The Official Blog of WildEarth Guardians

Amrit Cheng

Communications Director

Amrit joined Guardians in 2021 as the Communications Director. Specializing in crafting communications campaigns, Amrit has spent years working to advance progressive causes by integrating storytelling, digital advocacy, media relations, and issue expertise to move people to take action. She honed her chops in New York working at the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Fenton Communications and the Clinton Foundation. Trained in film production and editing, Amrit is the director of OK Boomer, a documentary short that chronicles the youth-led social movement to integrate New York City’s public schools. She is passionate about the power of stories to change the world. Having recently relocated to New Mexico, a state near and dear to her heart, she spends her time camping, eating green chile, and trying to train her puppy.

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Legal Fellow

Megan joined WildEarth Guardians as an intern in January 2020 during her third year of law school, and is now a Post-Grad Legal Fellow in the Wild Rivers Program. She grew up in Colorado, where she continues to enjoy exploring water systems from skiing snowy mountain peaks to paddling rivers. Megan earned her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she developed her passion for aquatic biological systems during field research in limnology and marine biology. She earned her J.D. from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, where she worked in the 2019-20 Environmental Law Clinic, was a board member of Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, and served as the Executive Editor of the Denver Journal of International Law and Policy. In her free time, Megan loves riding her bike, vegetarian cooking, and gardening.

Kayleigh Dearstyne-Hulin

Wildlife Intern

Kayleigh Dearstyne-Hulin hails from Albany, New York where she was constantly doing some sport from running and hiking to archery and martial arts. Getting outside and active inspired her to protect and connect people with the outdoors. Graduating with a MA in International Relations and Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Kayleigh is pursuing a career in environmental policy and governance. Having moved out West, she is thrilled about her internship which involves analyzing southwest environmental policies and processes and writing grants. While not interning, she is still doing any sport she can find, mainly surfing and rockclimbing.

Cheyanne Neuffer

Nevada Wildlife Engagement Coordinator

Cheyanne Neuffer is a passionate environmentalist, writer and wildlife advocate. Growing up in rural Northern Nevada instilled a drive to protect and preserve the wild beauty of Nevada’s public land and wildlife. In 2018, Cheyanne graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and a minor in Cultural Anthropology. After college, Cheyanne moved to Lake Tahoe to pursue environmental journalism with the local newspaper and later became editor of the Tahoe Magazine. Cheyanne joined WildEarth Guardians in 2021 as the Nevada Wildlife Engagement Coordinator to help connect more Nevadans with the wildlife they share the state with.

Lizzy Pennock

Legal Fellow

Lizzy joined WildEarth Guardians as a volunteer in September 2019 during her second year of law school. Lizzy is a Diehl Environmental Law Fellow focused on wildlife protection. She grew up in Colorado, where she developed her passion for nature and exploring the outdoors. Lizzy earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science at the University of Hawai`i and her J.D. from Lewis and Clark Law School with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. She was awarded the 2021 Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Leadership Award and was elected to the Cornelius Honor Society. She did as much pro bono as possible during law school and worked with Crag Law Center and the Center for Biological Diversity, focusing on salmon protection. She currently resides on the Oregon coast with her partner and two labs, where she loves to hike, bake, and spend time at the beach.

Danielle Plourde

Data Management Administrator

Danielle joined Guardians in the summer of 2021. As part of the Guardians Resource Team, her role is largely focused on background support to keep the small and mighty engine that is WildEarth Guardians running smoothly. Danielle is no stranger to supportive roles, when she is not at Guardians she is supporting families during the wonderful, potent and awesome transition that is pregnancy, birth and postpartum. She has supported many families in New Mexico as a Doula. She also runs a small herbal company that focuses primarily on this transition. Danielle has a B.A. in philosophy and religious studies and sees her role as a birthworker and a Guardian deeply intertwined and interdependent in the realms of public health and environmentalism.

Nicholas Bascom

Wildlife Program Intern

Nick is a 3rd year law student at UCLA serving as a summer intern with WildEarth Guardians in the Wildlife Program. For Guardians, he concentrates mostly on protecting imperiled species via the Endangered Species Act. At UCLA, his focus is on environmental law and tribal legal development. Before law school, he taught for many years and wrote for Science News and Research Penn State. His first novel, Mordor, California, will be published in the fall. He lives with his wife Camrynn, his son Kyber, and his dogs K.C. and London.

Javier Gallegos

Photography Intern

Javier is the Summer 2021 photography intern for WildEarth Guardians. His work focuses on photographing the Rio Grande and its impact on ecology and human life. He became concerned with the drying of the river from his experience of growing up in El Paso, Texas, without water in the Rio Grande. Only in pictures of other parts of the country did he know what a river was supposed to be like. He is currently a senior at New Mexico State University with plans to graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism & Professional Communication and a minor in History in the spring of 2022. Javier enjoys watching stand up comedy and video games in his free time.

Siera Schroeder

Intern

Siera is a rising 3L at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. Growing up in upstate New York she fell in love with the outdoors but it wasn’t until she moved to Denver, Colorado that she realized how deep her passion and love for the outdoors – especially trees and water – actually ran. She now takes every opportunity she can to row or raft down a river, or go and see some trees! One may even say she’s become a real tree hugger. Siera hopes to translate her love and passion for the outdoors and all its wonders into a successful legal career advocating for the protection of the natural environment so it might be preserved for future generations to love and enjoy.

Rachel Pemberton

Intern

Rachel is a rising 3L at Lewis & Clark Law School focusing on environmental and natural resources law. Combining her interests in the natural and social sciences, she received her Bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of Washington in 2018. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest exploring parks and forests has made her passionate about protecting public lands, wildlife, and clean air and water for present and future generations.

Reza Sadeghzadeh

Wild Rivers Program Intern

Reza is a rising 3-year law student at University of Oregon School of Law. He received his B.A. from Humboldt State University, where he quickly fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. As an intern for the Wild Rivers Program, Reza’s work is focused on protecting the western yellow-billed cuckoo and the Upper Willamette Chinook salmon and Winter Steelhead. In his free time, Reza is usually doing some outdoor activity like backpacking, cycling, or diving.

Simon Miller

Intern

Simon Miller is a 2021 summer intern for WildEarth Guardians. He is a rising Junior at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Simon is a Political Science major that has a passion for examining, improving, and defending the laws and regulations that make our world a better place for people and wildlife. Simon grew up and still lives in Oak Park, the first suburb west of the Chicago city limits.

Andrew Rothman

Wild Places Program Director

A native of Wisconsin, Andrew’s interest in wildlife started in his youth, thanks to his many trips to their family cabin in the Northwoods. Growing up in the 80’s, Andrew’s interests in native wildlife expanded to that of the rainforests of Latin America that he learned were rapidly being destroyed. A lifelong aspiration to help protect wildlife and their habitat ensued. Andrew’s professional career has led him toward fulfilling those aspirations. Andrew helped thousands of people increase their connection to nature as the Assistant Naturalist at the renowned Horicon Marsh with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Andrew founded his own non-profit organization, Rainforest Biodiversity Group, to help protect and restore habitat for the endangered Great Green Macaw in Costa Rica; helping private landowners establish private reserves and creating Latin America’s first Birding Trail along the way. Andrew spent over a decade working with American Bird Conservancy managing a portfolio of projects in nearly a dozen countries in Latin America leading to the protection and restoration of thousands of acres of grassland, forest and wetland habitat for migratory and highly endangered endemic birds. Here he also helped establish ABC’s Great Lakes Program, co-authored the Golden-winged Warbler Non-breeding Grounds Conservation Plan, the first plan of its type for a songbird, and helped establish ABC’s Impact Investing Program, which looks to find ways to demonstrate how non-philanthropic capital can be invested for conservation outputs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, with degrees in Biology and Wildlife Management, Andrew continues to bring innovative solutions to complex conservation problems. Andrew enjoys international travel having visited 28 countries. He also enjoys rock climbing, skiing, yoga, hiking and fine dining. Andrew is the descendant of two WWII concentration camp escapees.

Jack Meyer

Greater Gila Arizona Advocate

A local to Arizona's White Mountains, Jack Meyer brings to the Greater Gila campaign a reverence for the wildlife and wild places that shaped him. Jack has worked on social and environmental justice issues throughout his adult life and during his time as an Environmental Studies student at Northern Arizona University. In 2014 he began working with 350.org's fossil fuel divestment movement, and has founded chapters for Our Climate and the Sunrise Movement in Arizona to advocate for science based policy solutions to address climate change. After a year in Tennessee working with Appalachian Voices on their energy democracy campaign Jack is back in the West as WildEarth Guardians Greater Gila Advocate for Arizona. Feel free to send him an email to chat about the work he is doing to protect public lands across the Greater Gila Bioregion.

Zoe Camporaso

Wildlife Program Intern

Zoe is an intern in the Wildlife Program at WildEarth Guardians. She is majoring in Environmental Science at Lewis & Clark College, with a minor in History. She is passionate about soil science and the rights of land. Zoe enjoys vegetable gardening and one of her life goals is to swim in as many bodies of water as possible.

Megan Sweeney

Wild Places Intern

Megan is a rising 3L at the University of Oregon School of Law. Originally from Jupiter, Florida, she grew up scuba diving, snorkeling, and hiking in a state with unique ecosystems such as everglades and coral reefs, shaping her into the environmentally conscious individual she is today. Working at a sea turtle hospital and watching toxic algae blooms negatively affect both coral reefs and endangered species inspired her to drive positive change and pursue a career in environmental law. She attended the University of Florida and graduated in 2018 with a BS in Marine Science with minors in Mathematics and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. After graduation, she worked as an intern at JLA Geosciences, a hydrogeological contracting firm where she learned the importance of sustainable water and land management. Megan is very involved with the environmental law community through her leadership roles in the Land Air Water Environmental Law Society. Megan helped organize both the 2020 and 2021 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) through her positions as a 1L Representative and a Conference Co-Director. During her 3L year she will serve as a Land Air Water Co-Director. She has also been involved with the University Oregon’s Environmental and Natural Resources Center as a Fellow on the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project. Her research is focused on Biocriteria and reforming the CWA to better protect coral reefs and better address agricultural runoff. During her 2L year she also competed in the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition. During the summer of 2020 she worked for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. In the fall of 2020, she had a judicial externship at the U.S. District Court District of Oregon working for the Honorable Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai. Megan is very excited to gain further litigation skills by working in the Wildlife Program at the Portland Office of WildEarth Guardians.

Tessa Archibald

WIldlife Program Intern

Tessa Archibald is a passionate animal lover with a desire to preserve our natural world and increase respect for all species. She obtained a BS in Biopsychology from Tufts University and is currently working towards a Masters in Animals and Public Policy at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. She hopes that an understanding of complex human animal interactions and policy will promote more empathetic management of wildlife across all lands!

Joe Bushyhead

Endangered Species Policy Advocate

Joe Bushyhead joined Guardians in May 2021 as our Endangered Species Policy Advocate. Based in Denver, he works to protect imperiled Western species as well as the integrity of the Endangered Species Act itself. Prior to Guardians, Joe spent seven years as a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and clerked for the Honorable Tena Campbell at the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. He holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Oregon School of Law. Before law school, he worked for the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resource Management on, among other projects, a study of Chinook salmon in Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River watershed.

Hailey Zimber

Research Intern

My name is Hailey Zimber and I am a rising senior majoring in Politics at Whitman College. I am thrilled to be joining WildEarth Guardians as a research and community organizing intern for the Greater Gila Campaign. As a born and raised New Mexican, the Greater Gila is one of the silos of wilderness that have shaped who I know myself to be. Protecting the Gila means protecting myself, my state, and my community, and for this reason, this position is especially meaningful to me.

Dustin Martin

Member, Board of Directors

Dustin grew up hiking, camping, riding, skiing and running the vast outdoor sanctuaries surrounding Gallup, NM. Distance running led him to New York City, where he earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Columbia University. In 2011, Dustin returned to the southwest to serve as program director for Wings of America- a not for profit that empowers Tribal youth and their families by introducing them to the cultural, spiritual and competitive legacy of Native runners. Under his leadership, the organization has continued to provide elite-level opportunities for talented Native runners while making a concerted effort to create new programs for fledgling harriers of all abilities. Moving forward, Dustin hopes to continue promoting the positive achievements of Native runners while helping foster and test new models for acquainting Native youth with their ancestral homelands.

Francine D. Spang-Willis

Member, Board of Directors

Francine D. Spang-Willis is of Cheyenne, Pawnee, and settler descent. She is a descendant of Chief Dull Knife, also known as Morning Star, and Pawnee Woman. She is also a descendant of a pioneer family who settled in Montana during the late 1800s. Francine received a Master of Arts in Oral History from Columbia University and a Master of Arts in Native American Studies from Montana State University. Her graduate studies have focused on settler colonialism processes and bison and land restoration. Her work has primarily focused on helping others learn about these processes and to evolve them for the benefit of the greater whole. She enjoys hiking, skiing, ice climbing, and spending time with her husband and beagle near Bozeman and their off-grid cabin near the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Tricia Snyder

Rio Grande Campaigner

Tricia, as a child of military parents, spent much of her childhood moving frequently in the U.S. and abroad, but calls El Paso, TX home. Growing up on the banks of the (often dry) Rio Grande and the water scarcity of the Southwest sparked a life-long interest in finding solutions for water conflicts in the arid and semi-arid American West. Tricia received a B.S. in Geography with a focus on human-environment connection from New Mexico State University. Her research while there centered on water management across borders. She spent 5 years working with the Southwest Environmental Center working to protect and restore the wildlife and wild places of the Southwest borderlands, particularly focused on the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf. In 2015, Tricia moved to Washington state to pursue a graduate degree, receiving an M.S. in Cultural and Environmental Resource Management from Central Washington University. Her thesis, which conducted an adaptive capacity assessment of the Upper Klamath Basin, utilized both quantitative and qualitative research methods. She worked for nearly four years on salmon recovery as the Lead Entity Coordinator for the Yakima Basin in central Washington, bringing together a diverse group of interests and perspectives. Tricia joined WildEarth Guardians as the Rio Grande Campaigner in 2021.

Melissa Hailey

Vice President, Board of Directors

Melissa Hailey is a lawyer practicing at the firm of Keating Wagner Polidori Free, P.C., in Denver, where she represents plaintiffs in civil cases involving personal injury, insurance, and environmental matters. Prior to moving into private practice, Melissa worked as a staff attorney for WildEarth Guardians from 2006 – 2010. Since then, she served for six years on the board of directors for the Southern Plains Land Trust. Melissa’s love of the West began when her family moved to Denver from Memphis, TN in 1991. She is a wildlife enthusiast and all around animal lover. In addition to her work with WildEarth Guardians, Melissa is an active member of the Colorado Women’s Bar, the Colorado Trial Lawyer’s Association, and the Animal Legal Defense Fund. She also serves as pro bono counsel for the board of directors of High Country News.

Rebecca Vitale Mandich

Member, Board of Directors

Rebecca Vitale Mandich of Palo Alto, CA and Tesuque, NM, was called early to the environmental movement to give voice to the voiceless. An advocate since the 70s, she received her degree in Environmental Studies taught by some of the big thinkers of the time such as Paul Ehrlich, Stewart Brand, Dr. Richard Leakey, Alan Chadwick, and Dr. Donald Aitken, who founded the program at SJSUC as one of first in the nation. Utilizing that education, coupled with commitment and inspiration, Rebecca started taking actions from working in one of the first solar energy homes to working on ballot measures for better public transportation systems in the Bay Area. She assisted in opening the first Spanish-speaking office for Clinton/Gore campaign in 1992 and registered many in the local Hispanic community, hosting then candidate VP Gore to discuss the environment and community issues. In the meantime, she married Mitch Mandich and has two grown children, Matthew and Madeleine, and various dogs and cats have graced their lives. Having traveled extensively, her favorite escape is camping in our national parks and on public monuments and lands, where she has experienced all manner of wildlife and wild places. She became acquainted with WildEarth Guardians about six years ago when she read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about their lawsuit against U.S. Fish and Wildlife services regarding wolves. She sent them a letter and a fast friendship formed over their mutual love of all things wild. Rebecca sees much hope in the future of the environmental movement that began with “Save the Whales" to now promoting a food and energy paradigm for the sustainability of natural resources. A deep political will and an openness to examine new ideas dictate her thinking. She feels that embracing environmental changes through engagement, both politically and through grassroots efforts, are paramount for the evolution of a responsible species to continue the ride on, what she affectionately refers to as, Spaceship Earth.

Gay Dillingham

Vice President, Board of Directors

Gay Dillingham has consistently juggled her passions for the environment, public policy and communication to deepen our human experience and success while on this marvelous planet. Co-Founder, Co-CEO of Earthstone International, LLC. Earthstone is an environmental Intellectual Property (IP) company manufacturing recycled glass into an engineered "white foam glass" for surface abrasion, non-toxic cleaning technologies, agriculture products and building materials. Dillingham owns her own production company, CNS Communications and is an award winning producer/director. Her feature documentary, “Dying to Know” is currently on Amazon Prime Video. 2003-2010 Dillingham was appointed by Governor Richardson to serve on the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board. The EIB is responsible for environmental management and consumer protection for the state. She Chaired the Board for six years managing the passage of many important regulations including green house gas reduction regulations. 2001-2015 She served as part time executive director for the Livingry Foundation, focusing on sustainable development and long term progressive infrastructure. Other charitable board service has included New Mexico Association of Grantmakers, Bioneers, New Mexico Community College, New Voice of Business, the Coalition for Quality Children's Media, and World Security Institute out of DC. Dillingham has traveled to North Korea twice: 2010 with Governor Bill Richardson as an energy advisor and in 2015 as one of 30 international women delegates www.womencrossdmz.org. Gay grew up under the open skies and with her two sisters still owns/operates a working ranch in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The past few years Gay has been working with Wild Earth Guardians on their Greater Gila Campaign.

Lindsay Larris

Wildlife Program Director

Lindsay Larris joined Guardians in April 2019 as the Wildlife Program Director. She strives to protect all species, great and small, in the West. Lindsay grew up in New Jersey and headed west after law school, discovering a passion for all things outdoors during 11 years in Southern California. She received a B.A. in Political Science from NYU and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School. While a law student, Lindsay co-founded the Journal of Animal Law and Ethics and helped bring an animal law clinic to Penn Law. Lindsay spent seven years practicing civil litigation in the Los Angeles area, working on environmental litigation, trust and estate litigation, and international arbitration, while doing as much pro-bono work as possible. Seeking a more fulfilling career, in 2013, Lindsay quit private practice, fled to Argentina for six months, and came back committed to working in animal and environmental protection. Prior to joining Guardians, Lindsay worked for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, drafting and advancing legislation and policy initiatives to protect the interests of all animals; wild, captive and domestic. Lindsay lives in Denver and can be found exploring new trails with her dog, Willow.

Lindsay Biedel

Major Gifts Officer

Lindsay Biedel joined WildEarth Guardians in 2019 as our Major Gifts Officer. Lindsay grew up in Oregon but has lived all over the West including time in Montana, Washington, and Northern California before putting down roots in Boise, Idaho. Lindsay graduated from the University of Montana in Organizational Communications and has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 15 years as a fundraising specialist. Lindsay is excited to be raising funds for critical conservation issues in the West, something she is deeply passionate about. Lindsay volunteers with several local nonprofits and is also involved with the Idaho Chapter of Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Lindsay is most at peace when outdoors hiking, skiing, biking or floating magnificent rivers in Idaho, and all over the West, with her husband and two daughters. Her strong travel addiction also takes her to other interesting locations whenever possible!

Adam Rissien

Rewilding Advocate

Adam Rissien joined WildEarth Guardians as the ReWilding Advocate in March, 2019 where he previously worked before moving to Ohio in 2014 to be with his family. While in Ohio, Adam was with the Ohio Environmental Council fighting agricultural pollution to help stop toxic algae growing in Lake Erie, until starting his own business, Land Ethic Consulting, LLC. During this time, he served as a statehouse lobbyist for the Sierra Club to advance clean energy legislation, and he also provided technical support for a range of clients. Before moving to Ohio, Adam spent 15 years in the Northern Rockies, where he focused on protecting and restoring national forest lands. This included working as the Policy Specialist with Wildlands CPR before the organization’s merger with WildEarth Guardians in 2013. Much of Adam’s career focused on protecting special places from off-road vehicle damage, and promoting an ecologically sustainable Forest Service transportation system. Adam earned a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana with an environmental policy emphasis, and currently resides in Missoula, MT with his wife and son.

Samantha Bruegger, M.P.P.

Wildlife Coexistence Campaigner

Samantha's work is focused on advocating for better policies and laws that empower people to coexist with native carnivores across the West and at the federal level. From working to reform the federal wildlife-killing program USDA Wildlife Services to developing resources for state wolf planning, Samantha is driven to see fewer dead animals and dispel misinformation on some of America’s most iconic species.

She possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies from University of California Riverside and a Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University. Samantha’s past work experience includes work in local government & business relations, public affairs, rural economics and environmental policy. She currently resides in Salem, Oregon with her family and their small menagerie of animals.

Daniel Timmons

Staff Attorney

Daniel Timmons joined WildEarth Guardians as a staff attorney in 2019, where his work focuses on halting fossil fuel development on public lands and protecting the imperiled wild rivers of the Southwest.

Trained in both law and science, Daniel earned his Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School, his Masters’ of Science in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Northern Arizona University, and his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University. Prior to joining Guardians, Daniel was as an associate attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charleston, South Carolina, and he previously worked in private environmental law practice in Portland, Oregon. He is licensed to practice law in Oregon, Washington, and South Carolina (inactive).

Daniel lives in Santa Fe with his wife, where he enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, and exploring the ever-inspiring American West.

Jeremy Bremser

Financial Manager

Jeremy Bremser grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He attended college in Albuquerque at UNM where he received his degree in Accounting. In past years Jeremy was the Controller for a local hotel and for a large property management company. Jeremy has been in the finance world for over 10 years. 

Jeremy spent his youth traveling the world and enjoying the sport of scuba diving. Other than diving Jeremy spends his free time running, playing the Saxophone, and being SuperDad to a lovely little girl.

Bill Syme

President, Board of Directors

Bill Syme joined the board in 2009. He is the only board member who is a native New Mexican and brings this unique perspective to the deliberations of the board. His love of nature began early in his life with frequent trips to New Mexico and southern Colorado forests and streams, backpacking and fly-fishing with his family. Voyages to the Gila and Pecos made a lasting impression on young Bill leading to the desire to preserve wilderness areas in as pristine a state as possible. He went to college at Stanford university, majoring in biology and chemistry. While there he became involved in outdoor biological research. One summer was spent just outside Yosemite studying chipmunks. The next year he was involved in the student lead Mono Lake study evaluating the effects of water diversions by Los Angeles on the ecology of the lake. The results of this study are still in evidence today with the maintenance of water levels in the lake high enough to preserve the breeding islands of gulls. Currently he works as a general surgeon in Albuquerque, in private practice since 1990 but also involved in teaching residents and medical students from UNM. He continues to have a love for the outdoors and spends time outside hiking, cycling, backpacking, bird watching,skiing,gardening and fly-fishing.

Peter Schoenburg

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Peter Schoenburg is a partner in the Albuquerque law offices of Rothstein, Donatelli, Hughes, Dahlstrom, Schoenburg & Bienvenu, LLP. He has practiced criminal defense law in New Mexico since 1978. He received his undergraduate degree at Yale College and his law degree at Rutgers School of Law. A former Federal and State Public Defender, as well as an Assistant Attorney General, since 1993 Peter has worked in private practice defending complex criminal cases in both Federal and State courts. He also regularly represents Native Americans charged with illegal possession of feathers in connection with their religious practices. He has been continuously listed in The Best Lawyers in America - Criminal Defense since 1994. Peter’s love of the wilderness and commitment to its preservation began in his child-hood years in upstate New York. Beginning in law school he worked as an instructor at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine and the, now defunct, Southwest Outward Bound School based in Santa Fe. He is an avid rafter, hiker, skier and cyclist.

Kristina Martinez

Member, Board of Directors

Kristina Martinez was born and raised in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Arizona and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico. Ms. Martinez has practiced law in Santa Fe since 2006. She focuses her practice in the areas of civil rights, general civil litigation, and family law. Kristina serves on the Ethics & Campaign Review Board for the City of Santa Fe as well as the boards of the St. Michael’s High School Foundation and Cooking with Kids. She loves the Santa Fe community and the American Southwest and strives to help preserve and enrich both by serving on the WildEarth Guardians’ board, which she joined in 2015.

Nat Cobb

Member, Board of Directors

Nat Cobb joined the Guardians Board in 2010. He grew exploring the outdoor environments in New Mexico, Colorado, and Pakistan. In the 1970’s he worked for five different Outward Bound schools in diverse environments, including three years directing programs in the Gila Wilderness. He also worked as a river guide on the Grand Canyon and in Dinosaur National Monument. A graduate of Fort Lewis College and Harvard Medical School, he recently retired from the Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control, where his work included Family Practice, Emergency Medicine, Research and Epidemiology. He still loves to explore mountains, rivers and deserts by boat, ski, foot, and bicycle. He and his wife actively support and partner with several local farmers in farm-to-table, farm-to-beer mug, and farm-to-wineglass projects. At home on the bank of the Rio Grande in Los Ranchos, NM, he dabbles in native plant landscaping and tries to co-exist with the coyote, geese, beaver, and sandhill cranes who live in his back yard.

Glen Colton

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Glen and his wife have lived in Fort Collins, Colorado since 1979. They have one daughter. Glen has been active in the community for many years, serving on numerous boards and commissions involved with community planning, the environment, open spaces, natural resources, sustainability, and economic health. He has been especially active in population and growth issues at the local, state, and national level. For many years, he wrote a bi-monthly business column for the Fort Collins Coloradoan, focusing on providing an alternative view to the pro-growth bias dominant in the media. Glen worked at Hewlett Packard and Agilent Technologies in Finance and retired in 2001. He graduated from Wartburg College in Iowa in 1978 with a degree in Accounting and Economics. While growing up in Iowa he developed a passion for the outdoors hiking, fishing, camping, canoeing, and hunting. He also was a three-sport athlete in high school and college, playing football, wrestling, and track. While Glen believes in taking individual action to help achieve sustainability, and protect the environment and wildlife, he believes it is equally important to stabilize population and move our economy to a “steady state” economy not dependent on economic and population growth. When he’s not working on sustainability issues, Glen enjoys fly fishing, biking, hiking, downhill and cross country skiing, gardening, and just being in the outdoors.

Cathy Bailey

Secretary, Board of Directors

Cathy Bailey works with young people to connect them with wild places. She is an outdoor and environmental educator of distinction. Cathy has her BA from the University of Texas at Austin, her MA from the University of Texas El Paso, and environmental educator training from the National Outdoor Leadership School. For over 25 years she has been a classroom teacher. Presently, as a science teacher at Albuquerque’s Bosque School, she has built and implemented curriculum based on the landscape at hand. Her students participate in citizen science programs where their research informs habitat management. Each year she spends weeks leading students into wilderness. Cathy has also worked extensively as a lay leader within the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande with youth programs, capital fundraising, and social justice and inclusivity issues. For Cathy, the inseparable goals of a healthy environment and healthy human community are central to her life’s calling. At home in Albuquerque, Cathy’s family, her pair of running dogs, a flock of chickens, a much loved garden, the Sandia Wilderness and the Rio Grande keep her connected to that which matters.

David Will

President, Board of Directors

David Will was born and raised in the rural Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. Prior to attending college, David spent summers traveling the United States to study the geology of National Parks during summer field study trips led by his father, an adjunct professor of geology for a local college. His passion for protected spaces and wilderness led him to earn a B.S. in Natural Resources and a M.P.A with an emphasis in public lands protection from Cornell University. During summers between college semesters, David worked as a Park Ranger Naturalist at Rocky Mountain and Grand Teton National Parks, where he shared his passion for natural history with countless visitors exploring Rocky Mountain landscapes. After completing graduate school, David worked for the National Parks Conservation Association and The Wilderness Society before becoming a partner in an education consulting firm. David lives in Durango, Colorado where he finds peace in the mountains and forests of the San Juan Mountains.

Mimsi Milton

Member, Board of Directors

Mimsi Milton spent three glorious summers as a teenager at a camp in Estes Park and became hooked on the West. Years later, after many western vacations, she and her husband moved their family to Denver, where they didn't know a soul, and were “home” from day one. Mimsi has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin. As a journalist, she worked with Wolf Blitzer on a national, Middle East newsletter and with Martin Agronsky on his nightly, live PBS show. She was a staff writer for Parent and Child Magazine and The Baltimore Jewish Times and a freelancer for The Washington Post and other publications. Mimsi was Associate Director of Development for the D.C. Sidwell Friends School and Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs for the Kent Denver School in Englewood, Colorado. Following that she owned and operated a gallery of international crafts. Mimsi spends summers in Frisco hiking, biking, gardening, painting and expanding her repertoire of vegan recipes. She serves on the board of CO-Force (Coloradans for Fair Rates and Clean Energy), a non-profit that promotes renewable energy and works to end the use of fossil fuels.

John Horning

Executive Director

John Horning was born and raised in Washington, DC and grew up on a street that bordered Rock Creek Park, one of the wildest urban parks in our country, where he cultivated an appreciation for the solace of wild spaces. He fondly recalls a childhood searching for salamanders, hearing Pileated wood peckers and watching fire flies light up summer evenings. Mr. Horning graduated in1989 from Colorado College, where he not only played football for four years (becoming the offense’s MVP his senior year) but also first developed a life-long appreciation for Wallace Stegner, the writer and the man. After biking around the country and then working for a variety of environmental education and advocacy groups he moved to New Mexico in 1994 to join the staff of what would later become WildEarth Guardians. He feels privileged to be a voice for the voiceless.

Articles by John

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Kevin Gaither-Banchoff

Development Director

Kevin Gaither-Banchoff joined WildEarth Guardians in 2010 as our Development Director. Kevin moved to the southwest in late 1994 and has worked ever since to protect its biodiversity and wild nature. He has served as Development Director for both Native Seeds/Search and The Wildlands Project, worked as a fundraising and organizational development consultant for numerous local and regional conservation non-profits, and spent four years working as Executive Director for the Arizona Wilderness Coalition. Kevin enjoys sharing his vision for a healthy and vibrant western landscape with his family and friends, and the many wild critters that make this same land their home. Kevin lives in Tucson with his wife Kelli and two girls Abby and Allie, loves to camp, hike, garden and just be outdoors. Kevin has been a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals since 1996.

Marla Fox, J.D.

Staff Attorney

Marla Fox joined WildEarth Guardians’ Legal Team in 2019 after working as the Rewilding Attorney since 2015. Her litigation focuses on reconnecting wild places and waterways on public lands across the American West. Originally from Minnesota, Marla spent her informative years swimming and fishing in northern lakes. She received her B.A. in Spanish and Biology from St. Olaf College and her Juris Doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School. From 2012 to 2015 Marla was a Legal Fellow and then Staff Attorney for the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, where she focused on Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act enforcement. Marla is licensed to practice law in Oregon and Washington. When not working in front of her computer, you can find Marla exploring the West on backpacking trips, running trails, or hiking with her family.

Madeleine Carey

Greater Gila Guardian

Madeleine Carey is the WildEarth Guardians’ Greater Gila Guardian. Born and raised in Albuquerque, Madeleine spent her childhood exploring the Rio Grande and its bosque on foot and on horseback. In May 2014, she graduated from Tufts University in Medford, MA with a degree in Biology and Urban Studies. While at Tufts, she was a four-year member of the Track and Cross Country teams and a trip leader for the Tufts Wilderness Orientation program. During college, Madeleine spent her summers working for the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program, researching American Pika in the Valles Caldera National Preserve and working with NM State Forestry to create a post-wildfire assistance guide. An avid runner and pie baker, Madeleine is always looking for ways to combine adventures with brunch.

Articles by Madeleine

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Chris Krupp

Public Lands Attorney

Chris joined WildEarth Guardians in September, 2016 as our Public Lands Guardian. He will lead our Keep Public Lands in Public Hands campaign. His work will focus on preventing our commons from being treated as a commodity by those seeking to privatize the nation’s public lands via numerous schemes, including Congressional and administrative land trades and conveyances.  Chris grew up playing in the fields and woods of his grandparents’ dairy farms in central Wisconsin. He received his J.D. from the University of Washington and his B.A. in Economics from Lawrence University. Prior to joining us, Chris was staff attorney for Western Lands Project for fifteen years. He enjoys camping and hiking with his family, as well as vegetable gardening and cooking.

Articles by Chris

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Carol Norton

Associate Director

Carol Norton is WildEarth Guardians’ Associate Director. Before coming to work at the Guardians, she spent over eight years working at Intel Corporation in Rio Rancho, NM in the information technology group as both a people and project manager. While there, she earned a Project Management Professional certification from Project Management International (PMI). Carol’s other positions have included running a family software business with her father, doing sales support for Apple Computer, and project management for the National Indian Business Association.

Carol graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biology. Then she worked for the National Park Service for a year before starting a career in the technology field. She gladly returns to conservation—her true calling. Carol has lived in the Southwest since 1989 and has worked on a variety of issues here including land use and wilderness designation. Carol is an avid backpacker, hiker, and runner.

Caitlin Oxley

Membership Manager

Caitlin Oxley joined WildEarth Guardians as Membership Manager in April 2017. Born and raised in southern Kansas, Caitlin spent most of her time outside. Her favorite childhood memories are of playing in the small creeks that meander through her home county. She graduated from Kansas State University with BAs in English and Mass Communications and spent the first part of her career at museums. She moved to Portland, OR to follow her dream of working for an organization that protects wildlife and wild places. Caitlin currently volunteers as a Crew Leader for Friends of Trees, teaching Oregonians about the importance of planting native species to restore natural areas, especially watersheds. Her favorite place to spend her free time is outside in a hammock, reading a book with her schnoodle and listening to the birds sing.

Annaliza Herrera

Digital Content Coordinator

Annaliza Herrera joined WildEarth Guardians' Communications team in the fall of 2017. Prior to this, she was employed by the Santa Fe Community Foundation as their Administrative Services Associate. It was during her time with SFCF that she gained an appreciation for nonprofit work. A native of northern New Mexico, Annaliza has a great love for the culture and beauty she grew up with in the Española Valley. Annaliza earned her B.A. in Theater from the University of New Mexico after returning home from Los Angeles, where she did conservatory training at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts - West. In her spare time, she enjoys creative writing, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Laurele Fulkerson, J.D.

Grants Manager

Laurele joined Guardians in June 2016 as our Grants Manager. A California native, Laurele grew up swimming in the ocean off the Southern California coast, hiking and backpacking in the Sierras, and getting outdoors at every opportunity possible. She developed a passion for protecting wildlife and wild places at an early age, which ultimately led her to the Pacific Northwest. She holds a J.D. and Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis & Clark Law School, and a B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Santa Barbara. Laurele has fifteen years of experience in nonprofit management and environmental law and policy, bringing a unique combination of fundraising and program experience to Guardians. She has worked on a wide array of public lands, water, and wildlife issues, most recently as Policy Director for Cascade Forest Conservancy. Prior to that, Laurele directed the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides’ water and wildlife program and managed government affairs for Wild Salmon Center.

Marlies Wierenga, M.S.

Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager

Marlies Wierenga is the Pacific Northwest Conservation Manager for WildEarth Guardians, serves under the Wild Places Program Director, and formerly served as WA/OR Coordinator for Wildlands CPR until their merger with WildEarth Guardians in 2013. Marlies has over a decade of experience using her technical, policy and public involvement skills to address watershed and water quality challenges throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has analyzed environmental conditions and developed numerous shoreline, watershed and water quality plans for local and state jurisdictions. Marlies has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the Evergreen State College, where her thesis analyzed the dual mandate of National Parks in Alaska to meet conservation goals and support the subsistence practices of local people (focus was Wrangell-St. Elias National Park).

Articles by Marlies

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Rebecca Sobel

Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner

Rebecca Sobel is the Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner at WildEarth Guardians.  The entirety of her professional career has been focused on social and environmental justice. Originally from Philadelphia, Rebecca feels blessed to call the Southwest her home. In 2006 Rebecca began working with Greenpeace as a Field Organizer, where she organized the March for Climate Action in Vermont with Bill McKibben. In 2007 she started with WildEarth Guardians as the Grassroots Director.  After some time away, including a stint as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy, she came back to Guardians in 2016.  Rebecca has an indefatigable passion for this work and brings a wealth of experience to our organization.

Articles by Rebecca

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Chris Smith, M.A.

Southwest Wildlife Advocate

Chris grew up in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from which he developed a rudimentary, but deep appreciation for natural beauty and ecological function. He earned a B.A. from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, where he then began working as an organizer and environmental activist. After earning an M.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Chicago, Chris returned to Oregon to advocate for coastal forests and the human and wildlife communities that rely on them. Thrilled to return to the high desert landscapes of his upbringing and to help protect the resilient wildlife of the area, he joined WildEarth Guardians in 2017 as the Southern Rockies Wildlife Advocate.

Articles by Chris

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Samantha Ruscavage-Barz, Ph.D., J.D.

Legal Director

Samantha Ruscavage-Barz is Legal Director for WildEarth Guardians and has been with the organization for over a decade. She is responsible for coordinating the organization’s litigation strategies, managing and developing staff attorneys, and litigating cases for the Wild Rivers Program. Samantha is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law where she is also an Adjunct Professor teaching Environmental Litigation Drafting and coaching the Environmental Law Moot Court Team. Prior to becoming an attorney, Samantha spent 17 years as an archaeologist in the public and private sectors before attending law school, which led to her interest in advocating for and effecting protection of air and water, community health, cultural sites, and public lands ecosystems.

Jen Pelz, J.D.

Wild Rivers Program Director

Jen Pelz joined Guardians in March 2013 as the Wild Rivers Program Director where she strives to breathe new life into the endangered rivers of the West. Jen grew up in New Mexico exploring the mesas of Albuquerque, fishing and camping along the Pecos River and wearing her father’s waders to fish the Conejos River near Platoro every summer. She received her B.A. in Field Biology from the University of Northern Colorado in 1998 and her J.D. and Certificate of Environmental and Natural Resource Law from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2002. Jen was a co-director for the 2001 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference and was a clinic student for the Western Environmental Law Center. Jen practiced law for seven years at a small private firm in Denver, litigating land use, public lands and water law cases. She loves spending time with her husband and two little girls, tending her organic garden, and (slowly) remodeling her 1964 ranch home. Jen lives with her family in Colorado.

Articles by Jen

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Jeremy Nichols

Climate and Energy Program Director

Jeremy Nichols joined WildEarth Guardians in 2008 as the Director of the Climate and Energy Program, taking action to fight fossil fuels, promote clean energy, slash greenhouse gases, and develop innovative strategies to safeguard the climate and the American West. Jeremy has been active in conservation advocacy since 2000, when he first started working with Biodiversity Conservation Alliance to protect forests, grasslands, and imperiled species in Wyoming and the Black Hills of South Dakota. In 2006, he founded and led Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action, a nonprofit that successfully held polluters, states, and the Environmental Protection Agency accountable to our clean air laws throughout the Rocky Mountain region. A native Idahoan, Jeremy made his way to the Rocky Mountain west to study geology at the University of Wyoming. After living in Colorado for 15 years, he now lives in Missoula, Montana with his family.

Articles by Jeremy

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Sarah McMillan, J.D.

Conservation Director

Sarah McMillan grew up reading Ed Abbey by kerosene lamp at night and exploring the woods, rivers, and mountains of Montana and western Washington by day. She received her B.A. from Williams College and her J.D. from the University of Montana. Sarah is an avid hiker, locavore wannabe (notable downfalls include olive oil, licorice, Marmite, and black tea), and life-long environmentalist. She has worked in private practice and with Western Environmental Law Center to protect the natural world. Her litigation background is broad—from the ESA, CWA, NEPA, NFMA, etc. to protecting Montanans right to a clean and healthful environment, to defending a citizen's initiative that effectively stopped game farm "hunting" in Montana.

Dave Levine

Communications Director

Dave Levine is WildEarth Guardians’ Communications Director. His personal passion is wild places. His professional passion is telling stories to change the world for the better. A psychology degree (and undergraduate and graduate work in earth and environmental science) from Wesleyan University and a mediation certification from the University of New Mexico Law School laid the foundation for intimately understanding people and what motivates them. Dave's nearly 20 years of professional experience creating communications for nonprofits, business-to-business and consumer clients nationwide means he excels at creating powerful brand experiences that move people. As a Guardian, he feels tremendously honored to integrate his lifelong passion and reverence for wild places with his professional experience to help protect and restore those ecosystems for generations to come. Out of the office, you may not actually see him, but his footprints and ski tracks lead to some of Colorado’s most rugged and remote wild places.

Articles by Dave

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Taylor Jones, M.S.

Endangered Species Advocate

Taylor Jones joined WildEarth Guardians in 2010 as our Endangered Species Advocate. She received an M. Sc. in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010, where she was a member of the Carnivore Coexistence Lab. Before entering graduate school, she did a variety of conservation work in New Mexico and Colorado, including prairie dog relocation and riparian area surveys. She has been fascinated by animals great and small her whole life, from a childhood spent watching ants to a Master's thesis on the Andean bear. She intends to apply one of the Bodhisattva vows to her work with endangered species: "Beings are numberless; I vow to save them all." She also holds an undergraduate degree in visual arts from Brown University, where she originally decided to dedicate herself to preserving the natural world that continues to inspire her paintings. Taylor leads WildEarth Guardians' Protecting the Prairie Dog Empire priority campaign.

Carol Norton

Associate Director

Carol Norton is WildEarth Guardians’ Associate Director. Before coming to work at the Guardians, she spent over eight years working at Intel Corporation in Rio Rancho, NM in the information technology group as both a people and project manager. While there, she earned a Project Management Professional certification from Project Management International (PMI). Carol’s other positions have included running a family software business with her father, doing sales support for Apple Computer, and project management for the National Indian Business Association. Carol graduated from Brown University with a degree in Biology. Then she worked for the National Park Service for a year before starting a career in the technology field. She gladly returns to conservation—her true calling. Carol has lived in the Southwest since 1989 and has worked on a variety of issues here including land use and wilderness designation. Carol is an avid backpacker, hiker, and runner, which she does with her dog Paz whenever possible.

Articles by Carol

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