Maureen 'Mo' Bookwalter
Biomass and Wood Products Promotion Program
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Maureen 'Mo' Bookwalter works for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in their Biomass and Wood Products Promotion Program. She is also a board member of Missoula's Open Space Advisory Committee. She received her M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana in 2004. Her graduate work focused on the divestment of corporate timberlands and the conservation strategies being utilized to maintain working forests. She spent many years in the Greater Yellowstone and Crown of the Continent ecosystems working at a diverse array of jobs including park ranger, seasonal biologist and field technician. Her passion in the conservation field lies with protecting rural places – working towards balanced solutions that sustain the natural resources while simultaneously sustaining local economies and protecting rural culture. Maureen grew up in a small community in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, a place that grew her desire to protect the beauty and culture of rural landscapes while building rural economies. She lives in Missoula with her two daughters, Willa and Wren and husband Jeff. She is an avid trail runner and natural history buff.
Kathy DeMaster
Environment Science, Policy and Management
University of California-Berkeley
Kathy DeMaster is an Assistant Professor of Agriculture, Society, and the Environment at the University of California - Berkeley, where her research and teaching emphasize agriculture and food systems, environmental and rural sociology, and rural economic development. Previous to Berkeley, she was at Brown University where she worked at the Center for Environmental Studies.
Kathy completed her Ph.D. in Environment and Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where her dissertation involved an extended case study of the national Polish organic agriculture sector.
Kathy was born in Great Falls, Montana and raised in the Swan Valley, on a 12 acre farm near Ferndale. She is an avid supporter of working farms, forests and ranches, a well loved instructor, and a respected researcher.
Krista Kaarre
Landscape & Livelihood Alumna
Krista Kaarre grew up in Northwest Montana, adventuring around the woods on foot and horseback. She is a Landscape & Livelihood alumna from 2010 and a NwC summer field intern from 2011. Krista graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Resource Conservation in 2012. After which she spent a summer on the Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear DNA project. She lives in Columbia Falls.
Mary Mitsos
National Forest Foundation
Mary is the Vice-President, Conservation Programs of the National Forest Foundation (NFF). Chartered by Congress in 1990, the NFF engages America in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of the 192-million-acre National Forest System. Mary provides leadership for NFF’s conservation programs, facilitates many diverse community groups, and provides technical assistance on public lands issues. Her specialized interests are in collaborative stewardship and contracting mechanisms on public forestlands, conservation-based development and strengthening the working relationship between local communities and forestland managers.
Jim Quinn
Swan Valley resident
Jim and wife Terry are excellent naturalists who joined us on a few different animal tracking courses. Jim is an avid hunter and sportman who recently sold his ranch in central Montana to relocate to his family property here in Condon. Jim brings a life of successful business management to the board and is already making strong improvements in our marketing and programs.
Nathan Richardson
Euchre Mountain Logging
Nathan is a logging professional and has been in his family's business, Euchre Mountain Logging, since 1995. He enjoys hunting and fishing and spending time with his family in the great outdoors.
Ben Thompson
RBM Lumber
Ben's passion is working in the woods with nature. He is part owner of RBM Lumber, a family owned and operated sawmill and logging operation located in Columbia Falls, MT. The mill, founded by Ben and his brother Roy in the 1970’s, has grown from a 3-man show to a business that now employs more then 25 people. RBM uses creative market approaches as part of a solution oriented way to maintain a sustainable future for Montana’s wood products industry. Ben says he has "never been a follower of trends and cares deeply about all living things and the awesome network they create."
Scott Tomson
Seeley Lake and Missoula Ranger Districts
Lolo National Forest
Scott has been a wildlife biologist for the Seeley Lake and Missoula Ranger Districts of Lolo National Forest since 2001. He began his career in resource management with a stint in the Peace Corps (Philippines 1989-1990) as an Agro-forestry volunteer. He has also worked as a forestry technician in the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Scott received his master's degree in wildlife biology at the University of Montana. His research with private, state and federal agencies focuses on species such as pine marten, lynx, wolverine and bears. Scott divides his time between his home in Seeley Lake and Meadowlands Ranch in Condon. He is a board member of Clearwater Resource Council and is engaged in a variety of local conservation and education based efforts.
Juanita Vero
E Bar L Ranch
Juanita oversees the fourth generation of E Bar L Ranch, a family-owned and operated guest ranch in the Blackfoot Valley. The ranch prides itself on its conservation ethic and long term range and timber management. Her community involvement includes the Big Blackfoot Chapter of Trout Unlimited; Sunset School Board, serving a small, rural public school; the Missoula County Open Lands Committee; and fundraising for conservation easements in the Blackfoot as part of the Blackfoot Community Project. Juanita is also a member of Montana Conservation Voters, the Blackfoot Challenge and Community Food Agriculture Coalition.
IMAGE CREDIT: Top - Steven Gnam
