Lydia LaBelle de Rios

Lydia grew up in South Burlington, Vermont and has a bachelor’s in rangeland ecology and a master’s in watershed science, with a focus on international development. She works for the U.S. Forest Service, overseeing the largest rangeland program on the White River National Forest and has studied, worked and traveled extensively abroad, in Africa and South America. Lydia recently returned from a sabbatical in Mongolia, which included range management consultation. She lives with her husband and two sons in a bilingual household in Rifle, where they strive to keep foreign culture, heritage, and language in their everyday lives. Lydia comes to RFL eager to connect with a different part of the valley and build understanding and connection.