Founder

Ally Kristan is a Marine Biologist, Antarctic Expert and Wildlife Policy Professional. She has a B.S. with Honors in Marine Biology and M.S. in Oceanography & Coastal Sciences. Born and raised in Raleigh NC, her work has taken her from a sea turtle hospital to Hawaiian coral reefs to Antarctic penguin colonies. She has spent the past two years working in environmental policy in Washington, D.C. for both the federal government and the nonprofit sector. A respected wildlife advocate, Ally has been featured by NPR, National Audubon Society, Audubon Florida, the National Science Foundation and Hakai Magazine.

Every time Ally came back home to Raleigh, she was heartbroken to see meadows and woodlands being rapidly converted to more apartments. It became personal when a mega developer proposed an 800-unit rental complex on a remarkable piece of wildlife-rich land she grew up on. Motivated to speak up for the nature she loves so much, Ally spent two years delving into the environmental protections and public processes available to oppose the development.

It turns out, there are many obstacles to the public in such a situation: insider jargon, lack of transparency, and little representation for non-property owners, to name a few. However, Ally also saw first-hand that a passionate, unified public can make a tremendous difference when they speak up.

Ally created Defending Land Against Development (DLAD) to encourage and empower people to speak up for the lands they love. DLAD represents the 99%, the nature defenders, everyone with an allergy to apathy, the people who speak up for public good over private again.

At DLAD, we don’t back down. Together we will protect the environment and our communities, because it’s simply the right thing to do.

Want to help grow the team? We’re looking for nationwide experts with knowledge about local environments, land use and zoning, land conservation, outreach, and communications.

Spread the word about our work and contact Ally at defendinglandagainstdevelopment@gmail.com