During the CRA annual election, new board members emerged from the shadows to join those who already serve. We would like to thank all those who donate their time to participate on the board. All CRA members are welcome to direct questions or concerns to your board members.
- Matthew Judy, President – Wildlife Biologist,
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service,
655 Parfet Street, Rm. E200C, Lakewood, CO 80215,
303.236.2903 , ext. 250, matthew.judy@co.usda.gov
Matthew has a B.S. degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Stephen F. Austin State University. As a member of the NRCS Northern Plains Region Watershed Technical Team, he has been involved in watershed planning with Tribes, locally-led groups, and Federally assisted projects. He assisted in the development of the interagency Stream Corridor Restoration Manual and served on national training cadres for stream restoration and watershed planning. Matthew has served on the CRA Planning Advisory Group and numerous committees. As president, Matthew is committed to strengthening the involvement of the membership and improving the organizational efficiency of the association.
- Jay Thompson, President Elect – Fisheries Biologist,
- Bureau of Land Management,
Colorado State Office,
2950 Youngfield Street,Lakewood, CO 80215,
303.239.3724 , jay_thompson@co.blm.gov
Jay received his MS degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in 1989. After a couple years of seasonal work with the Fish and Wildlife Service in Fort Collins, he joined BLM in 1991 as a fisheries biologist in Glenwood Springs. In 1995, Jay left Colorado to join BLM’s National Training Center in Phoenix, in charge of BLM’s wildlife, fisheries, and botany training programs. After three years in Arizona, where even the rivers dry up in the summer, he gladly returned to Colorado in 1998 as the Fisheries/Riparian Program Leader for BLM in the State Office.
- Alan Carpenter, Past President
- President, Land Stewardship Consulting, Inc.,
2941 20th Street, Boulder, CO 80304,
303.443.8094 , atcarpen@bouldernews.infi.net
Land Stewardship Consulting, Inc. provides land management advice to public land managers and private landowners who manage property for conservation purposes. The company prepares noxious weed management plans and conservation easement baseline reports, advises land trusts about conservation projects, and is involved in wetland mitigation banking. Previously, Alan worked for The Nature Conservancy where he oversaw the stewardship of Conservancy lands in Colorado. In that capacity, he participated in strategic planning, prepared land management plans, developed and implemented plant monitoring programs, worked with scientists on research and inventory projects, and administered grants and contracts. He was a research associate for two years at Colorado State University in the Department of Rangeland Ecosystem Science where he worked on a land reclamation project in the Piceanace Basin. He has college degrees in chemistry, secondary education, water resources management, and range ecology. He is married to Betsy Neely who works for The Nature Conservancy and is the proud father of two children, Helen (age 12) and Riley (age 7).
- Kathryn Mutz, Treasurer
- Natural Resources Law Center,
2990 Regis Dr., Boulder, CO 80303,
303.492.1293 (wk), 303.499.1092 (hm),
kathryn.mutz@colorado.edu
Kathryn, a native of Colorado, joined the staff of the Natural Resources Law Center (NRLC) in September 1996 with a background in both law and natural resources management. She served as the NRLC interim director from May 1998 through August 1999. She holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of Chicago, an M.S. in Biology/Ecology from Utah State University, and a J.D. from the University of Colorado, concentrating in natural resources and environmental law. For the 12 years preceding law school, Mutz worked throughout the West for state and federal government and private industry on scientific and public policy issues related to natural resources development. As a biologist she specialized in wetlands, endangered species, and reclamation of disturbed lands. At the NRLC, her work focuses on forestry, minerals, and environmental justice issues. She has authored several publications ranging from government reports on rare plants and riparian communities to a book chapter on state-federal interactions in coal mining program administration and an article on home rule city regulation of oil and gas development. She is editor and co-author of a forthcoming book of articles on justice and natural resources.
- Ed Spence, Secretary
- USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service,
655 Parfet Street, Rm. E200C, Lakewood, CO 80215,
303.236.2903 , ext. 271, edward.spence@co.usda.gov
Ed is a Soil Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Lakewood, Colorado. He graduated from New Mexico State University in 1977 with a B.S. degree in Wildlife. Ed spent four years as a Range Conservationist for the Bureau of Land Management in Carson City, Nevada before joining the Natural Resources Conservation Service in 1983. As a Soil Conservationist in the Denver Area, most of his time is spent working with local governments in trying to minimize the impacts of urban development on riparian and upland ecosystems. When not trying to save the world, he enjoys hiking and outdoor photography.
- Tom Bartlett, Academic Representative
- Professor, Rangeland Ecosystem Science, CSU
2212 Rambouillet Dr., Ft. Collins, CO 80526,
970.491.7256 , Et@picea.cnr.colostate.edu
E.T. Bartlett was born and raised in New Mexico and received an B.S. in range management from Utah State University in 1965. He received the M.S. and Ph.D. in range management from the University of Arizona in 1967 and 1974. As a professor of Rangeland Ecosystem Science at Colorado State University, his current responsibilities are spread among teaching, research, extension, and professional service. He currently teaches the undergraduate course on Rangeland Economic Analysis and the capstone courses: Rangeland Planning and Grazing Management, and Rangeland Ecosystem Planning. He also teaches a graduate course on rangeland policy and issues. His expertise is in various aspects of rangeland economics, rangeland planning, rangeland, and riparian and natural resource policy. He has authored over 125 papers and reports. Tom is currently serving his second term as a Director to the Colorado Riparian Association. He is also active in the Society for Range Management and is currently a candidate for Second Vice President.
- Julie Ash, Private Representative
- Aquatic and Wetlands Consultants
1830 17th, Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80302,
303.442.5770 , julie@aquaticandwetland.com
Julie is a Water Resource Engineer with a civil engineering degree from Michigan State University. She has seven years experience working on stream and wetland design and construction projects in Colorado and Florida. Julie manages projects from initial fieldwork through permitting, design, and construction. She specializes in hydrology and stream stabilization issues, especially bio-engineered treatments, related to habitat improvement projects. Her focus is on producing self-sustaining projects that are integrated to the extent possible with their natural state. Julie has worked on projects throughout Colorado, from plains and foothills environments on the Front Range to montane and subalpine environments on the Western Slope.
- Gwen Kittel, Private Representative
- Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy,
2060 Broadway, Suite 230, Boulder, CO 80302,
303. 444.1060, gkittel@tnc.org
Gwen Kittel received her M.S. in botany from the University of Wyoming in 1994. She has studied riparian areas in Colorado for over 10 years. She worked with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, where she developed a classification for riparian plant communities for Colorado.
- Steve Sanchez, Agency Representative
- Bureau of Land Management
719.655.2547 , Steve_sanchez@co.blm.gov
- Alex Chappell, Agency Representative
- Colorado Division of Wildlife,
2069 Rim Shadow Ct., Grand Junction, CO
970.291.7141 , alex.chappell@state.co.us
Alex Chappell is the Wetlands Program Coordinator for the Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW). In 1997 the DOW intensified its efforts in the protection of wetland-dependent species and their wetlands habitat. The result was the DOW Wetlands Program and its flagship project — the Colorado Wetlands Initiative, a wetlands protection partnership that includes Ducks Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Partners For Wildlife, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, and Great Outdoors Colorado. Alex greatly appreciated the opportunity to have a role in formulating the Wetlands Program and the Wetlands Initiative. Since 1997 the Colorado wetlands partnership, working with the Wetlands Program as its infrastructure, has protected over 99,000 acres of wetlands and associated uplands and benefited dozens of wetland dependent species.
Alex has been with the DOW nearly 25 years. In 1980 he was recognized as the Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Year by the DOW. He recently received the Alumni Columbine Award from his also alma mater, the University of Northern Colorado, for his contributions to the State of Colorado. He served as volunteer Executive Director of a non-profit organization he and Carol, his wife, founded and which was dedicated to education about the natural environment. He enjoys teaching and sharing ideas with others. One of his hobbies is “tracking international environmental issues” which goes along with another of his hobbies — travelling all over the world, sometimes on adventures such as his trip to the Manu biosphere reserve located in the headwaters of the Amazon in Peru. Alex also enjoys long distance running and has run dozens of marathons “just for fun” and readily admits he has absolutely no running talent!
- Dave Winters, Agency Representative
- USDA-Forest Service,
P. O. Box 25127, Lakewood, CO 80225-5127,
303.275.5023 , dwinters@fs.fed.us