Kelly Burke first stepped into the lively and profoundly inspiring company of Rewilding Institute founders and friends with Kim Crumbo in 1996 at the remote Black Range Lodge in New Mexico, wielding colored markers around tables papered with topo maps. After three subsequent decades of professional experience in science- and community-based wildlands conservation, Kelly is now associate director for Rewilding Institute, focused on ramping up capacity for urgent on-the-ground proactive rewilding projects, in tandem with preservation of critical wild rivers, springs, terrestrial ecosystems, and corridors along the Mogollon Wildway, across the Sky Islands, and in northern Sonora, Mexico.

Kelly holds a B.A. with honors in Geology/Art History (dual major) from the University of California, Santa Barbara by way of Smith College and UC Berkeley, and an M.S. in Structural Geology from Northern Arizona University with post grad coursework in conservation biology. She has 20+ years field experience in aqueous geochemistry, geomorphology, geohydrology, geoarcheology, ecological surveys, and mapping; on Colorado River science and resource trips in Grand Canyon; and on natural history tours across the southern Colorado Plateau and Alaska. Kelly has published numerous scientific articles, professional USGS maps, and popular articles; and produced three documentary films, among them Born to Rewild, the story of TrekWest, John Davis’ 5,000 mile, human-powered journey for wildlife corridors, and Ulu-Kin A Cry for the Homelands.

Kelly’s earliest wild adventures outside were in the backpack and for the rest, carrying one into the enchantment of wild rivers, grasslands, canyons, alpine peaks, and conifer forests by foot, boats, bikes, skis, and horseback. She trained as an equine bodyworker, rode in western competition and dressage, and still loves riding her horse and throwing dryer balls with a lacrosse stick for her heeler/border collie Luna. These days she is settled in with her family among coyote, javelina, raucus Woodhouse toads, and brilliant hummingbird neighbors on the toes of the Mogollon Rim, near the red rock canyons of Sedona, Arizona.