Leif Henschel has grown up in the small town of Telluride, Colorado. In that time, Leif has been surrounded by nature and wildlife. Some of his fondest memories while growing up took place in nature doing things like, skiing, mountain biking or fly fishing. In his recent years, Leif has developed a newfound appreciation for the hobby of flyfishing. Especially because the hobby itself doesn’t solely depend on just the person who is fishing, but also fish who are being caught. Without the fish, flyfishing wouldn’t be anything. Leif knew this, so he started the Colorado Cold Water Project, which would help promote access to support for local trout in Telluride, and in surrounding regions.
To do this, Leif designed numerous amounts of apparel including hats, shirts, and stickers to sell to locals in his town, which could act as a more convenient outlet for people to support conservation and protection. When they would buy the piece of apparel, customers would pay Leif, and in return, Leif, with coordination with state runned initiatives, would then donate the earned money in an effort to better support fish protection.
“With the right marketing and followthrough, I believe that this project has the potential of becoming a new way on how we approach fish conservation.” – Leif Henschel
When Leif began his project, he set out with ambitious ideas. He was so passionate about his project that he couldn’t stop thinking of ways to raise money for fish conservation. But as his project progressed, he soon understood that he needed to be reasonable, and that far fetched ideas were likely not going to work. This is why Leif pivoted to focusing more on apparel, instead of other implausible ideas. By focusing on apparel, Leif could put 100% of effort into perfecting designs, and making sure that his merch reflected the idea behind his project. Leif put in tremendous amounts of work into his design, and by the end he was proud about what he had made. Outside of designs, Leif coordinated with his team, ensuring that he had a location to where he was going to sell his apparel. He also coordinated with bigger organizations, communicating to them about his ideas, and how they could work together to help prioritize donations.
Although Leif doesn’t present his apparel until July 15th, (during the auction) he has worked tirelessly on designs, and on materials for his apparel. He has spent a lot of time tweaking and editing designs, in response to feedback given by peers, and by doing this, Leif has developed a sense of accomplishment. Over the last month, Leif has put at least 4 hours of work into his designs, which shows how dedicated he is for the things he will sell. Leif has also worked diligently with his team, making sure he is using his communication skills to advocate for what he wants, and doesn’t want with his project. Leif has been in coordination with his team about how he will present all of his things, and also how he can make his voice heard during this event. Leif plans to give a brief 10-minute introduction into what he is trying to do with his project for the auction this summer. By setting all of these things up in advance, Leif has reassurance with how his project will go, and if it will have the desired impacts he is hoping for.
As Leif mentioned earlier, his project has yet to start, because he will be selling all of his apparel at the local auction, which is July 15th. The whole idea around why Leif picked to sell his apparel around the same time of the auction was so that people who may not have the money to buy super expensive fly rods, could still purchase something like a hat or t-shirt, and still know that they have positively impacted our local water, without spending A lot of money on a big investment. This gives people new outlets to support fish protection, that is much more reasonable and affordable.
This vision of making fish support more reasonable has been carried out by Leif using many leadership opportunities. Throughout his project, he has used Resiliency and Resourcefulness to learn how to pivot and adapt, when he faced challenges with his project. He also used Technical Proficiency when using his drawing skills to better help him come up with original designs for all the apparel he’s making. He’s also used Personal Leadership and Follow-through to motivate and remind himself to be consistent when working on his project. But one of the most helpful Elements of Leadership that really made a difference in his project was his ability to communicate effectively, using skills developed at Alzar. He has coordinated with people, made deadlines, and planned for future events.
Looking ahead into the future, Leif is expecting that his project will be successful and that there are people who want him to continue doing his project for years to come and maybe even expand into something bigger and more meaningful. If this is the case he will be excited to continue his project because protecting our local fish is something he has a great passion for.
“I look forward to seeing how my project will have an impact, and based on how the audience reacts, I might advocate to do it again next year, if it is gaining enough traction.” – Leif Henschel
