Chance Wilcox

Born in Montana and raised in Alaska, Chance spent most of his childhood hiking, skiing, berry picking, fishing, and reveling in the Chugach and Beartooth mountain ranges of these two states. These childhood experiences built his eternal appreciation for mountains, wildlife, public lands, and the pure, unique joy that can only be found on a ridgeline on a bluebird day.

Chance has a BA from Gonzaga University in Environmental Studies and International Relations. After completing his degree, Chance moved to Paraguay with the US Peace Corps, where he served as an environmental conservation volunteer. He worked closely with rural and indigenous communities, conservation nonprofits, and governmental institutions to implement sustainable agroforestry systems, wildlife protection campaigns, and public environmental education programs to protect the Atlantic Rainforest and Pantanal ecoregions of Paraguay. This work over the course of five years was integral to shaping Chance’s approach to conservation advocacy, focusing on forming coalitions of people and organizations with a stake and deep care for this work and building partnerships with the communities whose livelihoods and cultural resources are most at risk from resource extraction and environmental degradation.

After returning to the US, Chance worked in advocacy, coalition building, and development for Pride Foundation in Alaska, focusing on social justice issues that threatened Alaskan LGBTQ+ communities and campaigning for protections for these communities. He worked closely with donors and coalitions of stakeholders to fight a municipal bathroom bill, campaign for the passing of the Equality Act, and raise funding for social justice and equity programs across Alaska. Prior to coming to NPCA, he worked for the State of Alaska doing subsistence outreach and research in Bristol Bay and the Aleutian Islands, working with rural and indigenous communities to protect their cultural and traditional use of the land for food resources.

Chance is thrilled to continue applying his experience, values, and compassion to the California Desert region, to protect the uniquely magical and fragile ecosystems of the Mojave, Colorado, and Great Basin deserts, and to build community with the people who call this region home. He lives in Palm Springs with his partner and cat and can usually be found running around the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains looking for desert bighorn sheep.