About Plan Conservation LLC

Built from the inside.
For the people left outside.

Plan Conservation LLC was founded in December 2023 by Ed Harvey — a conservation planner, watershed specialist, and former Navajo Nation program manager who experienced the barriers to land access firsthand and decided to build the infrastructure to remove them.

The origin

The disconnection
was real.

When Ed Harvey decided to start his own farm and orchard on Navajo land, he ran into the same walls that had stopped generations before him — paperwork barriers, federal requirements, agency disconnection, and a process that felt designed to exclude rather than support.

Working inside the agricultural system as a program manager, he saw it from both sides: leadership talked about food sovereignty, but the people — especially the elderly — couldn't access the land that was legally theirs. A few documents stood between entire families and their ancestral agricultural heritage.

He recognized that the problem wasn't the people. It wasn't even the land. It was the gap between federal and tribal agencies and the communities they were supposed to serve. So he built the bridge.

"So many people — entire generations — denied because of a few documents. I wanted to make this process accessible for the social good."
Ed Harvey — Founder & CEO, Plan Conservation LLC

Plan Conservation LLC was founded to do one thing: make conservation planning accessible to every Indigenous farmer, rancher, and community — and expand that reach to underserved peoples across Indian Country.

Background & expertise
Conservation & Watershed Specialist
Years of field experience in rangeland conservation, watershed management, and land-based ecological assessment across the Navajo Nation.
Satellite Imagery Specialist
Technical expertise in satellite-derived land analysis — vegetation mapping, precipitation data, NDVI, and ecological site assessment.
Program Manager, Navajo Nation Dept. of Agriculture
Deep institutional knowledge of Tribal agricultural programs, federal compliance requirements, and the permitting process from the inside.
Food Sovereignty Advocate
Long-standing commitment to strengthening Indigenous food systems, ancestral agricultural practices, and community-rooted land stewardship.
Navajo Nation Fair — Program Development & Coordination
Large-scale event and program management experience coordinating across Tribal departments, vendors, and community stakeholders.
Orchardist — The Cottonwood Apple Tree
An active farmer himself — operating his own orchard on Navajo land, with a personal connection to the same barriers his clients face.
What drives this work

Three barriers.
One platform built to remove them.

01
Bridging federal & tribal agency disconnection
The gap between what agencies require and what families understand has locked generations off their land. We translate that gap into a plan they can sign.
02
Making land access a right, not a privilege
Elderly families, new farmers, returning ranchers — everyone deserves access to their ancestral land. A few documents shouldn't be the barrier between a family and their heritage.
03
Connecting land to funding opportunity
A conservation plan is the foundation — but we go further. We connect your operation directly to funding pathways so the plan becomes a gateway to economic development, not just paperwork.
Affiliations & recognition

Credentialed.
Connected. Committed.

2025 Solver, Ag Based Solutions Supported by Solve, an initiative of MIT
President, Navajo Farmer & Rancher Congress
Board Member, Native Trust & Alliance
Board Member, People's Land Collaborative
Local First Arizona — SWRFBC Partner
Pinnacle Prevention — Purchase Local AZ Foods
Impact to date

The work
speaks for itself.

280+
Families helped with conservation plans
5
Tribal Nations reached and growing
20+
Nonprofits engaged across Indian Country
2,748 ac
Acres field surveyed

"We want to see the land bloom
to the most prettiest and nizhoniest."

Whether you're a farmer, a rancher, an agency, or a nonprofit — we're here to help. Plan Conservation LLC exists to bridge every barrier between you and your land.

Start your conservation plan → For agencies & organizations →