Bio
Warner Glenn, a fourth-generation cattle rancher and renowned land and wildlife conservationist, was born and raised on the J Bar A Ranch, located near the Chiricahua/Pedregosa Mountains in Southeast Arizona. Glenn’s family came to that part of the country to homestead in 1896.
Glenn married Wendy Paul in 1960 and together they raised two children, Cody and Kelly. Until her untimely death in 2014, they were strong community leaders, advocates for local causes like the cattle ranching industry and wildlife issues, and innovators in the creation and formation of The Malpai Borderlands Group, a non-profit, 501c3 organization that was founded in their home at the Malpai Ranch. Malpai Borderlands Group is now celebrating its 31st year representing environmentally correct and sustainable cattle ranching, collaborative science and preservation of open spaces and wildlife corridors. Today, Glenn continues to serve as a board member for the Malpai Borderlands Group.
Glenn, his daughter Kelly, and granddaughter Mackenzie continue to own and operate two working cattle ranches and lease a third, with one of these ranches having the Mexican border fence itself as its southern boundary. Glenn’s son, Cody, and Cody’s wife, Mary, are the support team to keep operations going.
In 1996 and again in 2006, Glenn was the first person to photograph two separate Mexican jaguars in the Arizona/New Mexico borderlands. Some environmentalists then pressed federal officials for an initiative to declare parts of Arizona and New Mexico “critical habitat” for jaguars, which would have had a negative impact on the cattle industry.
Glenn, along with many jaguar experts, said such a move was not necessary nor fundamental in the preservation of jaguars in Arizona and New Mexico because the occurrence was rare. He was able to stem the initiative. Today, Glenn continues to be a vocal proponent for both jaguars and landscape conservation on both sides of the border in that region.
Glenn is a community leader, a port in the storm, and a voice of reason who is known for stabilizing situations and encouraging collaboration. He has fundamentally changed the world of conservation and ethical ranching and hunting for the better.
At the age of 89, Glenn conducts all his cattle work on horse or mule back, has two packs of hounds, and with his daughter still trails and catches stock-killing mountain lions.
In 2008, Warner was presented with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Recovery Champion Award for his leadership in conserving the Malpai Borderlands and protecting the jaguar.
This honor was followed by Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords recognizing Glenn for his dedication to the Southwest in the Congressional Record, and the Arizona Game and Fish Commission presenting Glenn with Environmentalist of the Year.
Glenn has also been inducted into the Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame in Willcox, Arizona, and the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. In 2016 he was presented the Environmental Stewardship Award by the Cochise County Farm Bureau, and New Mexico Governor’s Conservationist Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
In all his accomplishments, Glenn has always been a cowboy first! He can rope with the best of them – roping cattle in the brush with ease and even roping a bear once that was killing one of his calves. He has always handled his cattle with respect.
Glenn, with Wendy by his side, ranched through the toughest droughts, the worst economic times, and, for more than 70 years, has raised and maintained a top-notch herd of cattle. Glenn is a modest man who has had a huge impact on his local neighborhood, the youth associated with his family, and the widespread circle of folks who call him a friend. His faith in God has never wavered, and his love of this country, his family and his way of life have never faltered.
