Piper Lacy’s connection to the land and commitment to environmental conservation developed while she was growing up on her family’s farm in Western Massachusetts. In high school, she volunteered with the Kestrel Land Trust, where she learned how land conservation could help preserve threatened ecosystems and the integrity of rural communities. As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, Piper leaned into her passion for environmental stewardship and created a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Justice Fellowship with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts at its Hadley Farm. This experience inspired her to study sustainable agriculture to promote land conservation and combat climate change.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Piper worked as a soil ecology and cropping systems lab technician at Montana State University and the University of Massachusetts. Researching farmland in rural Montana highlighted the environmental harms caused by mainstream agricultural practices and the vulnerability of rural communities. Inspired by this experience, Piper decided to pursue a legal career focused on promoting sustainable agriculture, land conservation, and community resilience.

As a student at Colorado Law, Piper has taken advantage of opportunities to be part of and contribute to Colorado Law’s environmental law community, serving on the board of the Colorado Environmental Law Society and as Lead Notes Editor for the Colorado Environmental Law Journal. Piper has also pursued experiential learning opportunities to establish a well-rounded foundation in environmental law and conservation. She has externed with Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming Program and participated in Colorado Law’s Getches-Green Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Clinic. In her free time, Piper escapes to the mountains to go backcountry skiing, trail running, mountain biking, and rock climbing. She looks forward to gaining insight into local conservation efforts and land use planning as a Law Clerk with the Boulder County Attorney’s office this summer.