MEET THE GVAS OFFICERS AND BOARD
PAST PRESIDENTCary Atwood has been a long-time GVAS board member and served 6 years as board president. In her working life, she was a ranger-naturalist in several western national parks and an elementary teacher for 20+ years. Retirement has allowed her to continue to pursue and share her enthusiasm for birds and the natural world. She enjoys many outdoor pursuits including cycling, hiking, backpacking, paddleboarding and travels near and far.
Nic Korte has been on the board for nearly three decades. He is a past-president but mostly has served as Conservation Chairman. He has a passion for conserving habitat and for understanding bird behavior. His specific activities within the chapter are to assure participation in conservation issues both locally and nationwide, and to lead the Western Screech-Owl project. The Western Screech-Owl project has achieved national recognition by leading all Christmas Counts and by showing the way to conserve a significant population despite accelerating habitat loss. Photo of Nic Korte with granddaughter, Zia.
PJ JANSSEN: PJ recently retired from a 34 year career in education, teaching science, coached volleyball and developed numerous outdoor education and sustainability programs for high school students.
PJ is Happiest on a bike, in a canoe, on a paddleboard or on some new trail with a backpack. She is thankful for her father who gave her Golden Guide nature books which, to this day, fuel her nerdy nature curiosity. She also would like to thank Mrs. Tilman, her grandmother’s neighbor, who spent endless hours letting her listen to LP’s of bird songs. She enjoys developing outdoor learning opportunities as well as being a life-long learner. PJ's involvement with Audubon in some capacity has been over 30 years. She has been a BLM Teacher-on-the-Land, an Outdoor Wilderness Lab instructor, and a long time Owl Count route leader. |
TREASURERLarry Collins spent his first 30 working years in the information technology field becoming the CIO for one of the Department of Energy subcontractors. Larry then purchased the Wild Birds Unlimited store which he has had for 21 years (Please don’t add up these numbers as it makes him sound really old!). Larry was coerced (I mean volunteered) to be the Grand Valley Audubon’s treasurer which he has been doing for about 12 years. He is also a member of the team responsible for maintaining the Audubon Preserve property. His favorite hobbies are biking, fishing, cars, and margaritas.
Logan Wagner is a graphic designer from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He first became interested in birds while tagging along on his grandmother's Tuesday Morning Birders group (AKA the TMB's) as soon as he could walk. From birds, other outdoor passions branched off into hiking, backpacking, paddling, and botany that are squeezed into his weekends. When he's not exerting himself outside, he hangs out with his two house cats, peach and plum.
Meredith Walker, Executive Coordinator
Meredith is an unrepentant proselytizer for science & nature. She earned a Ph.D. in bird behavior & hormones then morphed into a mom, science communicator, and non-profit aide-de-camp. In her role with GVAS, Meredith assists the Board with various tasks and coordinates the Wetlands Improvement Project at the Audubon Nature Preserve. She also works as the communications specialist for The Institute for Bird Populations. When she is not working or wrangling her teenagers, Meredith enjoys birding, hiking with her dog Pippin, or painting (badly) with watercolors |
BOARD MEMBERPam Lauman: I taught Special Ed and Remedial Reading for 32 years. I have been a backyard birder for most of my life. My mom loved birds and there were always cardinals, blue jays, and mockingbirds in our Baton Rouge yard. I had seed feeders and hummingbird feeders after I moved to western Colorado in 1995. My spark bird was a Western Tanager that was in the top of a cottonwood on my New Castle property. I could not believe such a incredibly beautiful bird existed. After I moved to Fruita in 2016, I began to participate in the GVAS bird walks and New Dimension birding classes. Now I am totally obsessed though I still have lots to learn! I combine my love of travel with my love of birds and look forward to traveling again.
Brooke Hahn, Social Media Coordinator Brooke Hahn is employed as a Digital Broadcast Technician, Residential Insurance Consultant, and Social Media Coordinator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Professional Studies with a specialization in Digital Marketing in December 2023 and has been using her degree to contribute to the efforts of local nonprofits. She is the Pickin' In The Rockies Board of Directors Secretary and Mesa County 4-H Poultry Superintendent in addition to her position with GVAS. Her love for birds started as a toddler when her parents decided to raise backyard chickens, and she has raised poultry ever since. This passion for domestic birds quickly developed into an interest in wild birds and birding. Outside of her lifelong interest in birds of all kinds she also has a love for the arts. She holds a particular affinity for photography, fiber arts, and art history-spending her spare time taking photos, making needle lace, and researching art.
Tina Wilson, Communications and Website has been a graphic designer of print and web for over 30 years for a variety of businesses. Before moving to GJ, 6 years ago, she and her husband Tim Carter were the creators and publishers of a glossy coffee-table magazine called Grand County Living. At the same time she owned an advertising agency called Firebird DesignWorks. They lived in Granby for over 25 years. They are now enjoying what the Grand Valley has to offer: Cycling, cross-country skiing, and hiking. And their bird feeder is always open to fly-bys! [email protected]
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