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Our Staff

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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 received her elementary teaching certificate in 1989. Jill taught elementary school for nine 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.

Contact Jill at jill@wildbear.org

Mike
Director of Community Partnerships

Mike grew up in Cincinnati, OH and holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University and a masters’ 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 four years, and now lives permanently in Nederland. Previously, Mike taught English in Korea, Mexico, and Costa Rica. He also spent 11 years working for Apple 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.

Contact Mike at mike@wildbear.org

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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 a decade before enthusiastically moving back to Colorado to join the Wild Bear team. During her time out west she received her BS in Environmental Management and Protection, with a focus on Environmental Education, from Humboldt State University. She has worked as an educator and naturalist in Yosemite National Park, and Lake Tahoe region.

She is a firm believer in the important role that a creative education and a connection to nature play in building communities that protect the environment and encourage people to thrive. Michelle loves to practice yoga, travel, backpack, snowboard, rock climb, dance, and learn new things!

Contact Michelle at michelle@wildbear.org

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Kat Barr
aka Sunflower
Development Director

Kat is originally from Santa Rosa, CA. She has a degree in psychology from Cornell University, and has worked in various nonprofit leadership positions for the past 20 years. Most recently, Kat was the Chief Operating Officer at UltraViolet, a woman’s advocacy organization; prior to that, she worked in communications, digital organizing, and advocacy on issues ranging from healthcare reform to voter outreach. Her love of nature comes from growing up near beautiful trails and parks in California – and visiting others with her family in the RV – and she remembers her time at summer camp, as a camper and a counselor, as among her favorite memories.

Kat fell in love with the Colorado mountains after moving to Ned from Washington, D.C. several years ago, and is now an avid mountain biker, trail runner, and nature photographer. She loves taking photos of flowers, rainbows, wildlife, and sunsets, cooking vegetarian food and baked goods, and spending hours working in the yard on a sunny day. She and her husband live in Ned with their two very loved rescue pups.

Contact Kat at kat@wildbear.org

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Tyler Pelkey
aka Moonstone
Executive Assistant

Tyler is a local who grew up right here in Nederland and comes to us with a background in environmental studies from CU Boulder. She has previously worked with Wild Bear as a volunteer and summer educator for the NederRangers in 2018. While not at Wild Bear she spends her time painting, playing with her cats, and enjoying the outdoors.

Contact Tyler at tyler@wildbear.org

Sarah
Sarah Travers aka Cirrus Sunshine
Nature Education Coordinator

Sarah grew up in Fort Collins, exploring Colorful Colorado with her family. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and has since worked in research and education internationally.

She is excited to be back in Colorado exploring the ecosystems she missed so much. She is passionate about fostering environmental stewardship through experiencing our interconnectedness with nature. The more time we spend exploring nature, the more we understand, the more we care, and the better we can protect our world.

Sarah loves sharing her love of the outdoors with others, whether it is skiing with her family, diving with friends, or hiking with wild bears – every moment is a learning moment to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world around us.

Contact Sarah at education@wildbear.org

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Reed Squier aka Chinook
Americorps Service Member, Nature Educator

Reed grew up in Seattle, WA and received his degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. Growing up in the mossy green corner of the Pacific Northwest, Reed has always been fascinated by the natural processes which compose our environments. Reed is excited to have the opportunity to be able to work with Wild Bear through Americorps and share this knowledge with Colorado’s youth through creative education and community focused projects.

Having opportunities to spend time outdoors have always been vitally important to Reed and hopes he can provide more of those opportunities to others. In his free time Reed enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, and playing guitar.

Contact Reed at americorps@wildbear.org

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Debora Martin
aka Sleeper Bear

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 the Boulder Valley School District as an Early Childhood Educator since 1995, a Volunteer Naturalist with the City of Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks since 2007, and has been a Volunteer with the Division of Wildlife since 2006.

As a long time educator and interpreter, Debora believes an early appreciation of nature grows into a life of affection and respect. She embraces children using their senses and imaginations while learning about the world, allowing them to build their individual desire to explore and find joy in the outdoors.

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Adwoa Lemieux
aka Calypso Orchid
Year-Round Environmental Educator

Adwoa Lemieux lives in Gold Hill and leads Wild Bear’s 10+ programs in the summer, bringing children 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.

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Art Abramson aka Guppy 
Fly Fishing Educator

Originally from northern Michigan, Art worked for nearly 50 years as a Forester in the woods of the northern Lake States, New England, and Colorado. He has been a Ski Instructor at both Copper Mountain and Eldora Resorts in Colorado for the past 19 years.  Art has been fishing, primarily for trout,  since early childhood,  and a fly fisherman and fly tier for nearly 50 years.