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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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Lily, an Idaho native, pursued her love of wildlife, sagebrush mountains, and rangelands to a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Principia College and a Masters degree in Environmental Management with a focus in land management from Western Colorado University. She has experience in veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, ranching and additional training in Holistic Management (Savory Institute Accredited Professional-Associate Educator).
Lily values strong relationships with our shared land bases and she appreciates the complexity from which the world operates and seeks to implement land management practices that better mimic these systems. She is excited to share regenerative agriculture and the flourishing Coldharbour Ranch with the community. |
Current Graduate Fellows 2022-2023
A majority of our Graduate Fellows come from Western Colorado University's School of Environment and Sustainability
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Brenan is currently serving as the Coldharbour Institute Water Resource Coordinator Fellow. He is a 2023 graduate candidate in the Master's of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University with an emphasis in Integrative and Public Lands Management. His project aims to improve the wetland and riparian resources on the Coldharbour Ranch through collaboration with local agencies and regional restoration experts.
Prior to joining Coldharbour, Brenan received his B.S. in Biology from Colorado Mesa University. During his time in Grand Junction he interned with Colorado Parks and Wildlife exploring a variety of roles such as sampling fish populations, checking harvested animals, and biological testing. In the future he plans to continue working as a project manager to improve watershed resilience through restoration practices that utilize natural processes. |
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Clare is serving as the Design Build Coordinator Fellow with Coldharbour Institute. She is a 2023 graduate candidate in the Master’s in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University with an emphasis on Sustainable and Resilient Communities.
She is working to develop the plan for a Design Build School in the Gunnison Valley that would teach hands on courses integrating the home design and construction process. She has a background in biology, focusing specifically on genetics research, but changed her course drastically after serving as an AmeriCorps member in Boulder, Colorado at an after-school program working with underserved communities. She hopes to continue the work of engaging communities through resource conscious construction and accessible education at the Design Build School and eventually through involvement with housing cooperatives. |
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Matthew is serving as the Biochar Research Fellow for Coldharbour Institute. He is a second-year MEM student at Western Colorado University, focusing on the intersection of society and ecology. He was raised in Lower Manhattan and became enlightened about the importance of soil and ecology after graduating with his undergrad in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland in 2012. His Coldharbour Research Fellowship focuses on the biochar system – how to produce biochar, how to use it, and how it plays a role in regenerative land management. He also holds a research fellowship through the University that focuses on the PFAS issue, especially water contamination and firefighting foams.
He worked his way into climate, ecology, and sustainability while working in a number of manufacturing and product innovation settings, along the way working as a product and project manager as well as a fulfillment director and quality director for companies building 3d printers, asphalt roof shingles, regenerative hemp extracts, as well as spending some time in ewaste and regional composting, and as an entrepreneur running a climate solutions innovation studio in San Francisco. His approach is highly collaborative and intends to follow best practices of communications and knowledge transfer, for the benefit of the planet and its occupants. He is passionate about holistic health, stakeholder empowerment, and creativity, and believes in localizing most production as an approach to true sustainability. |
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Savannah is serving as the Research Coordinator Fellow with the Coldharbour Institute. She holds a degree in Environmental Sustainability with a minor in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) from the University of Oklahoma. She moved to the Gunnison Basin in 2021 and is a graduate candidate in the Masters in the Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University.
Savannah is working with Coldharbour to develop an adaptive wetland monitoring protocol that will help inform future land management decisions on wetland restoration projects across the property. Her interests are in habitat restoration and ecosystem biodiversity. She hopes to continue working in the realm of wetland restoration and exploring their vital contribution to ecosystem health. |
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Abby is currently the CRN Coordinator Fellow with Coldharbour Institute. She is a graduate student in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. She holds a degree in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with a focus in Ecological Restoration from Louisiana State University. During her time in Baton Rouge, she worked as a research assistant in a lab studying and tracking Eastern Wild Turkeys in northeast Louisiana.
With Coldharbour her work includes assisting staff with the education, outreach, and event coordination for the CRN. She is also the recipient of the Sustainable & Resilient Communities - Community Leadership fellowship and has an interest in ecosystem restoration and community sustainability in relation to climate adaptation. |
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Destan is a first year MEM student working as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Coldharbour Institute. He comes from the great state of Pennsylvania where he went to school at PSU achieving a BS in Economics. Though he started his career path in finance, life has led him in a variety of different directions and into many different jobs. Having grown up on an organic
farm in PA, a passion for the environment and ecology was instilled in him at a young age. This has led him to going back to school, and focusing his efforts on the regeneration of ourselves and the natural environment. |
Student Partners 2022-2023
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Nick Story graduated magna cum laude and with distinction from CU Boulder’s Geography department in 2013. Prior to partnering with 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. |
2022 Board of DirectorsButch Clark, Founder
Brett Guarerro, Board Member Salif Mahamane, Board Member Melody Marks, Treasurer Rois Langner, Board Member Jon LaDuke, Board President (Not Pictured) Rich Stromberg, Board Member Gloria Montgomery, Board Member AJ Alt, Board Member Chris Nutgrass, Board Member |
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