My professional career involved working directly with foresters, biologists, wildland fire managers, hydrologists, soil scientists, range specialists, engineers, contractors, landowners, administrators, and inter-agency incident-management personnel. Experience across working lands—including timber and livestock operations—has provided broad exposure to natural resource management, landscape ecology, project implementation, and the practical realities of managing land over time.
Working across different landscapes, ownerships, disciplines, and management situations strengthened my ability to understand how resource conditions, land uses, operational constraints, and management objectives interact. That experience supports:
- Assessing resource conditions at property and landscape scales.
- Identifying concerns, opportunities, limitations, risks, and competing management needs.
- Developing short- and long-term management strategies suited to site conditions and landowner objectives.
- Evaluating management options, environmental effects, wildlife habitat, sensitive resources, and operational considerations.
- Coordinating interdisciplinary and inter-agency planning when projects involve multiple resources, interests, or technical specialties.
- Translating plans into practical projects by considering access, timing, equipment, personnel, budgets, logistics, and technical requirements.
- Administering, implementing, and monitoring projects from planning through completion.
- Adjusting plans and priorities as conditions, resources, funding, or management needs change.
Education & Credentials
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Certified Conservation Management Planner (2024-current) to assist rural landowners in Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.
- Bachelor’s degrees in Wildlife Management and Range Management from Oregon State University, with postgraduate study in Forest Ecology and Silviculture (U. of Montana, Washington St., U of Idaho); Certified Wildlife Biologist, 1982–2000.
- Forty-year U.S. Forest Service career in Idaho and Montana, with extensive experience in interdisciplinary natural resource management and communication with resource professionals, landowners, forest users, agencies, and the public.
- Forty-six wildfire seasons, including 22 seasons as a lead Incident Safety Officer, strengthening skills in risk assessment, managing priorities, evaluating options, determining next steps, and recommending practical actions under changing conditions.
- Twenty years as a volunteer Advanced EMT, further developing field assessment, situational awareness, triage, and emergency decision-making skills.
