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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! 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.
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. |
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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. |
Current Graduate Fellows '21 - '22
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Annie is currently serving as the Land Manager for the Coldharbour Ranch. This includes hosting community walkabouts, designing and facilitating hands on volunteer projects, and working with our many partners that utilize the ranch. In her first year as a fellow, Annie supported the Coldharbour Regenerative Network by supporting workshops, developing the Patreon platform and redesigning this website. For her masters project, Annie is exploring carbon markets and ecosystem service valuation. Regenerative land practices can sequester and hold carbon in the soil, and there might be a way to be rewarded for these management practices as carbon markets emerge in Colorado. Annie is influenced by principles in permaculture, biodynamics and community ownership. Annie holds a B.A. Sociology from CU Boulder and is a certified herbalist and permaculture designer. |
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Danielle is currently serving her Clark fellowship as the Applied Sustainability Program Coordinator. Danielle is interested in consulting for the Farm-to-Table movement and is looking to strengthen the local economy, while raising different communities awareness in local, sustainable food systems. Danielle is a 2021 graduate candidate in the Masters of Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Sustainable Design from Pacific University, in Oregon. |
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Jesse is ‘21 Masters in Environmental candidate with interests in aquatic restoration. He studies the Coldharbour Ranch wetlands & performs stream assessments to better understand the hydraulic characteristics of the Tomichi creek, so that future management decisions are restorative & sustainable.
Jesse is interested in the effects of the Coldharbour wetland easement & will be comparing macro-invertebrate populations to neighboring locations surrounding the Coldharbour ranch. He currently facilitates the Coldharbour River Watch volunteer program, which establishes monthly water quality data on Tomichi Creek utilizing a citizen science approach. Jesse has recently been awarded an internship with the Upper Gunnison River Water Conservation District to collaborate on his project with their goal of a quantitative analysis of Cebolla, Cochetopa, and Tomichi creek drainages. Jesse landed in Gunnison from Salt Lake City where he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah. Jesse hopes to pursue postgraduate education after he graduates from WCU to study with a watershed science program. |
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Kathryn is currently serving as a Coldharbour Institute Clark 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 identifying sustainable solutions to water management challenges. Kathryn is a ‘22 graduate student in the Masters in Environmental Management program at Western Colorado University. |
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Kristen Arendt is a '21 Master of Fine Arts candidate with an emphasis in Nature Writing. She holds a B.A. in Creative Writing from Adams State University and has previously worked as a supervising editor and digital content manager in the outdoor recreation industry.
In her writing, she explores issues at the intersection of recreation, stewardship, compassion, and care-taking in the West and the wider world. A native Coloradan with an affinity for blue sky days, she enjoys putting in miles trail running, backpacking, and nordic skiing. She is passionate about finding ways of connecting people back to place and inspiring action through creative storytelling. As the inaugural MFA fellow for Coldharbour, Kristen will help support community growth and engagement as well as expand the Institute's reach to a broader audience. |
Update: Master of Environmental Management 2021 Fellowships
Coldharbour Institute Fellowships: $1,000 applied toward incoming student tuition (three to four students per year); $9000 toward second-year student tuition (three to four students per year). Selected graduate students volunteer their expertise to aid the Coldharbour Institute realize its mission on the Coldharbour property.
Coldharbour Institute Coverdell Fellows (for those with RPCV status):
Fellowship in regenerative land management, wildlife management, sustainable building, solar energy gardens and outreach to underserved populations for an innovative learning center are available. Fellowship comes with a $5,000 tuition reduction for fall and spring semesters of their first year and possible $9,000 fellowship if their second-year project is done in conjunction with Coldharbour Institute.
Please contact MJ Pickett, mj.pickett@coldharbourinstitute.org, about additional application processes for these fellowships.
Coldharbour Institute Coverdell Fellows (for those with RPCV status):
Fellowship in regenerative land management, wildlife management, sustainable building, solar energy gardens and outreach to underserved populations for an innovative learning center are available. Fellowship comes with a $5,000 tuition reduction for fall and spring semesters of their first year and possible $9,000 fellowship if their second-year project is done in conjunction with Coldharbour Institute.
Please contact MJ Pickett, mj.pickett@coldharbourinstitute.org, about additional application processes for these fellowships.
Student Partners '20- '21
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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. |
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Alex is researching the influence of compost amendments on the carbon sequestration potential of rangeland soils. She is a ’21 graduate candidate in the M.S. in Ecology and Conservation program at Western Colorado University and holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology/Plant Biology from Michigan State University.
Prior to joining Coldharbour, Alex spent several years working on a vegetable farm learning sustainable agricultural practices, followed by several years conducting vegetation surveys on remote BLM lands across the western United States. Moving forward, Alex is interested in utilizing the botanical and soil sciences to influence environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. |
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James Cody is a ‘21 Masters in Environmental Management candidate, joining the Coldharbour team as a project manager for Equitable Solar Solutions. James has a passion for electrical systems, concentrating on advancing building energy efficiency, implementing Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), and increasing access to these technologies for marginalized communities.
James graduated in 2015 from CU Boulder with a double major in psychology and sociology, with an emphasis on environmental justice. James has worked in both the non-profit and for-profit sectors; this experience in into both sectors has led him to adopted a market-based approach to creating environmental change. Reducing building energy use and installing DERs are not only critical to mitigating the effects of climate change, but are both economically beneficial to those who implement them. |
