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Events Calendar | Become an AmeriCorps
Member | Volunteer
with PCEI
(Scroll down page for complete staff list and Program
areas)
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Thomas C. Lamar, Executive Director
PCEI's Executive Director since 1990. His twenty-eight years of
experience in the public interest sector has helped PCEI increase
citizen involvement in environmental issues. Tom has also taught
Conservation Leadership at the University of Idaho, Conservation Social
Sciences Department for the past six years. In 2007 he was elected to
the Moscow City
Council. Tom holds an MS degree in Environmental Science from
Washington State University (1985). He received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in Biology and Anthropology at the University of Delaware in
1982. While at Delaware and WSU, Tom studied the medicinal use of
Plants by the Shipibo Indians of
the Peruvian rainforest. Tom's background includes Central American
peace organizing in the 1980's. He also worked with the Northwest Coalition for
Alternatives to Pesticides for two years as an advocate for
pesticide exposure victims. Tom enjoys swimming, running, bicycling,
triathlons, and gardening. Email
Tom
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Greg Fizzell, Education Program Director
Greg earned a MS in Forest Resources from the University of Idaho, a BS
in Forestry from the University of Illinois, and has been working in
the field of environment and education for fourteen years. In 2001, he
co-founded the University of Idaho McCall
Outdoor Science School (MOSS) along with Dr. Steve Hollenhorst.
Greg now manages PCEI
environmental education efforts and is Program Director for MOSS.
In addition to environmental education, Greg's interests include dogs,
guitars, college football, and being outdoors with friends and
family.Email Greg
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Tracy Brown, Watersheds Program Director
Tracy joined PCEI's Watershed Program in August of 2004. Tracy completed
her Masters in Natural Resources (MNR) at the University of Idaho. At
UI, Tracy focused her energies and coursework on understanding the
ecological, social, political and economic issues surrounding natural
resource management. Her final master's project reflects her interest
in freshwater management and restoration and involved the development
of a monitoring plan for PCEI restoration sites. Prior to living in
Moscow, Tracy and her husband, Alan, were enjoying the mountains of
Colorado where she completed her undergraduate degree in Environmental,
Population and Organismic Biology at the University of Colorado at
Boulder. This degree and her love for wildlife led to numerous jobs in
the wildlife research field. One of her most exciting experiences was
working with The Peregrine Fund releasing Harpy eagles into the
rainforrest of Panama. In May of 2007, Tracy and Alan welcomed their
first baby boy into the world. Kobe Finch Stubbs Brown is an amazing
new addition to the Brown Family. They hope to include him on all (or
most) of their outdoor adventures! Email Tracy
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Erin Rishling, AmeriCorps Placement Director
After graduating high school in McLean, Virginia, Erin moved back out
west to attend the University of Idaho. She graduated in 2000 with a
degree in English Literature and her secondary teaching certificate.
For the past four years, she has been teaching Language Arts at
Kendrick High School. Erin is now extremely excited to be part of the
PCEI team working as an Outreach Program Assistant. The opportunity to
travel throughout Idaho, visiting our AmeriCorps members and seeing
firsthand their contributions, dedication, and hard work in our Idaho
communities is one she greatly appreciates.
In her free time, Erin loves traveling the world, reading good books,
attempting to write a publishable children’s book, hot springing, and
being with friends and family.
Email Erin
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Laurie Gardes, Financial Manager
Originally from San Diego, Laurie has been a Moscow resident since 1990.
She holds an MBA from California State University, Sacramento. Her BA
is in Diplomacy and World Affairs with an emphasis in economics from
Occidental College in LA. She volunteers with numerous community
organizations and enjoys running, gardening reading, and biking around
town in nice weather.
Laurie and Henry Gardes (see staff picture below) have commuted on foot
to PCEI since 1997. Actually, Henry's only been on staff since 2002,
but before that Winston Gardes was the PCEI guard dog. With 2 grown
children off in college in New Zealand and Hawai'i, Laurie and husband
Kevin are spending as much time as possible traveling to see friends
and family, and in Sonora, Mexico at La Mariposa Azul, their rental
house on the beautiful Sea of Cortez. Laurie appreciates being able to
do much of her PCEI work telecommuting from home and from fun places.
She might want to be a snowbird once the college tuition bills are
paid. Email Laurie
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Jen Hiebert, Office Manager
Jen was born and raised in northern Manitoba, Canada, where she
developed a love for the outdoors and a commitment to environmental
issues. A convoluted career path has led her to her current position
at PCEI. She has been a research assistant working with everything
from fish eggs to seal pups, has taught self-defense for women, and was
a Front End Manager at the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery/ in
southern Illinois.
Jen also has a B.Sc. in Ecology and a Master’s in Watershed Ecosystems.
She has enjoyed living in many places (including France and New
Zealand) but thinks Moscow is the perfect picnic spot. Jen loves cold
weather, photography, music, spending time with her husband and family,
and spoiling her dog, AJ. Email
Jen
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Sara Robson Cucksey, Watersheds Project Manager
Sara is no stranger to PCEI, she worked with PCEI as a watershed
restoration technician during the 2003 field seasons. A 2005 graduate
of the University of Idaho with an M.S. in Rangeland Ecology and
Managment with an emphasis in restoration ecology, Cucksey re-joined
the PCEI watershed team in April 2006. Robson has a diversity of
experience including serving in the Peace Corps in Nepal from 2000-2002
and working with the Whitman County Noxious Weed Control Board
Assistant Coordinator from 1999-2000.
At home in Moscow, Sara’s allies include husband, Ellis, daughter,
Camas (born July 2009),Jaeger, Henna, and G.G--the fourleggers. Like
any good ecological restoration specialist, Sara enjoys growing and
planting native plants, and getting really dirty. In her spare time
she enjoys reading, learning new plants and birds, knitting, and
cooking. Email Sara
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Jenica Wood-Beauchamp, Education Program Manager
Jenica’s roots lie in upstate New York, where she grew up playing
outside and spending long hours exploring her family’s garden, pond,
and stream. After earning her B.S. in Natural Resources Planning and
Interpretation at Humboldt State University, Jenica taught at several
non-formal education settings: two residential outdoor schools,
Yellowstone National Park, Mount St. Helens, the Santa Barbara Zoo, and
the Pacific Science Center. In 2005 Jenica returned to school for her
M.Ed. in Environmental Education through Western Washington University.
This program included a year-long professional residency at the North
Cascades Institute’s Environmental Learning Center in which she lived,
worked, learned, and played within sight of glaciers. Jenica joined
the PCEI community in August 2007. When she’s not working in the
office, you might catch her hiking, plunking away on her guitar,
knitting Christmas presents, or practicing her cake decorating skills
through Jenica's
Caketastic Creations. You can also email Jenica
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Luke Sheneman, IT Consultant
Luke Joined PCEI in the summer of 2007 as a part-time IT consultant. He
is responsible for maintaining the entire computing and telephony
infrastructure at PCEI. Luke earned his bachelor's degree in Computer
Science from the University of Idaho in 1996 and subsequently gained
valuable industry experience while living and working in Silicon
Valley. While in self-imposed exile in California, Luke did IT work
for
companies such as Netscape and Inktomi (acquired by Yahoo!). More
recently, Luke earned his Ph.D in Bioinformatics and Computational
Biology from the University of Idaho in late 2008.
With a keen interest in woodworking and timber framing, Luke has helped
build several unique structures for PCEI over the years including a
timber framed Artist Studio and several pedestrian bridges. Luke
enjoys playing the cello, moving unusually heavy things, building with
massive timbers, and spending as much time as possible outdoors. Luke
is the proud father of two amazing daughters and one young puppy.
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Laura Milewski, Volunteer Coordinator
Laura's roots lie in the beautiful and lively city of Chicago. It was
as an undergrad at Lawrence University in northern Wisconsin that she
fully developed her passion for environmental work, social activism and
educational event planning! During her last year at LU, she worked in
the Volunteer & Community Service Center as a coordinator of
environmental and social justice programs. This experience, along with
her work as a quasi-environmental educator through Jane Goodall’s Roots
and Shoots program, fueled her passions and Laura now strongly believes
that she really can begin to change the world. She worked as an
AmeriCorps member in the role of Community Outreach Specialist at PCEI
for 1 1/2 years before transitioning to Volunteer Coordinator.
Overall, Laura enjoys rocking out on her flute, keeping in contact with
her little brother and sister back home, playing with her beautiful and
oh-so intelligent dog Mya, spending time with her wonderful fiancé, and
stargazing. Most of all, she hopes to someday do service work in
Africa. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." ~ Gandhi Email Laura
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Aly Lamar, Membership Coordinator
Aly is a proud Colorado native. Studying in Durango, Colorado (where
Aly received her BA in Political Science) increased her passion for the
outdoors, leading her to work in wilderness areas throughout the
Northwest, Southwest and Alaska. She has served as a Youth Corps Leader for 3
years, guiding outdoor work projects in trail construction and
watershed and habitat restoration. Aly is an accomplished backpacking
and mountain biking instructor having treked extensively on the Colorado Trail
and in Copper
Canyon, Mexico. Aly is also the founder our Women's Mountain
Biking Clinics and on her days off from PCEI, she can be found
working part-time at B & L
Bicycles. Aly has served as an Environmental Educator at PCEI for 2
years, our first Volunteer Coordinator and now as our first Membership
Coordinator. Aly Lamar spends her free time triathloning and running,
mountain biking, swimming , playing hockey, teleing, and
snowshoeing. She is an active member of the Moscow community, serving
on the boards of the League of Women Voters of Idaho, the
and the
League of Women Voters of Moscow. Aly is a proud member of the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental
Institute, the Moscow Food Co-op, the Moscow Giving
Circle, the Latah County
Historical Society. Friends of the
Clearwater, Radio Free
Moscow and the Moscow Area Mountain Biking
Association .
Email Aly Lamar at aly@pcei.org.
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Sandi Billings, Grants Coordinator
Sandi Billings has been a non-profit fund developer and manager for more
than 15 years. Other than that, she’s never concentrated on one area for
too long—there’s too much more to do. She’s part space cadet, with a
masters’ degree in planetary science and undergraduate in space
science; part river rat, having worked as a guide on the Salmon River;
and part earth mother, with a love for animals, seasons, and places
with few humans per acre. From KRFP Moscow, Sandi produces and hosts
Yin Radio, a syndicated community talk show featuring women’s voices,
stories, and concerns. She lives in Moscow in a household of two
people, two cats, and two dogs. Email
Sandi
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Colleen McColl, AmeriCorps Placement Coordinator
Colleen grew up in Southern California where she learned the value of
water at an early age. Water resource quality and quantity continue to
be major points of interest for her. She has received a Master’s in
Soil, Water, and Environmental Science from the University of Arizona
and a Bachelor’s in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from
Ball State University. In her free time, Colleen enjoys spending time
outdoors, dancing, and singing karaoke in the comfort of her own
home.
Email Colleen
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Daniella Drader
Daniella (also known as Donna) Drader started volunteering for PCEI in
2004 while she was working in the Nez
Perce Tribe’s Forestry/Fire Division. She became a PCEI member
during her master’s program in Natural Resource Sciences at Washington State University. Donna is
thrilled to now join the PCEI team as a staff member promoting the
AmeriCorps program!
Donna has completed two joint AmeriCorps/Student Conservation Association (SCA)
projects and has held leadership positions within Roots & Shoots and the Natural Leaders Network. She
is dedicated to serving in her local and global community, particularly
when it involves getting outside. Originally from Romania (but growing up
in Ohio), she likes
cooking (or trying to cook) Eastern European food, Transylvania (where
her family is from!), and confusing her husband with
half-English/half-Romanian conversations. Donna is fascinated by
people’s passions and will try almost anything once. This fascination
has kept her path adventurous.
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Adrienne Boland - MOSS Program Coordinator
Adrienne is a Moscow, Idaho native that started out as an art major and
turned to science. After a tour of many colleges in the west she came
back to Moscow to finish her degree. She came to McCall to participate
in the Graduate Residency in Environmental Education program at MOSS.
She has completed two AmeriCorps positions through Friends of the
Clearwater and PCEI, both of Moscow, Idaho. The last two summers have
been spent monitoring Coeur d’Alene Salamanders in the Clearwater
National Forest. She has a passion for learning and research and
passes this along to all that she meets. Adrienne enjoys hiking,
biking, rock climbing, mountaineering, snowboarding, skiing, knitting
and art. One day she would like to guide women’s adventures. She
hopes to continue her schooling and study salamanders or alpine
ecology. Email Adrienne
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Laura Sass, Environmental Educator AmeriCorps Member
Laura grew up in Ohio and received her B.S. in Secondary Life Science
Education from the University of Findlay. During college she studied
abroad through Semester at Sea traveling to 12 different countries
around the world. Also, she participated in whale research in Baja
California Sur, Mexico. She enjoys football (Go Bucks!), alpine skiing,
camping, and live music. Last year Laura spent a year as a field
instructor at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS). There she
received some great experience in environmental education as well as
took graduate classes. After her year at MOSS, she wanted to further
her experience in environmental/outdoor education so she signed up for
a second year of AmeriCorps and is now an environmental educator for
PCEI. She looks forward to getting to know Moscow and gaining
additional experience teaching. Email
Laura
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Jonathan Fortner, AmeriCorps Member, Environmental Educator
Jonathan was born and raised in Livermore, California. He has spent
much of his life in the outdoors enjoying the beautiful landscapes of
California, Alaska, Canada, South America and New Zealand. He
graduated with a degree in Child Development and with a minor in
psychology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis
Obispo. Jonathan has a passion for the environment and sharing its
wonders with children. He is happy and excited to be bringing this
passion to his AmeriCorps position at PCEI as an Environmental
Educator. He enjoys kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, cycling,
gardening, and anything else that takes him outside. Jonathan hopes to
someday work in the non- profit sector continuing his work for our
environment and youth. |
Adam Hein, Americorps Member, Restoration Technician
Adam grew up in Pullman, WA then moved to Butte, MT to study engineering
at Montana Tech. He took a break from school to build homes and work
with volunteers during an Americorps term in North Carolina. After
spending some time on the Gulf Coast to help with hurricane Katrina
recovery, he returned to Butte and recieved his B.S. in Environmental
Engineering in December of 2009. It was during his time in Butte (a
heavily impacted mining area) that Adam developed an interest in
environmental restoration. He is glad to be back working in the
Palouse and hopes that his experience with PCEI will lead to an
exciting life of environmental service. Adam enjoys flyfishing,
mountain biking, backpacking, and is an avid rugby player. |
Lee Wicker, AmeriCorps Member, Restoration Technician
Lee Wicker is from Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. His love of the
outdoors and nature started from birth. Growing up he enjoyed biking,
canoeing, fishing, and catching anything that moves. These interested
carried on into college. He attended North Carolina State University
and received a BS in Natural Resources. His work background is diverse
including forestry, entomology, and wildlife research for North
Carolina State University, and sage grouse research for the University
of Wyoming and University of Nevada Reno. He is now working with PCEI
as a stream restoration technician where he hopes continue learning and
serve those he works with and those he works for. |
Sasha Podolak, AmeriCorps Member, Restoration Technician
Sasha is a Colorado native and spent her childhood exploring the Rocky
Mountains. She continued her passion for the outdoors at Colorado
State University where she earned a degree in Natural Resource
Management and a minor in Watershed Science. During her time in
college Sasha started playing ultimate frisbee and continues to enjoy
this along with snowboarding, fly-fishing, rock-climbing, and riding
her bike. Her recent work has been with the USDA conducting vegetation
studies on the rangelands of Colorado and as part of a stream survey
crew with the USFS. She is always eager to learn new hobbies and is
excited about getting to know the Inland Pacific Northwest. Sasha
hopes to link past teaching experiences with future work concerning
rivers. |
Zach Johnson, AmeriCorps Member, Restoration Technician
Zach grew up in Northern Idaho around Coeur d’Alene. Living and playing
in the mountains has significantly shaped his life and outlook. Hiking,
mountain biking, disc golf, and snowboarding are some of his favorite
activities; he also loves relax and listen to music. He enjoys working
outdoors and has been involved in construction work most of his life.
He hopes to continue working somewhere along the lines of designing and
shaping the landscape/environment/community in some way. Zach believes
that life itself can be under-rated at times so… “live today like its
gonna be your last.” |
Henry Gardes, Director of Chewing
Henry has his work cut out for him at PCEI, he chews. Currently he is
working on a large chunk of rawhide expected to last for about a week
or two. |
(Scroll up page for staff photos and bios)
(*AC)=AmeriCorps Members |
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