tent where people of all backgrounds can come together in support of public lands and waters, where everyone has the freedom to hunt, fish, and roam. A level playing field. And maybe that’s the quiet legacy of public school kids like Land – learning what it means to be part of something bigger and then spending a life building that for others.
