Pat Boddy took over the reins as director of the Polk County Conservation Board on Aug. 16 after stints at Iowa Public Television, where she was host of an interview program and “Iowa This Weekend,” and as president of Boddy Media Group, where she focused on documentary production. But conserving the outdoors has always been one of her interests, and the job opening with Polk County seemed to fulfill a longtime dream.

Did you grow up an outdoors person?

I grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis, but my grandfather was a huge environmentalist. This was a guy who walked 10 miles and thought nothing of it and took me with him. And I went and I paid attention. My idea of a good time was creek walking. I was in high school when the environmental movement became significant and grew. That was an extremely large part of the national scene in my most impressionable years.

What are some outdoor activities that you enjoy?

I’m a huge cyclist and a walker/hiker. I also enjoy camping. I’m not skilled at canoeing, but I love to be out on the water as well. The biggest [outdoor excursions] I’ve done have been on my bike, like the Seattle to Portland [bike trip], which is 200 miles in two days. And I’ve done RAGBRAI a couple of times, but not well. Some people train for RAGBRAI; some people train on RAGBRAI. I’m apparently the latter.

Do you have any favorite spots around Polk County that you like to visit when you’ve got a free Saturday afternoon and the weather is nice?

There’s just so many. But the great secret of Polk County is Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt. And on the Savannah Trail at Yellow Banks Park, you don’t have to walk very far before this old oak tree that’s older than dirt itself is perfectly framed, and it just speaks to you. You think about a wise, old tree – that’s a wise, old tree. And we have little spots like that in all of our parks.

Are there any new outdoor excursions that you would like to try?

I would really like to do more trekking through what we’ve got here – on bicycle, on foot, in a canoe. I’m starting to value the treasures we have right here, now that I know they’re there. That’s one of the things I hope to have happen: for us to do an even better job of telling the stories of the little jewels and gems that are really wrapped around the greater metro in our lands.

What career experiences led you to this point in your life and your new position with the Polk County Conservation Board?

My interest has always been in conservation from the very beginning. I went to Iowa State University and majored in agricultural and biological systems because I wanted to work with environmental engineering. Instead, I ended up pursuing my own business that was communications-related, but I always worked in the conservation arena as part of that business. So [my career change] wasn’t that odd.

Why did you decide to leave Boddy Media Group to go into conservation full time?

It was a great run and I absolutely loved it. It was kind of a tough decision to want to do something else when what we were doing was going so well. But I really felt like I was at the point in my life where I needed to roll up my shirt sleeves and do this conservation thing on a full-time basis.

What was the big motivator for you?

It wasn’t that I wanted to leave consulting or that I wanted to leave Boddy Media Group. I wanted that Polk County job because I appreciated that it was a cracker jack staff with incredible lands and commitment and it was just the right size for me that I would be able to be involved hands-on and make a significant difference in the quality of life for the people of Polk County.

But was it a difficult move?

Whenever you’re happy where you are, and if it ain’t broke, you’re wondering what you’re doing when you go to fix it.

What qualities do you bring to the Polk County Conservation Board that can benefit the organization and allow it to move forward?

I just plain have a passion for the place and the work that it does. I think that’s an important piece of the puzzle. But the issues that we’re dealing with in an urbanizing county are very difficult and it requires someone who’s willing to try to understand all aspects of the issue and work with all of the players. So I think I’m pretty good at helping people think creatively about how we can structure ways to do that.

Have the first three months been overwhelming?

No, I’m an old bird. Ten or 15 years ago, this would have felt overwhelming. But I really am at a stage in my life where I do relish the challenge. If I took myself too seriously, I’d feel overwhelmed, which is something I would have done in my younger days. Everybody should get to be me. I’ve got a great family, I’ve got a fabulous job, people I love to work with, work I love to do – I’m not sure it gets any better than that.