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The Silverton Standard’s in-depth profile traces Naomi Riess’s more than three decades of building a life in Durango — as a land-use consultant, community volunteer, and mother of three. For more than 33 years she has run her own consulting practice, helping farmers, ranchers, developers, and families across the Four Corners navigate land-use feasibility, zoning, and water questions.
The piece details Riess’s long record of local service: leadership with La Leche League International when she first arrived in Durango as a young mother, years organizing activities and chairing the Durango High School After Prom Party while raising her three children, and more than 15 years on the La Plata County Historic Preservation Commission, including many years as vice chair. Her work has also reached across the region — from administering the National Assessment of Educational Progress on the Navajo Nation to supporting all three phases of the 2020 U.S. Census on the Southern Ute Reservation, and helping establish the Tracks Across Borders Scenic and Historic Byway.
The Standard also touches on Riess’s life outside of policy work: a Colorado Master Gardener and Certified Pollinator Steward who keeps bees and chickens at Colorado Heritage Farms, an avid genealogist, and a familiar face dancing in Durango’s Snowdown parade as a former Jazzercise instructor.
Read the full profile at The Silverton Standard.