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MJ received her Masters in Environmental Management degree from Western Colorado University in 2017 and her Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont. MJ also now works at Western Colorado University in the School of Environment and Sustainability as an adjunct professor.
She has over 10 years of experience in program and project management with various non-profits around the world. Prior to moving to Gunnison, she worked as a Program Director for a Farm to School non-profit in Reno, NV, as a volunteer coordinator, crew leader, and outreach manager. She says "It is my vision for Coldharbour to be the gathering place it once was for all things regenerative living. I see the potential for Coldharbour to be the innovation and learning laboratory where youth, students, and community members can come to incubate their ideas and practices for a more regenerative future!" |
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Hannah Schaefer Tibbett joins the Coldharbour Institute as the new Program Director. She was born in Kent, Ohio, but has been living in the mountain west on and off for the last 12 years. She comes to the Institute with a background in environmental education, interpretation, funding acquisition/budget management, and program development. She recently graduated with her master’s degree from Western Colorado University in the MEM Program in 2020. Her exposure in land stewardship and interpretation started at an early age when she worked for the Student Conservation Association in early high school and into college, which took her across the country from Alaska to Colorado. During college and into grad school she worked for various agencies from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, California State Parks, Flathead National Forest, and the National Park Service as an outdoor educator and interpretive park ranger. She originally came to this valley for the MEM program at Western and has no intention of leaving anytime soon. She and her husband live in Ohio City with their fur-babies, Murphy, Maebell, Ruby, and Mille and are expecting a baby on the way.
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Currently a graduate student in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University class of 2023, Davis is originally from the southern Appalachian high country. At Appalachian State University he earned his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and after a short stint in the Peace Corps has been on a journey into regenerative and sustainable agriculture studies and practices since. Davis helps Coldharbour with grant writing and fundraising and works with other partners in the valley such as The Center for Cold Climate Food Security and Mountain Roots to continue the vision of regenerative community and living practices that Coldharbour strives to create.
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Current Graduate Fellows '21 - '22
A majority of our Graduate Fellows come from Western Colorado University's School of Environment and Sustainability
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Lily is a '22 graduate candidate in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. She will be working with our partners during her fellowship and will be exploring how her project can support the growth and mission of our Colorado Regenerative Network.
Lily is driven and influenced by practices and principles of regenerative agriculture. Prior to going the Coldharbour team Lily has researched sea otters, Leatherback sea turtles, worked long term as an assistant at veterinary clinic, and most recently worked with the Center for Public Lands. Lily holds a degree in Biology from Principia College. |
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Jenny is the AmeriCorps VISTA Outreach Coordinator and she will be focusing her time and energy on community outreach, fundraising and event planning for Coldharbour Institute. She is a ’22 graduate candidate in the Masters in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. Prior to living in Gunnison, she obtained her B.A in International Studies with minors in French and Sociology/Anthropology from Southern Oregon University. Most recently, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa as an agriculture teacher and practitioner. Jenny is an advocate for the local food movement, minimal-waste living, and improving opportunities for economically disadvantaged communities. She foresees her future working in environmental policy and programming for a municipality, business, and/or university. |
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Anna Markey is the new Research Coordinator at Coldharbour. She is a 2022 graduate candidate in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University with an emphasis on Public Lands Management.Anna is researching ways to mitigate human-wildlife conflict specifically conflict involving wildlife-vehicle collisions along Highway 50.
Prior to joining Coldharbour, Anna has experience tracking and collaring mountain lions in New Mexico and Utah as well as looking at the predator-prey relations between the Florida panther and white-tailed deer in the everglades. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in biology with an emphasis on veterinary medicine from Furman University in South Carolina. |
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Kathryn is currently serving as the Coldharbour Institute Water Resources Fellow. She holds a degree in Biological and Agricultural Engineering with a focus in Water Resources from Texas A&M University.
Kathryn has experience working in both the consulting and non-profit sectors. Her experience includes hydrology and hydraulic modelling, stormwater management and environmental policy work. Kathryn’s interests lie in ecological restoration, specifically working with streams, rivers and wetlands. Kathryn is a ‘22 graduate student in the Masters in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. |
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Sydney is working with the Coldharbour Institute as well as other stakeholders in the Gunnison valley to implement a design/build school with a curriculum based on resource conscious construction to strengthen our local economy, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and increase local sustainability in a broad range of categories. She has a background in Architectural design, drafting and construction. Sydney hopes to study and implement different urban climate adaptation strategies ranging from eco-friendly construction to broader climate action planning. Sydney is a 2021 graduate candidate in the Master of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. Sydney is looking for opportunities in city planning/management and urban design and is influenced by green building principles. Sydney is currently working with Habitat for Humanity and other design/build stakeholders in the Gunnison valley, to learn and improve how we build for the future. Prior to joining Coldharbour, Sydney worked for multiple Architecture and Construction firms based out of San Diego, CA. Sydney holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Design & Architecture from the University of Colorado in Boulder.
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Kat is a graduate student in the Masters of Environmental Managment program at Western University. She is working with Coldharbour as the social media coordinator, a position she held while doing her undergraduate studies at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. Her goal is to help grow Coldharbour's social media platforms so that more people can become involved in the regenerative work that is happening daily at the ranch. Kat has an interest in water quality and the impacts that big agriculture and types of factory farming have on it. Sustainable/organic farming and the impact that has on the growth of algal blooms is something that plays heavily into her interests. In the future, Kat hopes to continue working with freshwater and advocating for local and organic farming.
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Sean has spent 5 years immersed in the world of experiential education. From partnering with organizations like Mountain Roots Food Project, to the Eagle Valley School District, and Colorado Mountain College. Sean is an enthusiastic educator with a passion for helping foster peoples sense of wonder. Sean is exploring ways to expand Cold Harbour’s education programing in new ways. Sean is a 2022 graduate candidate in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. Looking to explore the estuary of community, local food and education, Sean is influenced by a few simple philosophies. The ideas that a connection to land and place is crucial for human health, The idea that everyone fundamentally enjoys learning, but this looks different for everyone, and that food is the great bridge between body, mind, sole, and planet.
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Student Partners '21- '22
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Nick Story graduated magna cum laude and with distinction from CU Boulder’s Geography department in 2013.
Prior to joining Coldharbour, Nick was working in the Niger Delta as the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technical Team Leader for the Bodo Mediation Initiative. There, Nick and his team of diverse community and regulatory stakeholders monitored the remediation process of a 1000-hectare oil spill cleanup and mangrove restoration project. This had been the culmination of over 7 years of intermittent progress in environmental litigation during which time Nick worked on this case and others providing expertise in GIS. Nick was evacuated from Nigeria in April and is awaiting the chance to navigate the twists and turns of the Niger Delta again. Due to the nature of international contracting work, Nick was able to travel the world and somehow ended up running a Heli-Skiing lodge in Alaska for a couple years during springtime. Lots of freshies were had. Currently, Nick is enrolled in the Master’s in Environmental Management program as an Integrative Public Lands Management Innovation Fellow with a focus on providing Coldharbour the groundwork for development. Nick has already completed drone mapping and 3D modeling of the entire property, is working on mapping invasive species for the NRCS continuing use agreement, and is helping Coldharbour realize it’s development goals through mapping and interfacing with permitting officials and environmental contractors. Nick is hoping to further apply this knowledge to build the services available from his environmental consultancy, Story Environmental Mapping LLC, or join another consultancy that focuses on controversial land management issues. |
2020 Board of DirectorsButch Clark, Founder
Brett Guarerro, Board Member Salif Mahamane, Board Member Melody Marks, Treasurer Rois Langner, Board Member Jon LaDuke, Board President Mandy Casteel-Denney, Board Member (Not Pictured) Mindy Sturm, Vice President Rich Stromberg, Board Member Paul Jones, Board Member Gloria Montgomery, Board Member |
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