Thomas T. Macy

Western Representative, Conservation Acquisition 

Tom has worked as a land conservation professional since 1973 and has been involved in over 300 projects in the West, totaling over 2.5 million acres. He helped start the Trust for Public Land (TPL) where he oversaw the acquisition of conservation easements in Idaho’s Sawtooth Valley. In 1977, he joined The Nature Conservancy and worked as their Western Representative, primarily on large, landscape scale acquisitions in California. Most notably, he helped acquire and fundraise for the purchase of 55,000-acre Santa Cruz Island south of Santa Barbara.

In 1985, he joined Patrick Noonan in founding The Conservation Fund. Combining his conservation experience and love of fly fishing, he’s worked to protect land along some of the West’s most iconic rivers, including the Colorado, Snake, Salmon, Umpqua, Deschutes, Silver Creek, and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison. In addition, he has represented members of the Rockefeller and Mellon families as “conservation buyers” purchasing large ranches throughout the west.

Tom has served as a national Director for both Trout Unlimited and American Rivers, as well as a founding Board member of River Network. He is an avid fresh and saltwater fly fisherman and also enjoys whitewater boating, ocean kayaking, skiing and cycling.

Tom was a Captain in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1966-1970, and served in Vietnam on the ground as a forward air controller and in the air as navigator of the F4B–Phantom Jet Fighter. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in Combat, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Navy Combat Air Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry,

He has a B.A. in English from Hamilton College, where he was captain of the varsity hockey team.

Contact: tmacy@conservationfund.org   Phone: 303-444-4369