Jill Dreves, aka Green Darner: Executive Director
Jill Dreves holds a Master of Science degree in Museum and Field Studies in Museum Administration, a BS in Human Development and Family Studies, and she received her elementary teaching certificate in 1989.
Jill taught elementary school for 9 years and was a naturalist with the Vail Nature Center before founding Wild Bear Nature Center in 1995.
She enjoys hiking, gardening, creative endeavors, cooking, and hanging out with her two sons, Sam and Charlie, in the outdoors.
Mike Reichert, aka Evergreen: Director of Operations
Mike grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from BGSU and an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Ohio Dominican University.
He taught ESL in public education in Dublin, Ohio before moving to California for 4 years, and now lives permanently in Nederland. Prior to those experiences, Mike taught English in Korea, Mexico, and Costa Rica. He also spent 11 years working for Apple, Inc. before getting hired full-time with Wild Bear in October 2018.
Mike LOVES the outdoors and fondly remembers going to Summer Camp as a kid!
Michelle Witte, aka Roots: Nature Education Director
Michelle grew up in Colorado Springs, exploring all of colorful Colorado as a young girl. She moved to northern California shortly after high school and lived there for almost 10 years before enthusiastically moving back to Colorado to join the Wild Bear team as our Nature Education Director.
During her time out west she received her BS in Environmental Management and Protection from Humboldt State University and worked as an educator and naturalist in Yosemite National park, and the Lake Tahoe region.
She is a firm believer in the power of education and a connection to nature as means to protecting the environment and way for people to thrive. Michelle loves to practice yoga, travel, backpack, snowboard, rock climb, dance, and learn new things!
Ataiyo Viafora, aka Silver Otter: Office Manager
Ataiyo springs from the Red Rocks of Sedona, Arizona and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Sustainability. From a young age, he was given free range to explore the wildness and sacred connection that nature and life have to offer and hasn’t ever stopped.
An ecological alchemist, Ataiyo thrives when given the opportunity to transmute “waste” into abundance through composting, anaerobic digestion, or fungal decomposition. Ataiyo believes the decomposition process is a fundamental lever in transitioning our linear systems into circular systems, capable of regenerating human-induced damages and propelling us into a new era of human-nature interbeing.
After working/volunteering/consulting at several sustainable farms in South America for 8 months, Ataiyo has emerged with the determination to work towards facilitating the healing of the Earth and it’s people through education, applied ecological/regenerative design, interpersonal connection, and collective action.
Adwoa Lemieux, aka Calypso Orchid: Year-Round Environmental Educator
Adwoa Lemieux lives in Gold Hill and leads our 10+ programs in the summer, bringing them to high peaks and to the CU Mountain Research Station. She also leads youth nature workshops during our After-School Program. This winter, Adwoa will be leading our SnowSchool Program with local climate scientists.
Adwoa has worked in the outdoor sports field for many years. She is a ski instructor at Eldora where she specializes in all levels of ski lessons.
She was the director of the waterfront at Farm and Wilderness where she taught boating and swim lessons. She loves being on the mountain, hiking, and always looks for where the most flowers are blooming!
Debora Martin, aka Sleeper Bear: Summer NCAR Fridays
Debora leads our NCAR Fridays workshops for 5-8 year olds during the summer months. She loves the outdoors and enjoys sharing her enthusiasm with children.
She has been with BVSD as an Early Childhood Educator since 1995, a Volunteer Naturalist with the City of Boulder OSMP since 2007, and has been a Volunteer with the Division of Wildlife since 2006.
“As a long time Educator and Interpreter, I’ve learned that an early appreciation of nature grows into a life of affection and respect. I believe children should use their senses and imagination when learning about the wondrous world around us. Wild Bear lets me use my experience to give children a great foundation on which they can build their own desire to explore and find joy in the outdoors.”
Livia Spencer, aka Rain: 2019 Summer Intern
Livia is an outdoors enthusiast. She is currently studying Environmental Studies at CU with a minor in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.
She is passionate about the climate crisis and how we can educate the community about what they can do to help solve the problems that exist.
Jenna Hynes, aka Jellyfish: 2019 Summer Intern
Jenna is a student at CU Boulder studying Environmental Studies, and is graduating at the end of this year in December 2019. She is originally from Ventura, California. She loves being outside and hiking here in Colorado. She is super excited to be a part of the team at Wild Bear!
Paris Muise, aka Perry the Platypus: 2019 Summer Intern
Paris is from Saratoga, California. Ecology and the interconnectedness of life have always been very fascinating topics to him. He is a National Outdoor Leadership School graduate and has spent over a month in the backcountry of Wyoming!
Darian Drake, aka Armadillo D: 2019 Summer Intern
Darian is a senior Environmental Studies Major at Texas A&M University! #WHOOP! She is a huge family and friends girl, loves playing sports, the great outdoors, and late night ice cream dates are her favorite!
