Mission, Vision, Values

Our Mission

CURE protects and restores resilient communities and landscapes by harnessing the power of people who care about them.

We do this because we believe that robust human communities can only be sustained by healthy ecosystems, and robust natural environments can only be regained through vigorous stewardship.

Our work takes many forms, but always involves three core practices:

  • Awakening people’s bonds with the natural world around them.
  • Inclusively and strategically exploring issues and actions.
  • Systematically building communities of change at critical intersections of ecological and social well-being.
Boy with Dog in Creek

Our Vision

CURE envisions a future:

  • Where people take the lead and act together to sustain the landscapes they inhabit.
  • Where communities flourish through fostering human diversity and inclusion, fairness and justice, environmental protection and healing.
  • Where cultural and individual differences are recognized as a community asset and democracy as an indispensable practice.

Our Values

Community

The capacity of communities to flourish is directly connected to the condition of the landscapes that embrace them.

Regenerative Sustainability

The human use of natural resources must be a regenerative and sustainable force.

Stewardship

We have a moral responsibility to future generations to steward the ecosystems on which they will depend.

Optimism

As advocates, we succeed when we push beyond saying “no” to current problems to saying “yes” to new possibilities.

Honorable Storytelling

Lasting change requires honoring stories, engaging wisdom, and channeling the power of those directly affected by the status quo.

Collaborative Justice

Environmental and social justice go hand in hand; progress in one requires acknowledging and including the other.

Urgent Truthtelling

Speaking truthfully and urgently plays an important part in every change effort, but we also prize thoughtful & careful information gathering, appreciative dialog, and knowledgeable decision making even more highly. We expect this of ourselves, our partners, and our leaders.

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

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Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!