Local Speakers

Jody Allen is the Project Coordinator for the Corporation for the Northern Rockies, and the Sustainability Fair Director which advances sound stewardship practices which create a healthy environment, culture and economy for the rural West.  Through education, the creation of economic incentives and by fostering partnerships we accomplish this mission. The shared philosophies below unite our organization. They ground us, inspire us, focus our programs and mission and guide our organizational practices. www.northrock.org

Jason Baldes is a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe from the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.  Currently he is a student at Montana State University majoring in Land Resource Analysis and Management, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems.  He is a co-founder of two non-profit organizations that focus on youth and the rehabilitation of the Wind River watershed.

Jim Barngrover , Sustainable Agriculture Program Manager, AERO and owner of Café Mam, Jim has been a long-time supporter of NRBC, and the coffee provider each year (as he is in 2007). Jim has 30 years of knowledge as a practioner of soil building cropping systems and as an organic agriculture and marketing consultant. Previously Jim has conducted numerous farm and energy tours, organized conferences and workshops, lobbied the Legislature, and served as a Chairman of the Ag Task Force and Board for AERO.

Savannah Barnes teaches literature and writing at Montana State University, and works as a freelance editor. She is an accomplished writer of short stories and creative non-fiction essays, and has over two decades dedication to improving the visibility of all the creative arts in Bozeman.

Heather Beal joins MOSS this summer as the Curriculum Coordinator after three years as an instructor with MOSS. Heather oversees Ways of the West, After School Programs, and Adult Programs. She graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in geology and became certified to teach secondary science. Before moving to Bozeman, Heather worked at Shelburne Farms in Vermont leading field trips and summer camps on sustainable agriculture and environmental science. Drawing on her experience growing up on a dairy farm, she also coordinates and teaches MOSS' new series of summer agricultural programs. Heather has a strong passion for feeling connected to the land and the natural world. www.outdoorscience.org

Christopher Borton is co-founder and director of Sage Mountain Center. He has traveled throughout the United States, and after moving to an Orthodox Catholic Monastery, he went on a pilgrimage throughout Europe, India, and Nepal, which lasted three years. He worked in Switzerland for two years on staff at Foundation Hannah as the vegetarian chef. Chris has been a practitioner of meditation and yoga for over 20 years and was certified in yoga instruction from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in 1990. www.sagemountain.org

Jennifer Boulden, co-founder of Ideal Bite, has led business strategy and marketing programs for corporate and nonprofit organizations including IBM, Hearst, World Resource Institute and Rocky Mountain Institute. Weaving together her business experience and her deep understanding of the conscientious consumer market, Jennifer brings a dedicated yet practical focus to Ideal Bite. Most recently Jennifer served as the president of the Anavo Group, a sustainable business-consulting firm. www.idealbite.com

Kryssa Bowman, owner of Thyme Savors, personal chef services since 1996, has over 20 years experience in the food industry. In addition to preparing all of the meals for the Northern Rockies Bioneers Conference in Bozeman, Kryssa is wholly committed to good food: to locally produced, healthy and nutritious meals. She specializes in various cuisines (Japanese, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern) as well as food for those with Celiac disorder, food allergies, and special dietary needs. www.thymesavorschefs.com

Jennifer Boyer, the Northern Rockies project manager for Sonoran Institute's Bozeman office, focuses on community collaboration within watershed boundaries. Working in the Big Hole watershed in SW Montana, she facilitated a watershed-wide land use planning process, which was adopted by four counties with consistent guidelines throughout the Big Hole River corridor. In 2004 Jennifer worked as the campaign manager for the successful Gallatin County Vote Yes for Open Space bond initiative. She also serves on the Montana Watershed Coordination Council. www.sonoran.org

Bozeman Bike Kitchen, started in 2006, is dedicated to creating bicycle commuters of all ages and backgrounds in the Gallatin Valley, educating motorists and cyclists about safe cycling, and promoting the individual, community, and global benefits of bicycling. Refurbishment of used bicycles for donation to local nonprofit groups, recycling of unusable parts and frames, and open wrench nights for the general public to learn bike mechanics are ways the BBK is currently working to achieve these goals. With help from local bike shops, and based on bike kitchens in Portland and Sacramento, Taylor Lonsdale, a local civil engineer, Emily Harrington, free-lance graphic artist, and Liz Layne, local veterinarian, are excited by the response and hope to recruit more volunteers and bike commuters. www.bozemanbikekitchen.org

Janice Brown, Executive Director of the Yellowstone Business Partnership after 27 years of involvement in the Idaho conservation community. Since her hire, the Partnership has united over 200 businesses, organizations and individuals dedicated to a healthy environment and shaping a prosperous and sustainable future for communities across 25 regional counties. On January 1, 2000, the editorial board of The Idaho Statesman identified Jan Brown as one of 10 Idahoans predicted to be catalysts for change in the 21st century. www.yellowstonebusiness.org

Mel and Sue Brown began their organic Grade A Amaltheia Dairy on Thanksgiving Day 2000. They started milking with 90 goats. Today, they are milking about 350 goats, producing 150 gallons of goat milk each day and producing award-winning fresh goat cheeses, which can be found nationwide at Whole Foods, Wild Oats, health food stores, co-ops, supermarkets and fine restaurants. The Dairy is also a participant of the Montana Farm to Restaurant Campaign. Amaltheia Dairy is still a family run operation and is certified organic through Montana Dept. of Agriculture and USDA. www.amaltheiadairy.com

Nathan Budd of the British Broadcasting Corporation is currently assistant producer on the BBC Natural History Unit's 3-part wildlife series covering a year in the life of the Yellowstone ecosystem. A co-production between the BBC and Discovery US, the series will air in winter 2008/9. Prior to this, Budd worked for the BBC Science documentary department, including 2 years on Horizon (the UK's equivalent to Nova on PBS). He has performed research for films on topics such as global warming, the SARS virus, nanotechnology and aging. He has a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge.

Bill Campbell is an independent producer, videographer, photojournalist and president of Homefire Productions, Inc., based in  Livingston, Montana. His current project, Wolves in Paradise, part of the Northern Rockies Bioneers Reel 2 Real festival, will be released nationally by PBS in the spring of 2008. Campbell has developed, shot and produced TV segments for NBC, ABCNightline, CNN and the National Geographic Channel.   Previous work includes. two one-hour documentaries,  Season of the Grizzly (2003) and Sole Survivors:  The Yellowstone Bison (2004). www.homefire.com

Seonaid Campbell is an independent writer and documentary filmmaker whose areas of interest are the environment, science, and art, along with the ways in which the three intertwine. Her most recent endeavors include working for the BBC Natural History Unit on a documentary about smokejumpers and writing a profile of award-winning wildlife filmmaker Bob Landis for Big Sky Journal. She has written about other filmmakers, including Les Blank and Wim Wenders, and on topics as wide-ranging as solar power, wind energy, light pollution, and hand-crafted micro-homes. Campbell also curated a permanent educational exhibit depicting the native fish species first documented for science by Lewis and Clark and the ways in which fish and fishing were integral to the cultures of western Native American tribes.

Jolene Catron serves as the executive director of the non-profit organization Wind River Alliance, located in Ethete, Wyoming, on the Wind River Indian Reservation in west-central Wyoming. The Alliance seeks to collaborate with organizations, communities and individuals who want to work toward and support a healthy Wind River watershed. In her spare time, Jolene volunteers as a coordinator for the newly formed national organization Indigenous Waters Network and has recently been appointed to serve as an advisor on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council. Previously, Jolene worked as a team member of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Water Research Technical Assistance Office. The WRTAO focuses on outreach and education regarding technical water issues in northern New Mexico's Española basin. She also served as a water-rights technician in the Office of the Tribal Water Engineer for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes. 

She is originally from New Mexico and is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. www.windriveralliance.org

Robin Chopus, owns The Emerson Grill in Bozeman (located in the Emerson Cultural Center). The Emerson Grill won the title of "Best New Restaurant in Bozeman" in 2005, and continues to pursue its mission of serving nothing but the best Northern Italian comfort food and boutique wines and beer to the community. Robin offers catering services for special events such as weddings, corporate events, or special parties of any size, shape or color. She recently opened Olivera, a coffee house and wine bar adjacent to the Grill. Robin and head chef Donald MacArthur (trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York) proudly serve local food whenever possible.

Teresa Cohn is a PhD candidate in Geography at Montana State University. After serving as Assistant Director for the Native Waters water education program for several years, Teresa returned to graduate school in 2004. Her research at Montana State University involves the cultural and ecological factors of riparian change in the Wind River basin. As a National Science Foundation GK-12 fellow, she organizes water education activities with 4^th grade students at Wyoming Indian Elementary School.

Denise DeLuca, Outreach Director for The Biomimicry Institute, is a registered professional engineer in Montana and a LEED AP.  Denise received her bachelors in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she grew up, and her masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Montana State University in Bozeman.  Denise has worked in both the public and private sectors in projects related to surface and groundwater modeling and analyses, environmental compliance, alternative waste management, green building, and strategies for sustainability.  Denise is excited to be developing materials and programs to share biomimicry with others, particularly colleges and universities. www.biomimicryinstitute.org

Josh DeWeese is a ceramic artist and recently retired from his position as Resident Director of the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, Montana, a position he held for 14 years. Born and raised in Bozeman, he has returned to the area and is building a home and studio with his wife Rosalie Wynkoop. They will both be visiting instructors teaching ceramics at Montana State University this year. DeWeese has exhibited and taught workshops internationally and his work is included in numerous public and private collections.

Drum Brothers have been presenting classes and drum circles for all ages, celebrating the rhythms of life and the joy of community music-making since the early 90s. Over the years, they have brought World rhythm and drumming into schools and educational centers for children and adults, they have drummed with troubled youth, disabled people, bereaved children and cancer survivors, and they have sparked many ongoing community rhythm circles in cities around the Northwest and in Canada. www.drumbrothers.com

Lucas Dupuis is an Architect In Training who emphasizes sustainable building practices in his work. He is also the president of the board of directors for Home Resource, non-profit building materials re-use center located in Missoula, MT. Through his work at MacArthur, Means & Wells Architects and Home Resource, Lucas has participated in a number of projects that integrate sustainable building practices into affordable housing. www.mmwarchitects.com , www.homeresource.org

Laurie Francis, CEO of Community Health Partners (and Gallatin Community Clinic), has been working in health care for the last many years.  Her interest is in seeing health outcomes improve for all individuals and communities, locally and globally.  To this end, she maintains a concerted focus on social issues (economics, education, housing, etc.) and their impact on health and wellbeing, with equity of opportunity an underlying goal.  She serves on a number of local and national boards, and has degrees in public health (Univ. of Washington), nursing (MSU) and human biology (Stanford U.).

Scott Frazier works as the Executive Director of Native Waters an outreach program of Project WET Foundation. Based in Bozeman, Montana, Native Waters is dedicated to increasing awareness for indigenous water resources worldwide. Project WET began Native Waters as a community education initiative by supporting the efforts of Tribal leaders, educators, and students, and continues to create contemporary, scientifically accurate, and culturally sensitive water education resource programs and networking opportunities for Tribal and non-Tribal educators. www.projectwet.org/nativewaters/index.html

Friends of Local Foods, formed in 2006, is a student-created, student-run program at Montana State University whose goals are to raise awareness about local food systems, sustainability and

community-building at MSU and in the greater Bozeman area. FLF farms the Towne's Harvest Community Garden, a two-acre CSA near the campus, provides produce to the Gallatin Valley Food Bank and Bozeman's Bogert Park Farmer's Market. FLF looks to continue and expand its mission and its CSA into the MSU campus community through curricular and community service

opportunities. www.townesharvest.montana.edu

Dori Gilels, Executive Director of Women's Voices for the Earth, advocates for environmental health and justice. She has worked on WVE's breast-milk-contamination project, and leads the charge of WVE's household cleaning awareness project. She lives in Missoula, parents two small children, plays on a women's hockey team, and kayaks. www.womenandenvironment.org

Ron Gompertz, is owner of Eco-Auto, a new business that showcases the latest in green vehicles.

Matthew Melchor-Gordon moved to Bozeman two years ago to plant a new church, Waterstone Community. He is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and holds a B.A. from Texas Christian University and Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion. Matthew serves as a board member of the Gallatin Valley Human Rights Task Force and is actively involved in the Gallatin Valley Interfaith Association. www.waterstonecommunity.org

Jenny Grossenbacher has lived in Bozeman for 18 years and has two daughters, a 5^th grader and kindergartner, in the Bozeman Public School system.  Both Jenny and her husband Brian are flyfishing outfitters and outdoor photographers.  In addition Jenny works at MSU as a 'Pollution Prevention & Sustainable Housing Research Associate'. After being repeatedly told that a Farm to School program wouldn't work in Montana, Jenny finally connected with other like-minded parents at Hawthorne Elementary.  With the support of these parents and some phone calls, the movement got off to an unexpectedly quick start.  She, along with the rest of the Hawthorne Farm to School/Nutrition committee, has been integral to the success of the pilot program at Hawthorne.

Guy Hand specializes in natural history, environmental, agricultural, and food-related subjects. He has traveled on assignments, looking into the logging practices of native Alaskans, the mysterious deaths of barn owls on Idaho's highways, nature sound exploration in the Sierras, the destructive side of landscape photography in Utah, and much more. Hand is an independent radio producer whose work has aired nationally on NPR's Living On Earth, Radio High Country News, the Nature Stories Podcast, the Infinite Mind, and others. The Society of Environmental Journalists named his two-part series in Alaska's Tongass National Forest the best feature radio piece of 2002. A Nieman Foundation Report called it "a lesson in the art of radio." Hand has also written for The Los Angeles Times, Audubon, Sierra, Orion, Northern Lights, High Country News, and other magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. www.guyhand.com

Alison Harmon is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Development at Montana State University where she also directs the dietetic program. Her courses emphasize the ecological, political, and economic aspects of food choices, and she strives to teach our undergraduate food and nutrition students to think more broadly about foods, their origins, and the consequences of food behaviors. Her current research is related to interdisciplinary food systems curriculum development and methods used to teach sustainability and food systems concepts to nutrition and dietetic students. In 2006 she began supervising an Americorps volunteer to help start MSU's farm to college program, Montana Made. Also in 2006 she began advising the new MSU student organization Friends of Local Foods, which has since started a garden CSA on campus called Towne's Harvest.

Kris Hill owns Hill Botanical, a retail herb shop in Bozeman offering plant wisdom, herbal products, books, classes, consultations, personalized herbal blends and a reference library. Kris has been studying plants for more than12 years and teaching herbal classes for the last six. She has studied with Michael Moore of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine and Robyn Klein, Medical Botanist of Bozeman. If Kris is not in the shop you can find her out in the garden or roaming the mountains of Montana looking for plants. krisren@earthlink.net

Sean Hill is Environmental Health Specialist in the Gallatin City-County Health Department, a program devised to educate and assist food service professionals in preventing conditions and practices in food service establishments that endanger public health. sean.hill@gallatin.mt.gov

Megan E. Hollingsworth is in the process of completing her graduate degree in environmental studies at the University of Montana, Missoula. Her graduate portfolio will include three major components that address human grief related to ecological change and loss during the present mass extinction of species. Each component of the portfolio represents a way of working through or expressing grief related to species extinction in order to live with peaceful minds and hearts as we speak for the need to share this world respectfully with all beings. Megan moved to Livingston in June 2007 with her partner C. Wolf Drimal. Together, Megan and Wolf are starting an institute for spiritual ecology, which will provide courses that combine backcountry travel with meditation and readings/discussion in psychology and philosophy. Megan is devoted to living a simple life, knowing her home, and living in right relationship. She is a dancer, dreamer and healer (via massage therapy among other practices).

Paul House, founder of Bozeman Biofuels that spun up during the 2005 Northern Rockies Bioneers conference, has been pursuing niche businesses in Bozeman since 6th Grade. Schooled in Geohyrodrology at MSU, Paul branched out and is converting an 1880's cottage style house that now serves as a renewable energy demonstration project, including heat for a hot tub. The same used vegetable oil that heats the house powers eight vehicles that he has converted as a local test fleet. Bozeman Biofuels is now a one-person operation, collecting cooking oil from local restaurants, oil which would normally be transported to Spokane for processing. www.bozemanbiofuels.org

Dan Imhoff, co-founder, director, and publisher of Watershed Media, is the author of Food Fight: The Citizen's Guide to a Food and Farm Bill. Dan is a writer and researcher on issues related to food, the environment, and design. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and books including Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World (Watershed Media/Sierra Club Books 2005); Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches (Watershed Media/Sierra Club Books 2003); Building with Vision: Optimizing and Finding Alternatives to Wood (Watershed Media, 2001). Between 1990 and 1995, Imhoff worked at Esprit International, where he was communications director for a team at the forefront of environmental product design. He received a B.A. in International Relations from Allegheny College and an M.A. in International Affairs from the Maxwell School of Public Affairs at Syracuse University. He lives with his wife and two children; they divide their time between Healdsburg and a small homestead farm in California's Anderson Valley. www.watershedmedia.org

Insight Meditation Community offers trainings in quieting the mind and opening the heart. They welcome new members, offer meditation instruction and teaching, and reflection in Insight (Vipassana) meditation practice. Insight meditation is a non-religious practice and members from all different faiths and spiritual traditions are welcome. www.vipassanamontana.com

Kristi Johnson has been working on organic farms in Western Montana for the past seven years. In addition to interning at Clark Fork Organics, and Lifeline Farms, Kristi has leased and managed a C.S.A. in Kalispell, and worked for Gallatin Valley Botanical. This year she grew her own market garden in Bozeman.

Stephen Johnson joined the Gallatin Valley Land Trust in October 2005 as its Executive Director.  He brings a broad professional background to the task, including appointments in a prominent research institute, state government and a regional land trust, having served as executive director of Sudbury Valley Trustees, a regional land trust in Massachusetts for 10 years. A biologist and city planner by training, Stephen brings a new perspective to conservation and real estate development. www.gvlt.org

Darci Jones is the Deputy Director of Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund. Darci holds an MSW, and a BA in Environmental Studies and has been working with WCVEF since April 2006, blending her social work and environmental studies background. She is a former wilderness guide for the National Outdoor Leadership School, Coordinator of Friends of the Red Desert and has numerous years experience in the field of wilderness education. A University of Montana Masters Graduate with an undergraduate degree from Prescott College.

Josh Kellar, Coordinator for the Northern Rocky Mountain RC&D, is a USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) employee.  Josh has a Masters Degree from the Colorado School of Mines in Environmental Engineering.  He worked for seven years as an Environmental Engineer (Civil Service) for the US Air Force at the Air Force Academy in CO.  Josh has been the Coordinator for the NRM RC&D for 5 years and lives in Bozeman with his wife and two children.  www.nrmrcd.org. 

Brendan Kelly, from Great Turning Healing Center, is an acupuncture and herbal medicine practitioner in Bozeman. Brendan has years of experience in Chinese philosophies and practices which inform his daily practice. He conducts numerous hands-on clinics which teach people to create healing tinctures and medicines from local herbs. ishmaelkelly@yahoo.com

Roger Lang is owner of the 18,000-acre Sun Ranch and are featured in Bill Campbell's PBS documentary, Wolves in Paradise.

Joel Lindstrom heads the Montana office of Leonardo Technologies, Inc (LTI), which provides professional engineering, design, and management services to a variety of people, including the Department of Agriculture, the EPA, various non-profits. www.lti-global.com

Ravi Malhotra, Executive Director of iCAST (International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology, Lakewood, CO) believes – passionately -- that local resources should be used for local benefit and partners with communities and entrepreneurs to lend business-building experience and in-depth knowledge of technology to projects that promote local sustainability. He participated in the Western Governor's Association Solar & BioEnergy Task Force where he helped plan the roadmap for 30,000MW of clean energy in the western states.

www.iCASTusa.org

Matthew Marsolek, composer, arranger, and bandleader for Drum Brothers, has studied East Indian and West African music for the past fifteen years. Matthew has experience and training in jazz, classical, and Hindustani vocal technique and is also an accomplished jazz and classical guitarist. A dedicated and charismatic educator, Matthew has a passion for rhythm, harmonic relationships, and the healing and community building potentials of music. The Drum Brothers have drummed with trouble youth, disabled people, bereaved children, and cancer survivors. In 2004, Matthew and Marianne Spitzform, Ph.D., conducted a pilot study on hand drumming, consciousness and the brain through St Patrick's Hospital. For more information, visit www.drumbrothers.com. Listen to a free download of Drum Brothers music on download.com. music.download.com/drumbrothers

Nancy Matheson is a program specialist with the Butte-based National Center for Appropriate Technology. In her part-time role with NCAT she directs "Grow Montana," a collaborative statewide project. Nancy has built a career focused on sustainable agriculture and grassroots community development, working in both the nonprofit and government sectors. She currently operates a certified organic farm near Helena and co-owns an organic feed mill near Great Falls. nancym@ncat.org, www.growmontana.ncat.org

Crissie McMullan is Project Coordinator for Grow Montana, a broad-based coalition whose common purpose is
to promote community economic development policies that support sustainable Montana-owned food production, processing, and distribution, and that improve all of our citizens' access to Montana foods. www.growmontana.ncat.org

Ryan McEvoy is the president of Gaia Development Services, a LEED consulting firm in Los Angeles responsible for the certification of 15 LEED Buildings totaling over 2.2 million square feet. While developing the Tricom Building in Pasadena in 2001, Mr. McEvoy educated the city on the concepts of LEED and encouraged them to go green. Pasadena now has one of the most stringent sustainable policies in the nation. Mr. McEvoy is a LEED AP, a certified Permaculture Designer and a workshop coordinator for Trees for a Green LA, an LADWP program responsible for planting over 20,000 trees in LA. His sustainability work has covered projects in Australia, Costa Rica and various parts of California and Nevada.

Daryn Melvin is a member of the Aasa/Hospowa (Roadrunner mustard Seed) clan of the Hopi who reside in atop 3 mesas in North Eastern Arizona. He is currently a student of Dartmouth College double majoring in Environmental Studies and Native American Studies, with a double minor in Psychology and Linguistics. Since the age of 13 he helped to form and promote the mission of The Black Mesa Trust to stop the pumping of the N-Aquifer's water, the only source of water for the Hopi people, for the slurry of coal. In addition he has also worked with the Save the Peaks campaign, attempting to halt the expansion of a snowbowl atop the San Fransisco peaks, a mountain held sacred to over 22 Native Tribes in Arizona.

Laurie Milford is Executive Director of Wyoming Outdoor Council, Laramie, WY; she was given a one-year appointment as executive director in December 2006 and the permanent appointment in May 2007. She joined the Wyoming Outdoor Council staff as development director in October 2005 after working at LightHawk, an environmental aviation group. Prior to joining the staff, Laurie served on our board of directors, including the office of vice president. Based in Laramie, Laurie has ten years of experience working in the nonprofit and education sectors, including a stint at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, where she advocated teaching and learning with the scholarly and professional societies, and at the University of Wyoming, where she directed a faculty-development project funded by the Hewlett Foundation. Laurie holds a bachelor's and a master's degree in English from the University of Iowa and the University of Wyoming. . www.wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org

Montana Outdoor Science School promotes an awareness, understanding and appreciation of the natural world through quality educational experiences. They strive to inspire the young and old alike to explore the wonders of science and nature in their own backyard. Students gain an understanding of how science contributes to the stewardship of our environment and how scientific tools can help citizens become active participants in shaping public policy. www.outdoorscience.org

Northern Plains Resource Council has been a grassroots organization since its beginnings in the 1970's. Their work has always focused on empowering local citizens to make change. Northern Plains has organized citizen lobbying efforts, including citizen lobbying days, phone trees and candidate forums. Northern Plains can effectively teach citizens how to lobby at our state legislature. www.northernplains.org

Kira Pascoe is Market Coordinator for the Corporation for the Northern Rockies and coordinator of the Montana Farm to Restaurant Campaign. Founded in 1994, Corporation for the Northern Rockies is a sustainable development non-profit advancing sustainable choices that preserve the region's landscape and quality of life for present generations and those to come. www.northrock.org

Sherri Pearson is a registered dietitian and is working as the Assistant Food Service Director at Bozeman Public Schools where she works extensively with menus, age specific diet guidelines and special projects. a 2000 graduate of Eastern Oregon University with a BS in Microbiology. She attended graduate school at Montana State University, where she earned her Master of Science in Human Nutrition in 2006. As a graduate research assistant she conducted exercise trials as they pertained to current research studies and developed carbohydrate specific diets for the study.

Sam Porter is the owner of Porterhouse Productions, one of the largest independent arts promotions company in Montana, and owner of Obvious Advertising, an indoor marketing medium that focuses on locally owned business, sustainability and cultural events. Sam is also Founder & Co-Producer of the Northern Rockies Bioneers and serves on the Board of Directors of the new non-profit Bioregional Outreach Network (BORN). He is a social entrepreneur, communicator and producer with a belief that by co-creating cultural movements through the arts, media, and ideas of communities, we can network a plan for a more restorative future. He lives in Bozeman with his wife Abigail and new daughter Mae Mathison Porter! www.porterhouseproductions.com

Aaron Pruitt is the Director of Programming for Montana PBS.

www.montanapbs.org

Linda Reed is the President and CEO of the Montana Community Foundation, which acts as the fiscal sponsor for BORN, Inc. (and is partly to thank for there being a Bioneers conference this year). Linda worked briefly for Governor Marc Racicot as his economic development adviser, and is a strong supporter of downtowns as centers of community life. At the Foundation, her goal is to cultivate philanthropy to build permanent wealth for Montana. www.mtcf.org

Mark Rehder, from Livingston, MT, owns the Geyser Farm and is the Executive Director of Farms for Families.  Rehder sells produce to local restaurants and retail outlets and promotes small scale food processing—canning, drying, and so on—as a means of making local food available all year round.

Tessa Roberts is from Wibaux, MT. She graduated from Montana State University with a degree in Food and Nutrition and completed her dietetic internship in Boise, ID. She's currently a Registered Dietitian and work as an AmeriCorp VISTA on the Farm to College program at MSU and the Farm to School program for the Bozeman School District. She sees the Farm to School program as a great asset to the Bozeman School District, through bringing in Montana grown food and giving the students the option of fresh, local products to choose from.

Matt & Jacy Rothschiller are co-owners of Gallatin Valley Botanicals, a 5 acre market garden. GVB sells seasonal produce to local restaurants and chefs 12 months of the year, provides an 18-week CSA subscription, and sells at two local farmers markets for 20 weekends of the year. Jacy and Matt are always looking for simple ways to extend their season for all crops and for crops that are not expected to grow in Montana, from arugula and spinach in February to artichokes and melons in August.

Nancy Ruby began studying an eclectic blend of hatha yoga at the age of 20. She is an avid practitioner of the Krishnamacharya lineage while being open to the streams of influence that have deepened her experience of yoga. Her background includes neuromuscular massage therapy, sports medicine, athletic training, world dance and mind-body wellness. www.yogamotion.com

Jeanette Russell is the Western Field Director for DemocracyInAction, a nonprofit organization based out of Washington DC that provides the progressive community with online fundraising and communication tools. She has been a leader in the nonprofit environmental field for the past 15 years and has extensive knowledge of online communications, fundraising and advocacy organizing. Jeanette also owns Jnet Consulting, which specializes in helping smaller organizations jump start their online communication and fundraising programs. Jeanette graduated from Western Washington University with a self-designed major in Environmental Advocacy in 1997. Upon graduation, she was the only woman in the Western U.S accepted to the prestigious Green Corps: Field School for Environmental Organizing program. www.democracyinaction.org ; jnet@democracyinaction.org

Dave Schaub and Steve Bruner, are the co-owners of Refuge Sustainable Building Center, based in Bozeman, MT. The Refuge Sustainable Building Center promotes sustainability in the built environment through sales of products that respect human health and the natural world and strives to maximize social and environmental wellness while maintaining financial profitability. www.refugebuilding.com

Kisha Lewellyn Schlegel left an organic farm in Montana's Bitterroot Valleyto dig into the policies and structure of the food system as a Master's student. She graduated from the University of Montana's Environmental Studies Program where she wrote about farmers and ranchers in the Bitterroot Valley, a manuscript that won the 2005 Richard J. Margolis award. She participated in the Community Food Assessment of Missoula County and was a board member of the Alternative Energy Resource Organization. She's also managed a community garden and coordinating programs for a food bank. She is the Spade & Spoon Editor for New West.net

Holly Schroeder directed and produced the climate-change film, her first, Five Planets-Montanans at the Crossroads of Global Warming (co-producers:  Jane Grochowski, Robbie Liben). The film explores the local impacts of a global problem, and asks what are the effects on Montana's climate?  What can Montanans do?  And, since we are all affected, can we use these early warning signs to change our relationships to the environment—and to one another? Holly also runs The Emperor's Clothes, a hand-made hemp clothing store in Missoula, MT. www.emperorshemp.com

Jamie Shinn is the Newsletter Editor and Marketing Coordinator for the Bozeman Community Food Co-op. She has worked extensively on local food issues in the Gallatin Valley region, including the Farm to School project. Jamie has also worked with numerous elementary schools in the area to create healthy "snack closets," where schools are given reduced rates on snack food from the Co-op in an effort to feed children more nutritious snacks. In addition, she has helped developed a new Farm to Market program, which promotes local producers in the Co-op, and is featured during meals at this years Bioneers conference. www.bozo.coop

Anne & Pete Sibley met through their love of music. They are passionate about sustainability education in their community in Jackson Hole. Pete founded The Teton Sustainability Project in 2001. Both Pete & Anne, along with a special group of volunteers, work hard to put on the Jackson Eco-Fair now in its 5th year. As musicians, they use their songwriting and singing to spread messages of peace, love and human connection to the wild earth around us. www.anneandpetesibley.com

Josh Slotnick, Environmental Studies at University of Montana, has a Masters Degree in Agriculture Extension and Adult Education from Cornell University, and owns and works Clark Fork Organics. He co-founded the Garden City Harvest project and P.E.A.S. (the Program in Ecological Agriculture and Society where he works and teaches. www.gardencityharvest.org/programs/farm.html

Eric Stenberg, Chef, the J Bar L Ranch outside Missoula, MT and National Chair, Chef's Collaborative. 
A career chef, trained in France, Eric refined his palate by working with some of the most respected chefs in the world, including Alice Waters, Rick Bayless and Susan Spicer. Previously, Eric ran the Savory Olive in Bozeman, where he received national recognition for his cooking style and commitment to sustainable practices. As Chair of the chefs Collaborative , Eric guides a national network of more than 1,000 members of the food community working to celebrate local foods and foster a more sustainable food supply.

Amy Stix, Community Organizer for Montana Conservation Voters, works out of MCV's Bozeman field office. Amy formed the MCV Gallatin-Park Chapter in '01 and served as MCV's first field staff person during election year 2000 in western Montana, where she coordinated several state legislative races.  Currently, she works on local and state electoral politics in Gallatin and Park Counties and coordinates a congressional accountability program for the MCV Education Fund.  Amy holds a M.S. degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. www.mtvoters.org

Bill Stoddart taught high school history and political science in Bozeman for eight years. His background as an educator and experience with investing has engendered a commitment to promoting corporate responsibility by exploring ways in which interested persons can choose meaningful investment alternatives that reflect their goals and values.

Nancy Taylor runs Green Living and Building Consulting in Jackson, WY. She identifies ways to change and adapt our lifestyles to curb global warming and live  in a comfortable way without using more than our share of the earth's resources. Her focus is on green building, shopping, food, transportation—all to reduce our carbon footprint. nancytaylor@wyom.net

Kris Thomas is a founder and the current board chair of Montanans Against Toxic Burning (MATB), a grassroots advocacy and "watchdog" group dealing with issues of toxins and air pollution in Montana. She received the 2007 "Conservationist of the Year" award from the Montana Environmental Information Center for her 15 years of work with MATB. She holds a BA in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College; most recently worked with Women's Voices for the Earth; and is currently on the board of the Bozeman Community Food Co-op. Along with her husband, Bob Ekey (Director of the Northern Rockies Office of The Wilderness Society), Kris parents two children, Madison (12) and Alex (9).

Eric Troth spent most of his life pursuing a wide variety of workshops, trainings, conferences and volunteer work before uncovering and refining his deeper sense of calling to focus on political activity. Eric's diverse background and experience also include a degree in Philosophy, extensive travel and study abroad, professional training in movement and bodywork, as well as long-term meditation and self-awareness practices. He is passionate about Integral Theory and Practice and the evolution of consciousness particularly as they relate to creating a sustainable economy and a healthy democracy.

Andy Tyson is co-owner of Creative Energies, Jackson, WY, which designs, sells and installs renewable energy systems (solar electric, solar thermal, geothermal heat pumps, wind, and hydro) in the Jackson, WY and Teton County, Idaho areas, though we service all of Wyoming and eastern Idaho (some southern Montana). Tyson and Creative Energies are also members of the Yellowstone Business Partnership, and model sustainable business practices in addition to providing renewable energy solutions for others. www.CreativeEnergies.biz

Becky Weed is co-owner of Thirteen Mile Lamb and Wool Company in the Montana's Gallatin Valley. The ranch raises sheep on grass, clover and alfalfa, uses no antibiotics or hormone supplements, is certified organic, uses no pesticides or herbicides, a "predator friendly" operation—and hand-spins wool into hats, sweaters, vests, blankets, yarn and other products. In addition, they do not to use lethal control methods against predators; Becky sits on the Predator Alliance Board of Directors, and is also a co-founder of Predator Friendly, Inc, the organization that certifies ranches as "predator friendly." www.lambandwool.com

Mark Wehri is the General Manager of the Western Montana Growers Cooperative, a coalition of growers in the Flathead, Jocko, Mission and Bitterroot Valleys, as well as Belt, MT. WMGC provide the wholesale market in the Western region of Montana with fresh, quality products from their 15 member farms. WMGC strives to improve the "local food system" of our area by enhancing the sustainability of local farms and contributing to local economic growth, while also reducing the demand of produce being shipped here from long distances.

 www.wmgcoop.com

Linda Welsh is co-founder and administrator of Sage Mountain Center. As a teenager, Linda had the opportunity to travel with various musical ensembles throughout Europe, Scandinavia and South America, which inspired her interest in sustainable living. In 1989, she graduated from Dominican College with a Bachelors degree in Nursing Science and has a teacher's certification from the Integrative Yoga Therapy School. She has worked as a Registered Nurse since 1989, and with an MA in Transformative Learning and Change, is now shifting her emphasis from nursing towards program development at SMC. She is devoted to discovering ways of living which are personally fulfilling and protective of the earth. www.sagemountain.org

Erica Wheeler is an award winning, singer-songwriter and Signature Sounds based in western MA. She has five critically acclaimed CD's to her credit. She has performed and facilitated her workshop at conferences, concert halls and colleges across the country. www.ericawheeler.com

Todd Wilkinson is a Bozeman writer and author currently at work on a book about Ted Turner, has written for a number of prominent national newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, US News &  World Report, Christian Science Monitor, and Audubon, among others. He is the author of several books, including the critically-acclaimed Science Under Siege: The Politicians' War on Nature and Truth.  More than 20 years ago, he began his career in journalism at the City News Bureau of Chicago, a legendary training ground where Kurt Vonnegut, Mike Royko, Seymour Hersh, Jacob Weisberg (of Slate.com) and David Brooks (columnist, New York Times) also got their starts as cub reporters.

Brooke Williams is the Executive Director of the Murie Center. He is a speaker, writer, and consultant on sustainable living and business practices. He believes that exposing and using the powers that evolution planted in each of us might solve many of our current problems. For the past thirty years, Brooke has actively pursued adventure in wild landscapes and believes in using lessons learned from nature's ability to adapt to constantly changing conditions in personal and organizational transformation. He is a graduate of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute and lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming with his wife and writer, Terry Tempest Williams. www.muriecenter.org

MJ Williams, vocalist, trombonist, Montana native and co-founder of the Montana Artists Refuge (an artist residency program for artists of all genres), has played for several decades in clubs and festivals, locally, regionally, and internationally.  She recently returned from Paris, where she performed with the Jobic LeMasson Trio and the Joe Makholm Quartet, MJ also spent five years studying and performing in Seattle.  She composes and has recorded seven CDs.

Dean Williamson is the Director of BORN, Inc. the nonprofit that brings us the Nothertn Rockies Bioneers Conference, and the Director of Sunflower Center for the Arts, a non-profit collaborative that instructs and nurtures the writing of fiction, poetry, scripts, essay, and creative nonfiction to promote local creators and their creative voices. www.bornnetwork.org, www.sunflowercenter.org

Kelly Wiseman has been general manager of the Community Food Coop in Bozeman for 17 years. Wiseman started as -manager as co-manager with the job of grocery purchaser in 1989. In addition to the Community Food Coop, Wiseman is involved in national coop organization efforts with the National Coop Grocers Association. Wiseman was a DJ on KGLT for 15 years and he is originally from Great Falls, MT. www.bozo.coop

Kate Burnaby Wright - Stewardship Coordinator
at Gallatin Valley Land Trust in Bozeman. Kate has a long personal and professional history working to protect open space, wildlife habitat, and agricultural landscapes. Kate works with landowners and partners to support quality, enduring land stewardship and - building upon the excellent work of those who have come before me - to continue developing strong relationships that enhance stewardship and understanding of ecology throughout our community. Kate volunteers as the Chaor of the Board of Directors of BORN, where she offers her vision and thoughtful guidance. When not in the office or on a field visit, you'll likely find her - most often with my husband Peter - skiing, trail-running, exploring the backcountry, playing in the garden or kitchen, or traveling. 
www.gvlt.org

Bill Yellowtail, is the Montana State University Katz Endowed Chair in Native American Studies. He is a Crow Indian, former Montana State Senator, and former regional director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Bill brings a stories personal history of environmental and indigenous-rights activism and prefers reflecting forward, rather than backward.

Philip Zemke is Minister of the Unity Church of Bozeman, and both have progressive visions in Christian circles, to help spiritual communities connect to environmental issues, social justice and physical/spiritual health as critical to leading an ethical, enlightened and devoted life.

BORN, Inc. - 111 South Grand Avenue, Ste. 219 - Bozeman, MT 59715
(406) 586-3426 - info@bornnetwork.org