About Dive Into Nature (DIN)
Saving the Green Spaces That Define Our Communities
Some places are too important to pave over.
Who We Are
Dive Into Nature is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Highland, Utah. We acquire threatened open spaces in growing communities and transform them into permanent regenerative sanctuaries—preserving ecosystems, producing clean food, and creating places where families reconnect with the natural world.
We're not just another conservation organization. We don't lock up land and leave it alone. We actively restore and regenerate—using proven agricultural practices to build soil, increase biodiversity, recharge aquifers, and produce nutrient-dense food. The land under our stewardship gets healthier every year.
Our Story
Dive Into Nature started with a simple observation: across Utah's Wasatch Front, the last open spaces in our communities were disappearing—and nobody was offering landowners a real alternative to development.
It's not that landowners want to see their family's land become another subdivision. Many would prefer a different outcome. But when it's time to sell, developers make the best offers. They're professional, they close quickly, and they pay fair prices. Conservation efforts can't compete—slow timelines, uncertain funding, below-market offers.
We're changing that equation. By pooling resources from community members who value green space, we give landowners a genuine alternative—fair compensation that respects their investment, tax-advantaged structures that often exceed development offers, and the knowledge that their land will remain a community asset forever.
Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Dive Into Nature acquires and transforms threatened green spaces in urban and suburban communities into permanent regenerative sanctuaries—preserving ecosystems, honoring local traditions, and creating educational centers where families reconnect with the natural world.
Our Vision
We envision a future where every growing community has a choice about its green spaces—where development and conservation exist in balance, and the special places that define neighborhood character are protected for generations.
What We Actually Do
Identify Special Properties
We work with communities to find the green spaces that matter most: the last open fields, the places that define neighborhood character.
Acquire at Fair Market Value
Using pooled donor resources and tax-advantaged structures, we make competitive offers that honor landowner investment.
Regenerate the Land
Through managed grazing, perennial plantings, and soil restoration, we actively improve ecological health year after year.
Create Community Sanctuaries
Free public access, educational programs, and gathering spaces where families experience working land.
Leadership
Colby Gibson
Founder & Executive DirectorAfter decades watching the Wasatch Front transform from open farmland to endless development, Colby founded Dive Into Nature to give communities a real choice about their remaining green spaces.
Colby combines business acumen with a deep commitment to regenerative agriculture. His approach is pragmatic: work with landowners, offer real value, and build lasting partnerships that serve both individual families and entire communities.
"I've watched Highland grow up around the last few open spaces. Every time another field gets developed, families lose something they can never get back. This work is about giving communities the tools to keep what matters—before the bulldozers arrive."
Board of Directors
Why We're a Nonprofit
Regenerative land restoration is measured in decades, not quarters. Planting nut trees that won't produce for 20 years. Rebuilding soil biology that takes a decade to fully establish. Running livestock at rates that prioritize land health over maximum yield.
This work is fundamentally incompatible with investor expectations. No fund manager will wait 20 years for returns. No quarterly report celebrates soil organic matter increasing by half a percent.
As a 501(c)(3), we can make decisions that serve the land and community—not investor returns. And your contributions are tax-deductible, multiplying the impact of every dollar you give.
Organization Details
Get In Touch
Whether you're a community member, a landowner exploring options, or someone who wants to learn more—we'd love to hear from you.
Support Our Mission