DURANGO, Colo.—For Maggie Magierski, Fort Lewis College is more than her alma mater—it’s a link to her heritage and the place where her passion for sustainability took root.

Now the Environmental Experiential Learning Coordinator at FLC, Magierski first arrived on campus in 2015, influenced by her father, an alumnus, and her family’s ties to the Southwest. 

“My dad studied business here, and even before visiting, I felt connected to the area and the college,” she said. Maggie Magierski, the Environmental Experiential Learning Coordinator at FLC.

A member of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Magierski was drawn to FLC’s location and the Animas River, themes she explored in her application essay. Her paternal grandmother’s stories about growing up in Wrangell, Alaska, and Shiprock, New Mexico, and her great-grandfather George T. Barrett’s advocacy for Indigenous students as superintendent of Wrangell Institute deepened her interest in education and environmental justice.

“There’s a legacy of resilience and connection to the land in my family that really shaped me,” Magierski said.

From student leader to farmer

At FLC, Magierski immersed herself in environmental work through the Environmental Center, leading the Local Food Security Team and managing campus gardens.

“Being involved with these spaces for five or six years has given me a deep understanding of how they grow and change,” she said.

After graduating in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched Magpie Gardens, a small farm in Mancos, Colorado, and worked in large-scale organic farming in Petaluma, California. Despite finding success on the West Coast, she felt drawn back to the Four Corners region.

“I missed the humbleness of this community and how people here truly appreciate food and where it comes from,” she said.

Sustainability at FLC

Magierski returned to FLC in 2024 to take on her current role splitting her time between the Environmental Center and the Environment and Sustainability. She oversees the Environmental Center’s campus growing spaces and manages two students leading projects in those spaces. She also supports field trips for Environment and Sustainability classes for the department.

“Every day is different,” she said. “One morning, I might be meeting with students about ecological landscaping. By the afternoon, I’m taking a class to the Old Fort to learn about regenerative agriculture."

She also works to expand culturally relevant food practices on campus, aiming to create spaces where students engage with Indigenous foodways while learning about biodiversity and sustainability.

“There’s so much potential for students to connect with the land in meaningful ways,” she said. “Whether they pursue environmental fields or not, the goal is to empower them to lead with a sustainability mindset.”

Looking ahead

Building on her family’s legacy of education and resilience, Magierski envisions a future where ecological and cultural practices are deeply integrated into campus life.

“In five years, I’d love to see spaces where students interact daily with native plants and culturally significant foods,” she said. “It’s not just about growing food—it’s about growing connections.”

“Growing plants is a radical act of healing,” she added.