Our Mission

We are dedicated to conserving and recovering the native species and ecosystems of our region.  We value the clean water, fresh air, healthy communities, sources of food and medicine, and recreational opportunities provided by native biological diversity.  We also passionately believe that all species and their natural communities have the right to exist and thrive.  We use the best available science to forward our mission through participation in policy, public outreach and organizing, administrative processes, legal action, and education.

Staff

Paige Bonaker is one of our Staff Biologists.  She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University, and is currently finishing a M.S. in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana.  Over the past couple of years, she has worked on several projects advocating for the conservation of wildlife populations and their native habitats. She has also studied human wildlife interaction issues in areas as diverse as Montana and Africa.  Before coming to Center for Native Ecosystems, Paige helped coordinate the Citizen Science Wildlife Monitoring Program with the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project and helped protect important resources within Colorado State Parks as part of the Parks Stewardship team.

Megan Corrigan is another of our Staff Biologists.  Megan’s considerable conservation experience includes work with the University of Colorado’s Wilderness Study Group and Colorado Wild.  Megan is finishing a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana.

Brian Hires is our Colorado Field Coordinator.  Brian first got his start in environmental work in college with Florida PIRG, working as a campus organizer on coastal cleanup issues.  After graduating from the University of South Florida with a B.A. in Journalism, Brian worked as a journalist and editor before moving to New York City to pursue a writing career.  In NYC, Brian campaigned and organized for sustainable consumption, biodiversity and human rights issues at the Wetland’s Environmental Activism & Social Justice Center.  Brian also assisted a wide array of non-profit organizations in New York as a technology, database and fundraising consultant.  A consummate traveler, nature photographer and nature lover, Brian has also volunteered for environmental and social justice projects in Costa Rica, Borneo, Guatemala and Vietnam and has hiked and camped in most of our country's national parks.

Joshua Pollock is Center for Native Ecosystems' Conservation Director.  Josh wrote our first Endangered Species Act listing petition, for the Porter feathergrass, back in 2000 and has been an active member and friend of Center for Native Ecosystems ever since.  Josh previously worked on urban growth issues, recycling, and clean air issues as an organizer and a campaign office director for the Public Interest Research Groups and the Sierra Club.  He has been an editor of a non-profit newswire service, a high school teacher, and an outdoor education instructor for Outward Bound and other organizations.  Josh holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.A. from the University of Colorado.  He and his wife Leslie, a long-time Center for Native Ecosystems volunteer, have lived on the Front Range of Colorado since 1998.

Erin Robertson is our Senior Staff Biologist.  Erin has experience with a wide range of taxa and ecosystems, with particular expertise in botany and pollination biology.  She earned an M.S. in Botany through the University of Colorado's Museum and Field Studies Program and a B.S. in Biology from Bates College.  Erin has worked for the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Departments, the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, and the Denver Botanic Gardens, and is a member of the Colorado Native Plant Society.

Jacob Smith is our Executive Director.  Prior to founding Center for Native Ecosystems, Jacob worked for Wildlands CPR and Biodiversity Legal Foundation.  He also serves on the Steering Committees for the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance and the Endangered Species Coalition.  Jacob has a B.S. in Environmental Science from Oregon State University and an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Colorado.  He is also the Mayor of Golden, serves on the board of the Denver Regional Council of Governments, and is a Bighorn Center Public Policy Leadership Fellow.

Andrea West is our Development Associate.  Andrea grew up playing in the mountains and deserts of Colorado and has never really stopped.  Her pursuits generally revolve around a fascination with rivers: she’s guided river trips in Idaho, Colorado, and Costa Rica, done several 21-day raft trips in the Grand Canyon, and even piloted a boat down the Brazilian Amazon.  In between river trips, she completed a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado and is currently working toward another degree in Nursing.  Her non-profit background includes working as the grants manager for Global Greengrants Fund in Boulder, doing exercise therapy at the Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Project in Boulder, and teaching adaptive skiing at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park.

Board of Directors

David Chapman, the Board Secretary, is a natural resource economist with over 20 years of experience in natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), environmental valuation, and policy analysis. David’s expertise is in the valuation of natural resources. His work has focused on estimating the value to the public of protecting ecosystems such as coral reefs and endangered species such as North Atlantic right whales, and Steller sea lions. Prior to joining Stratus Consulting, he was a senior economist for the NOAA in Silver Springs, Maryland where he had been actively involved in both economic and policy analysis. David holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California at Irvine and an M.S. in natural resource economics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Jen Clanahan works for Defenders of Wildlife.  Her conservation work has included three years with the Wilburforce Foundation, three years with the Progressive Animal Welfare Society, and three years with the Wildlands Project.  Jen also served as the Press Secretary for U.S. Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado and as an aide to Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart.

Spense Havlick is Professor Emeritus in the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado and served on the Boulder City Council from 1982-2003. Spense has been a long-time advocate for progressive transportation planning, wise growth management, and increased public participation in governance. His expertise spans numerous fields, including natural hazard mitigation, citizen participation in planning processes, and the impact of urbanization on the environment. Spense holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in environmental planning and water resource management.

Suzanne Jones, the CNE Board Vice-President, is the Regional Director for the southwest region of The Wilderness Society and serves on the Steering Committee for the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance. She also worked at the National Wildlife Federation for three years lobbying on Endangered Species Act legislation. Suzanne has an M.S. in Resource Policy from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Natural Resource Science from Cornell University.

Bart Miller, the Board President, is a natural resources attorney with Western Resource Advocates (formerly the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies). Prior to this position he spent four years in the Solicitors' Office in Washington, DC, including one year in the Solicitors' Honors Program. He is a 1995 graduate of the University of Colorado Law School and a 1988 graduate of Dartmouth College. He also works part time each summer as an instructor for the Wild Rockies Field Institute.

Tisha Conoly Schuller is the Operations Manager for MFG, Inc.'s Boulder office and is the CNE Board Treasurer. Tisha is a geologist and environmental scientist working in environmental consulting for the last 12 years. Her consulting experience includes assessment of the environmental impacts of fire and fuels and oil and gas projects. Tisha has a B.S. in Earth Systems from Stanford University.

Advisory Board