Back in September 2023, a familiar but unknown face sat down across from me at a closing reception for a forum in Costa Rica. By the time our eyes connected, we both noticeably paused, stared, and slowly pointed at one another. Seconds later we embraced for a full minute without saying a word.

The only time I had met this person was for a few minutes at the memorial service for a man we both loved fiercely, and who died seven years ago today - Lucas Cameron Wolf. We were both lucky enough to be “wingmen” to Lucas in different phases of his life, and had heard enough stories about one another that we were basically friends.

Meeting Brian like that, beyond the swirling emotions of the memorial, was like seeing Lucas in the flesh.

It was beautiful, emotional, and reaffirming.

Reaffirming because all of Lucas’s friends that I’ve met since he passed while with me in Cuba have been reflections of who he was. They radiate joy, possibility, and a commitment to what the world could be.

They all were significantly impacted by Lucas’s approach to life, and dealt a blow by his death.

Yesterday I shared a toast with some Cuban friends in Colorado who were instrumental in helping us get Lucas cremated and off the island under intense circumstances in 2017. Another Cuban friend who was with us that week presented his family with a portrait of Lucas, which brought all of us to tears with the accuracy of his depiction.

Everyone he interacted with became an appreciated and close friend, because that’s who he was, and how he rolled.

And he keeps leaving us little surprises too. A few months back we got a random request from an architecture magazine to use a photo he took while with me in Guatemala in 2015 for an article. The author’s name… Sebastian.

So pour a shot of rum out for Lucas tonight to keep him mischievous and present.

We miss you, brother, and will never stop keeping your memory alive.

Live Life Like Lucas.

Sebastian

A few nights ago I enjoyed a much-needed reconnection with my dearly departed friend Lucas Wolf. After having dinner with his dear family in Fort Collins, CO, and playing some classic records from their vast collection, I sat down to leaf through a book on their coffee table with his likeness on the cover.

The book was a collection of stories, memories, tributes, and photos compiled by his colleagues at ARD in Vermont, where he had worked for several years before arriving at Trees, Water & People in 2014. I read every page, slack jawed and laughing at the unfiltered messages about Lucas’s antics and unique ways of being. The more unfiltered, the closer I felt to the authors - unknown to me in person but connected nonetheless.

What made this moment even more special was that I was also in the room with one of Lucas’s beloved friends from his Peace Corps tour in Honduras. Through Andrew, I heard stories from an even earlier chapter of Lucas’s life - from when he first went to Central America to broaden his horizons and spread his infectious personality among new people and places.

Invariably, these stories all ended in laughter, which is not uncommon when talking about Lucas with those who loved him. But apart from the hijinks that characterize so many memories with him, what strikes me is the depth of the imprint he left on people’s lives, in every phase of his own. His presence and loving persistence left an indelible mark on everyone he encountered.

As we got up to leave Mary Ellen and Dave’s place, we opened the door to the strongest sudden downpour I’d seen in my 14 years living in Fort Collins. It was like rainy season in the tropics - we had to yell to be heard, and couldn’t avoid getting wet, even with the Broncos umbrellas Mary Ellen issued each of us as we ran into the storm. The water was ankle deep as we ran across the street to the car - we were soaked to the bone in seconds.

Then, funny enough, on our drive home the rain dissipated as quickly as it had come. We’d been hit by a microburst at the exact moment we all happened to be outside, after sharing hours of stories, memories, and laughs about a man who left us six years ago today. As we wrung out our clothes at home, it all clicked…

…you never know when that next wink from Lucas will come, but you’ll know it when you see it.

Always remembered my friend.

We love you.

It is hard to imagine that 5 years ago today, Trees, Water & People faced its darkest moment in history, losing Lucas “El Lobo” Wolf, our incredibly adored colleague and friend.

Lucas Wolf was the kind of person that always saw what was possible—all the goodness in the world—and what people are really capable of. He generously shared his big heart with everyone around him. At Trees, Water & People, he put his contagious energy towards building relationships to strengthen our Central America Program, while everything else fell to the bottom of his to-do list as Program Director. Indeed, the way he valued relationships over everything else so accurately captures the essence of TWP and how we work—in partnership with the people facing the world’s toughest social and environmental challenges.

Lucas always told me, “Lead with your heart!” especially when things got really tough (as doing community development work often does). I remember one very rainy night, we were reflecting upon our field visits in the Montecillos Region of Central Honduras. The rain was slamming against the sheet metal roof while a barely audible reggaeton song was playing in the background (Despacito had just been released so it was obviously on repeat). Almost screaming so I could hear him, Lucas asked, “What’s there to lose by putting our hearts out to the world?” I just remember laughing and shaking my head, “Lucas, you are right!” and from then on I always committed to staying true to myself and my work, and looking out for the chance to be courageous for myself and others.

I did not realize that the unforgettable trip to Honduras in June of 2017 would be the last time I would see Lucas, and like many others, I feel comfort knowing that his presence has remained in my life, and inspired my work for 5 adventurous years. It has been an honor to lead the Central America Program since his death (big shoes to fill!) but a journey made easier by having a constant and everlasting friendship in him, and inheriting so many of his cherished relationships, each I’ve tried to care for in his absence (including his kitties!).

To honor Lucas’ incredible spirit, dedication, and heart for the people of the Americas, TWP is well on our way to planting one million trees in his name with our Latin American and Tribal partners in the United States. We are so proud to have planted 698,663 trees to date across Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, New Mexico, South Dakota, Colorado, and beyond!

Thank you Lucas, for lighting such a bright path for all of your cherished friends, family members, acquaintances, and even those that have only known you through stories, dreams, and photos. We will miss you forever homie, and we will always honor all that you are.

Abrazote,

Gemara Gifford
Central America Program Director

Four years to remember an instant.

Four years to remember a lifetime.

In an instant, the physical life of our beloved friend and colleague Lucas Wolf ended on a beach in Cuba, on July 12, 2017. The emphasis here is on the physical, because he left such an indelible mark on the world that his life in spirit will never end.

Minutes before he passed (yes... minutes) we were sitting down, resting, living, observing, and speaking of death, and the opportunity (yes… opportunity) it presents us.

Death is our opportunity to be remembered by those who loved us, our opportunity to be honored by those who respect what we stand for, and our opportunity to regenerate life and inspiration for those left behind.

“When I go, don’t put me in some varnished box and stuff me in some packed urban cemetery with no room. When I go, put me right in the ground. Plant me with some trees so I can regenerate life.”

These were words spoken by Lucas himself, 30 minutes before he collapsed unexpectedly and died. It took me days to realize that beyond rambling, he was giving me very clear instructions.

Lucas was a warrior for people and the planet. His magic was that people didn’t wait for his death to remember him - they thought of him all the time, because of his actions every day, and what he stood for while living.

That’s why he’s so missed.

Four years after his death, we’ve honored Lucas’s request by planting 621,363 trees in his honor, sprinkling his ashes on hundreds of trees that will regenerate life in some 8 countries and Native American nations.

He visits us from time to time to remind us that he’s still present in our work, and that time spent wringing hands and worrying about the state of the world takes time away from actions we can take to improve it.

Our time here is limited. Today is your opportunity to take action that regenerates life.

For Lucas. We love you flaco.

Seba

Among the most valuable bequests we can leave for the future inhabitants of this planet are trees in the ground, producing fruit, shade, timber, soil stability, and water for generations of people and habitat for all our planets’ biodiversity. The right tree, in the right place, for the right reasons, and by the hands and intent of local people.

In December 2017, five months after Lucas Wolf tragically slipped away from this life, we at Trees, Water & People committed to dedicate our next 1,000,000 trees to his memory. Apart from loving the benefits these trees provide, Lucas always loved the process of getting the trees started, in the nursery. I have a photo framed in my house of him shooting the breeze with nursery manager Jorge Ochoa in El Salvador, sitting among thousands of tree seedlings.

Weeks after Lucas passed, we began visiting our partners across Central America to hold memorials for him, and to plant trees with his ashes, and in his honor. In just under 3 years, those trees have become fixtures in each community in which they were planted, and tower over everybody. This was never Lucas’s way, as he liked to meet people on their level... but I’ll be damned if he wasn’t larger than life.

On the third anniversary of his passing, I’m thrilled to report that we’ve gotten 513,901 trees into the ground across Central America, South Dakota, and New Mexico in Lucas’s name. That’s not including the dozens of trees planted for him across the world. In the next year, we hope to add Baja California Sur, Colorado, and others to the list, adding partners to the causes that Lucas was so passionate about. There’s no greater honor for me and our team than to keep his memory at the forefront of TWP’s growth into new places.

Next to the photo I have of Lucas in the El Salvador tree nursery I keep a ceramic shot glass I bought while with him at a local coffee shop near our office in Fort Collins, CO. It was clearly meant for espresso, but I keep it filled with rum so our friend doesn’t go without. So if you partake, pour yourself a glass to Lucas’s memory, and enjoy the photos we’ve compiled of his trees from across TWP’s programs and partner communities.

He is never forgotten, and always missed. We love you, Lucas.

Today is a heavy day for all of us at Trees, Water & People, and will continue to be for time eternal. One year ago today, on July 12, 2017, we lost our beloved Lucas Wolf on an otherwise perfect day on Cuba’s south coast.

Among many other things, Lucas Wolf’s final week was spent expanding his personal and professional circles in Latin America, speaking up for the environment on the radio in Havana, Cuba, and exploring this amazing country with his Mom and #1 travel companion, Mary Ellen Keen. He didn’t know it was his last, but he spent every moment of that week working to create a better tomorrow. As Mary Ellen wrote to me recently, quoting a Mark Strand poem:

Nothing could stop you.

Not the best day. Not the quiet. Not the ocean rocking.

You went on with your dying.

Lucas’s departure is still raw, and his absence still palpable, yet he has infused so much beauty into this past year that I’m certain his impact on the planet will reverberate for generations. Since he left, new friendships have been born, multiple projects have been launched in his honor, his ashes have been spread in more than 10 nations, and peculiar miracles have transpired almost everywhere he had set foot in life. He’s made every connection count.

Here at Trees, Water & People, we feel his presence daily. We made a conscious decision when he transitioned that we would not lose pace, as he would resent nothing more than his death causing a diversion from the causes he embraced so fully. Rather than retreat, we advanced - shifting, recruiting, and hiring people that could carry on what he and our teams had in motion.

Lucas left more than just nodes and connections in his life. He left living networks of motivated people, all working in some way to improve their communities and the planet. We are people that don’t consider what we do “a job”, but an obligation, a way of life, and a privilege. That’s the only reason we’ve been able to plant 243,111 trees in Lucas’s name in the last 365 days - those who loved him have committed fervently to keeping his work alive.

We all have things we wish we’d done when we were able. Lucas undoubtedly got several of those out of the way the week he passed - strengthening partnerships with Cuban friends and colleagues, eating coconut ice cream from the shell in Havana, living by and swimming in the Caribbean, making new friends and sharing life with dozens of locals, and touring his momma around the city in classic cars. It was a dream week in an illustrious life. Knowing this takes some of the edge off, but certainly doesn’t make his absence any easier.

We miss you, Lucas. You really have no equal on this planet. Working with you was a privilege, and carrying on TWP’s work in your name is among my most cherished responsibilities. You continue to inspire us, and we continue to grow and do you proud. Thank you for spending some time with us, and please continue to smile down on the good works your people carry on for you, and on all the complex forces that make good things happen in the world.

We love you.

Yesterday we marked five months since Lucas’s departure, and we were finally able to breathe after a dizzying 150-day effort to pull ourselves back onto our feet after losing our beloved man in Managua.

During this time, we’ve rebuilt our staff, refocused our energy, and recharged our batteries in preparation for a new year that promises to keep us going at full speed. Lucas has presided over every meeting, phone call, and strategy session from his perches throughout our office, and has fueled our desire to become even better at what we do.

In our reflections, we noted that Trees, Water & People (TWP) fundamentally exists to help people reach their fullest potential, by combining local knowledge with new skills and ideas to rewrite what’s possible for rural communities throughout the Americas.

We’ve come to understand that the greatest outcome we can hope for in our work is improving an individual’s self-esteem to the point that they can tap their own innate capacity to solve their local challenges. We also believe that strong rural livelihoods depend on the health of local ecosystems, and that engaging young people in their community’s development is the surest way to create lasting change in these areas – values that Lucas embodied fully.

In August and September, I was able to travel to Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador to plant trees and start tree nurseries in Lucas’s honor. I visited homes that had hosted him, people that had loved him, and roads on which he had traveled so many times to fulfill TWP’s mission. I was able to visit the last of these two countries with Gemara Gifford, our new International Director, which made for a moving final hand-off of Lucas’s programs and contacts.

When I returned, Gem and I hatched a plan to really ensure Lucas’s legacy was carried out to the fullest extent possible. We decided that we would make it our personal mission to plant 1 million trees to bear fruit, improve soil, provide shade, cook food, and create habitat in Lucas’s name between Jan 1, 2018 – Dec 31, 2022. Sounds reasonable, right?

While we’ve already built some momentum behind the effort, we will officially launch the campaign at the Rotary Peacebuilding Conference in Vancouver, Canada, this coming February, to which Lucas had been invited as a speaker before he passed. Once the campaign picks up speed, we hope you’ll help us celebrate the life of this man who left his mark on so many, by planting new life across the Americas to honor his memory.

Thank you for your support this year – you’ve really helped us get through this tough time, and we hope to do Lucas proud as we continue this important work.

If you haven’t experienced Trees, Water & People’s (TWP) work first-hand, it’s difficult to explain the importance of having someone like Lucas Wolf leading your efforts in the field. TWP’s success depends less on what we bring to the communities in which we work, and more on how relationships are created and cultivated, and how promises are made and kept. Lucas was incredibly talented at building trust and empathy with people across borders, cultures, and walks of life – a trait that made him excellent and irreplaceable in his work.

Over the past week, I’ve had the honor of taking Lucas back to some of the people and places he loved most in Central America. Lucas is missed not only because he helped bring clean cookstoves, solar lighting, rainwater catchment systems, and tree nurseries to the region, but for the genuine connections he made with people during the years he spent here.

In Honduras, we commemorated our love for Lucas by planting walnut and citrus seedlings with his ashes, and scattering some into an ancient volcanic crater that fascinated him. In the community of La Tigra, his friends Norma and Pedro surprised us with a sign dedicating a tree nursery to Lucas and TWP, complete with a hand-painted wolf by his name. At the Center for Education in Sustainable Agriculture (CEASO), where he was like an adopted son, we held a prayer service and planted a walnut tree with his ashes in the center of their campus.

I then traveled to Nicaragua to celebrate his birthday with his loved ones in Managua, and sent portions of his ashes home with friends from various corners of the country. Friends in Cuba honored him by planting a seedling for him near Cienfuegos, and by burying some of his ashes under a Cuban Palm in the National Botanical Garden in Havana. His friends in the U.S. spread his ashes along the High Line in New York City, a place he loved to jog while on the East Coast.

Today, we continue to celebrate Lucas by planting a Ceiba tree (his favorite) in his name at the Nicaraguan Center for Forests, Energy & Climate, and a Crabapple tree outside of the Trees, Water & People office in Fort Collins, CO. Next month we’ll continue the tributes in Guatemala, and then El Salvador, ensuring that his remains regenerate life in as many places as possible.

What more can I say – Lucas touched people’s hearts across the planet in a way only he could, and it’s an honor to take him back to the people and places he held dear. Lucas always insisted on smiling through life’s challenges and spreading as much sunshine as possible in our short time here on earth. We can only hope that spreading his ashes under trees throughout the hemisphere will serve as a daily reminder to us all to Live Life Like Lucas.

Two and a half years ago is when I was first formally introduced to Lucas Cameron Wolf. His mother, Mary Ellen, brought a meal over when my wife Claudia gave birth to our daughter Lucía and reminded her about her son Lucas, who was living in Nicaragua looking for non-profit work. Coincidentally, Claudia had met Lucas in 2005, the only year we all overlapped in Honduras. As my traveling wings were due to be clipped with Lucía’s arrival, Claudia insisted I meet him immediately, to interview him for my position at Trees, Water & People (TWP).

On our first international Skype call, in December 2014, I opened with a multilayered introduction of myself and the organization in unhinged, fast, Central American Spanish to see if he could keep up. Not missing a beat, Lucas replied jovially, fluently, thoughtfully, and completely. He even threw in some Central American slang to show me he wasn’t playing around. I was hooked and was convinced this was the guy I needed on my team.

His first day of work, in March 2015, we spent at a pub in Antigua, Guatemala. We had some beers, shot some billiards, and got to know each other casually with three members of a group I had brought down on a Trees, Water & People (TWP) Tour. He spent that week in the deep end, leading half of the tour group throughout the week, learning TWP history and culture on-the-fly, and confidently translating topics to which he’d never been formally introduced.

He aced it.

The truth is, from that day forward he became my right-hand man, my eyes and ears on the ground, my sounding board, my regional envoy, and TWP’s Man in Managua. He was a force of nature, taking on massive, shapeless tasks with confidence, grace, and humor. He had an incredible knack for building sincere relationships across every sector of society and would treat an 8-year-old in a Central American village with the same level of respect and gravitas that he’d reserve for an international dignitary.

To say Lucas was a man of the people is an understatement. He was a man of the cosmos, here on a mission to show us how to be kind to one another, how to work for the things that matter, and how to honor life on this planet. His legacy is a challenge to us all, to strive for the most profound experience possible in the short time we have on earth.

Lucas Wolf enriched my life from the first seconds of our relationship. He was an unflappable colleague, a dear friend to my family and me, and a conduit to a world of people, places, and ideas. I speak for my entire organization when I say that his departure leaves a gaping hole in both our personal and professional lives, from which we’ll never fully recover.

We love you, Lucas Wolf. Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with us at Trees, Water & People — you’ll always have a home here.

- Sebastian Africano