Jaime Bunting
B.S. in History, Northeastern University
Jaime Bunting
hails from the first town in that mighty first state: Lewes,
Delaware. She spent her undergraduate years at Northeastern
University in Boston and the American College of Thessaloniki in
Greece taking courses in everything from American Sign Language and
Geology to Chemistry and Rhetoric. After graduating from
Northeastern with a BS in History and minor in Psychology in 2009,
she moved back to her hometown to work as an AmeriCorps
Environmental Educator and then as a Park Naturalist for Delaware
State Parks. A nationally Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified
Kayak Guide, Project Wild, Project Aquatic Wild, and Project Wet
educator, Jaime truly believes in the importance of environmental,
outdoor, and experiential education for people of all ages and
backgrounds. She is happiest when she’s near water, going on
adventures, wandering through the woods, laughing with friends,
playing with her dog, listening to live music, eating local food,
and meeting new people. |
|
Rebecca Deatsman
B.A. in Environmental Studies and Zoology,
Ohio Wesleyan University
Rebecca Deatsman grew up in a small town in Ohio and majored in
zoology and environmental studies at Ohio Wesleyan University.
After graduating, she spent as a field assistant for bird
research in rural Saskatchewan and the Australian Outback but
ultimately returned to the states to pursue a career in
environmental education.
For the nine months preceding her move to Conserve School,
she worked at a 4-H center on a barrier island on the coast of
Georgia, and while she loved encountering sea turtles and manatees,
her heart belongs to the Midwest and she was happy to relocate to
Wisconsin. In her free
time she enjoys hiking, birding, taking photos of cool bugs,
writing, and playing the trombone, plus indulging her secret love
of cheesy sci-fi TV shows.
She shares her love of natural history via her blog at
http://rebeccainthewoods.wordpress.com.
|
|
Julia
Dodd
B.S. in The Program in the Environment, University of Michigan
Hailing from Greenville, MI, Julia Dodd
graduated with a B.S. in The Program in the Environment with a
specialization in botany from the University of Michigan.
After college, Julia worked as the Packwood AmeriCorps Youth
Coordinator in Packwood, WA.
She has worked as an outdoor instructor in Texas and
California, a botany intern in North Dakota, a Marine Mammal
Observer in the Gulf of Mexico, and as an organic farm intern in
Washington. She has
spent an extensive amount of time exploring Olympic National Park
and Mt. Rainer National Park where she searches for cool things in
nature for her popular web show,
Cool
Things in Nature.
Julia enjoys running, basketball, soccer, hiking, snowshoeing, and
much more.
|
|
Dylan
Fernandez
B.S. in Environmental Science, University of Notre Dame
 Hailing
from the great city of Columbus, Ohio, Dylan PH Fernandez is a
recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with a degree in
Environmental Science.
His studies have allowed for a wide array of ecological endeavors.
Before coming to Conserve School, Dylan spent time at Notre
Dame’s field station in the northwoods of Wisconsin, getting in
tune with the land and conducting research on local stream
dynamics. A serious
animal lover, he absolutely loves spending time travelling around
to well-run zoos (none better than Columbus!).
When Dylan is not thinking about conservation biology, he is
a huge fan of all (or at least most) sports, having played just
about everything at some point.
Within Dylan PH Fernandez lives a passion for leadership and
a heart full of love.
Additional hobbies include disc golf, ceramics, and discussing
facial hair.
|
|
Peter
Gizyn
B.A. in Spanish and Education, University of Illinois at Urbana
Illinois state certified teacher of high school Spanish and middle
school science 
A native of Chicago, Peter Gizyn graduated from the University of
Illinois at Urbana with a major in Spanish, a minor in education,
and the experience of having lived in Barcelona while studying
abroad. He taught high school Spanish for three years before
leaving his position in order to work with students in the
environmental education field. While working as a naturalist at
Dunes Learning Center and Trees for Tomorrow, he decided to pursue
more education and experience in the environmental arena. Before
coming to Conserve School as a Graduate Fellow, he worked as a
restoration technician for an ecological management company and
helped conduct prescription burns on woodlands and prairies near
Chicago. In his free time, Peter enjoys being active outdoors and
likes to hike, bike, kayak, run, and ski.
|
|
Gregory
Handley
B.A. in Environmental Studies, University of California at Santa
Barbara
Greg Handley grew up the third of four children in the small town
of Paradise, California which is located in the foothills of the
northern Sierra Nevada
He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in
2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies.
As an undergrad he participated in two experiential
environmental education programs first enjoying sunny summer
evening strolls on glaciers in Alaska and then a warm winter
cracking coconuts on the Big Island of Hawai’i. An adventurer on land and sea, Greg enjoys backpacking,
kayaking, juggling, hiking, SCUBA diving, skim boarding and all
sorts of other outdoor activities.
He holds a special place in his heart for the peaceful
solitude that is found in wilderness.
|
Chris Homeister
B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife
Chris Homeister has been an adventurous outdoorsman
since day one.
Growing up in New Boston, MI with a park in his own
backyard, Chris was outside exploring the land every chance he had.
Chris attended Michigan State University and received a B.S.
in Fisheries and Wildlife in 2007.
While attending MSU, he served as the Fisheries and Wildlife
Club President and had the chance to participate in activities such
as, electrofishing, small mammal trapping, and mist netting birds.
After Chris graduated, he started traveling the country from
environmental job to environmental job.
So far Chris has been an intern naturalist at Seney National
Wildlife Refuge in Seney, MI, a fisheries observer in Cape Cod, MA,
a forest restoration technician in Las Vegas, NV, an implementation
coordinator (writing management plans for private landowners) in
Grayling, MI, and an environmental educator in Browns Summit, NC.
Chris is looking forward to making the Conserve School his
next stop on his fantastic journey following his passion of
environmental education and interpretation.
In his free time Chris enjoys camping, biking, hiking,
kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hockey, bowling, and volleyball. |
|
Leanna
Jackan
B.S. in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies and a
certificate in Biotechnology, Viterbo University
Born and raised in the small city of Wisconsin
Rapids, Leanna Jackan is a graduate of Viterbo University (La
Crosse, Wisconsin). She
earned a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies and
a certificate in Biotechnology.
During her undergraduate career Leanna kept busy by being a
three-year resident assistant, a member of several different clubs,
and a Biological Science Aid for the United States Geological
Survey. As an Aid at
the USGS, Leanna helped to conduct research on the effects of
fishery anesthetics on fish feeding behavior and the effects of
17-beta estradiol on fathead minnow and bluegill reproduction.
While at the USGS, she also gained an appreciation for
waterproof paper and government-issued pens that will still write
even after they’ve spent a week at the bottom of a pond.
From a young age, Leanna has had an unyielding fascination
with the beauty that is our Earth.
She is very excited to have the opportunity to be a Graduate
Fellow and to continue her education.
In her free time, Leanna enjoys reading, writing, watching
Anime, doing any outdoor activity possible, and reflecting on how
lucky she is.
|
|
Maria Kopecky
B.S. in Biology, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire
Maria Kopecky grew up
in the small town of Mercer, WI, not all that far from the Conserve
School. She
graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in May with
a B.S. in Biology. During
her college career, Maria traveled to both Belize and San Salvador
Island, Bahamas to study tropical biology. She
was a four-year member of the Blugold cross country team, and ran
her first marathon in May 2011. Maria
has enjoyed her time working with youth as an AmeriCorps VISTA
Summer Associate in Iron County, WI and a Naturalist Intern at the
Beaver Creek Reserve in Fall Creek, WI. These
opportunities, as well as her own experiences as a high school
student in the Northwoods, have motivated Maria to further share
her appreciation and respect for nature with others, especially a
younger population of environmental stewards. In
her free time, Maria enjoys exploring the outdoors, canoeing,
kayaking, camping, running, and playing piano.
|
|
Heather Lumpkin
B.S. in Environmental Biology, Bethel College
M.S. in Zoology, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Heather Lumpkin grew up in a small farming
community in Indiana surrounded by corn and bean fields.
She received a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Bethel
College in Indiana and then worked as an environmental education
intern at Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies during spring
2008. After this she
completed a Master’s with the Department of Zoology at University
of Wisconsin – Madison, studying the effects of land-use and
climate change on bird communities in the Southern Appalachians.
Heather has also done research projects on Barred Owls in
northern Indiana and seed dispersal in Costa Rica, and has helped
with research on nutrient cycling and bark beetle disturbance in
Yellowstone.
Heather has enjoyed the opportunities she’s had to share her
research with students that she has mentored and with clubs and
organizations in the communities she has worked in.
She hopes to combine her interests in environmental
education and ecological field research in her future career. Her
hobbies include camping, kayaking, cross-country skiing, birding,
and learning guitar.
|
|
Amanda
Lundmark
B.S. in Biology, University of Minnesota at Duluth
Amanda Lundmark was born in Duluth, Minnesota
but spent most of her school age years in the wonderful suburb of
Hermantown. She attended University of Minnesota – Duluth from
2004-2008 where she received a BS in Biology.
Amanda has spent many summers working at different summer
camps and during the school year for the past 7 years, she worked
in afterschool programming in elementary schools through the YMCA.
She thinks kids are pretty neat, obviously. In her free time Amanda
enjoys many outdoor activities, but her favorites are hiking,
canoeing, archery, fishing, and camping.
She also has a great love for singing and has sung with the
DSSO chorus since she was 18. On top of those hobbies, she is also
very creative and enjoys sewing, knitting, crocheting, painting,
drawing, and many more crafty activities. Amanda credits her love
of nature to her great uncle who taught her to identify all the
plants in the forest of his childhood home on the Mississippi
river. She hopes to take her Master’s degree in Residential
Environmental Education and share that same passion for the
outdoors with many others.
|
|
Amy
Nosal
B.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Amy Nosal hails from the Madison, Wisconsin area. She grew up with
a love and appreciation for the outdoors, which were fostered by
family vacations to the breathtaking Boundary Waters. In the summer
after high school graduation, Amy embraced her interest in wildlife
and attended a bat rehabilitation program in Texas. The experience
was a profound one – it demonstrated a strong passion she had for
these remarkable flying mammals. Running with this passion, Amy
graduated this past May with a B.S. degree in Wildlife at the
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. As an undergraduate, she has
learned much of the scientific investigations that garner vital
information about wildlife and other environmentally-related
subjects, and is ready to take her education in a new direction. As
a Graduate Fellow, Amy looks forward to developing interpersonal
and communication skills so that she may effectively relate
knowledge and enthusiasm for the natural world with others. In her
free time, Amy enjoys reading, yoga, and meditation, as well as a
host of outdoor activities.
|
|
Bill
Quade
B.S. in Environmental Science and Geography, Carthage College 
Bill is originally from Lindenhurst, Illinois. He attended Carthage
College in Kenosha, Wisconsin where he obtained bachelor’s degrees
in Environmental Science and Geography. While at Carthage Bill was
a four-year member of the cross-country and track and field teams,
and served as captain his senior year. Previously, Bill was
employed as a camp counselor for 4 years, including 3 years at a
Cub Scout day camp. As a Boy Scout, Bill earned the rank of Eagle;
his project was creating lacing boards to help teach in several
classrooms of autistic students in his county. Last summer, he was
selected as one of 10 researchers in an REU at Biosphere 2 in
Tucson, Arizona, working on an experiment dealing with invasive and
native grasses across a temperature gradient. Bill enjoys camping,
running, biking, and backpacking.
|
|
Laura
Schoephoester
B.S. in Outdoor Education, Northland College
Laura Schoephoester was born in South Korea,
but has spent most of her life growing up in Chicago, IL. She
graduated from Northland College in Ashland, WI in 2009 with a B.S.
in Outdoor Education.
While in college, she had many opportunities to lead hiking and
canoeing trips with college and high school students on the North
Country Trail, Boundary Waters, and the Mississippi River.
Prior to coming to Conserve School, she worked at Michindoh
Outdoor Education School in Michigan, where she spent most days
working with 5th-6th grade students and teaching experiential
science classes, team building, and living history.
During her free time, Laura enjoys camping, canoeing,
cross-country skiing, walking, fishing, and doing crafts.
Someday she hopes to start her own outdoor environmental
education program that has a focus on inclusion and people with
special needs.
|
|
Eve
Smallwood
B.S. in Forestry, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale 
A self-described “professional intern,” Eve Smallwood has spent the
majority of the last several years as an environmental education
intern at the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, and the
Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center and the Cincinnati Nature
Center in Ohio. She has also recently worked as a Park Ranger for
the Fish and Wildlife Service, substitute taught grades K-12, and
combined her love of teaching and art by instructing summer art
camps. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National
Association for Interpretation. Eve is so excited to be back in
northern Wisconsin where she spent many childhood years on family
vacations and attending summer camp at Camp Manito-wish. Eve enjoys
many outdoor activities, especially kayaking, snowshoeing, and just
sitting quietly in the outdoors, soaking it all in. You can also
often find her in the ceramics studio or experimenting with
growing, collecting, or making new foods!
|
|
Rob Stuart
B.S. in Horticulture, Virginia Tech
Rob is from Woodstock, a small town located in
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley (no, not where the concert was held). He is currently part of the Programs and Projects group and
works as the Weekend Coordinator, where he helps to implement
adventures for the students here at Conserve. He absolutely loves his job! The beauty of Conserve School is enough to make any job
stupendous. Before
coming to Conserve School, Rob spent the Spring of 2011 as an
Environmental Education Instructor at Camp Bob Cooper, located in
Summerton, SC. This was
basically his first experience with Environmental Education, and he
hasn’t turned back since. Before this position he was working in the landscape
construction business as an Estimator, which he could tell was not
the path he wanted to take. Rob graduated from Virginia Tech in May of 2009 with a B.S.
in Horticulture. He
utterly enjoys being in the outdoors, as most of us probably do. His favorite activities would be camping, hiking,
backpacking, canoeing, and actually cutting fire wood.
Since being here at Conserve, he has also gotten back into
his one true love, mountain biking.
|