Abbey Rankins

Blue Ridge conservancy, Land Protection and Stewardship Fellow

Abbey serves as the Land Protection and Stewardship Fellow for Blue Ridge Conservancy, an organization dedicated to protecting the Blue Ridge Mountains. Abbey earned her bachelor’s degree in Geography and Planning from Appalachian State University, where she conducted research for the Resilience, Equity, and Climate Health Lab. Abbey has participated in more than twenty-five conservation projects while serving in the AmeriCorps and was a Hurricane first responder following Hurricane Helene. She cares deeply about creating resilient, sustainable, and connected communities through land conservation. As a Wyss Fellow, she will aid in the permanent protection of land in the Blue Ridge Mountains by coordinating land acquisition purchases and conservation easements, securing funding, and stewarding conservation lands.