The People of the Land Trust: Roger Miller

Roger Miller and his wife, Jen, cross country skiing at Royal Gorge.

Roger Miller brings a wealth of experience and knowledge as a volunteer to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, making behind-the-scenes improvements that have increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the Land Trust’s work.

“Staff had some big ideas to improve some of our systems, but didn’t know how to implement them,” said Danielle Williams, Director of Philanthropy, who has been working with Roger for the past two years. “Roger jumped right in and listened to all our ideas. His impact and insight on how everything works together has elevated our role as a 30-plus year-old conservation organization. His contribution can’t be overstated – it’s been huge.”

Customizing, optimizing, and linking programs, Roger has helped make the operations of the Land Trust more efficient, meaning that donors’ support goes even farther toward our conservation and recreation goals.

“I’m a recovering fundraiser. I spent 20 years fundraising for youth development, outdoor, and outdoor environmental education programs, before moving to technology consulting for nonprofits,” Roger said.

Roger and his wife had been visiting and recreating in the Truckee area for years and started looking for a house in Serene Lakes before the pandemic. When work-from-home orders came in, they made the leap to move up full-time.

“My wife and I are avid trail runners, mountain bikers, backpackers, skate, classic, alpine, and especially backcountry telemark skiers, and enjoy doing pretty much anything that involves getting outside in the Sierra,” Roger said. “We’ve hiked about 2,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail and skied to most of the backcountry huts in California, including several trips to Frog Lake.”

Living in Serene Lakes, Roger said he quickly became familiar with the Land Trust as Royal Gorge open space surrounds his home.

“When we realized that those trails that we love so much were protected with help from the Land Trust, it was a no-brainer to want to donate and jump in to help even more,” Roger said.

“There are a lot of ways to get involved with the Land Trust,” Roger said. “Either behind a desk, docenting a hike, or swinging a mattock on a trail crew. The volunteers and staff of the Land Trust team are a wonderful and dedicated crew and are just fun folks to be around. I get so much out of knowing that my volunteer time, although mostly behind a computer, is going to protect the beautiful places and spaces that I use day in and day out.”

To Join Roger in supporting the Truckee Donner Land Trust, click here.