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Meet the 2011 Interns 

Kimberly Allen
Alaska Farmland Trust (Palmer, AK)
Community Outreach Intern

Kim is from WinterHaven, Florida and currently resides in Powell, Ohio.  She holds a B.A. from Ohio Dominican University in Visual Communications and is currently a graduate student at The Ohio State University in Environment and Natural Resources, Soil and Water Conservation and will be graduating in September of 2011.  She has worked the past decade as a graphic designer.  Her interest in the outdoors and the environment plays an important part in her life as she is an avid snowboarder, kayaker, whitewater rafter, sailor and even plays the drums.  Her goal is to combine her new scientific knowledge with her extensive skills in communications to build a career in a national or state environmental agency as a soil conservationist and/or public relations specialist.  She is thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Alaska and assist in communicating the importance of agricultural sustainability for the region.

Molly Casperson
Sitka Conservation Society (Sitka, AK)
Tongass Sustainability Branding & Marketing Intern

Molly is from Neenah, Wisconsin and graduated from Butler University.  At Butler she competed on the varsity tennis team and received her degree in Science, Technology and Society.  She is currently an Environment and Resources graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is enrolled in the Energy and Air Policy certificate program.  Her current research focuses on environmental health and eco-labeling.  She is interested in salmon eco-marketing and believes that wild Alaskan salmon deserve our help and protection.  Molly enjoys the outdoors, cooking, music and photography.  She is very excited to work with others who believe in the conservation and restoration of our natural surroundings.

Meghan Cavanaugh
Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (Anchorage, AK)
Outreach Intern

Meghan Cavanaugh is from Anchorage, Alaska and attended high school at East Anchorage High School.  Currently she is studying environmental science and political science at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and will be graduating in June 2012.  She is particularly interested in how community involvement/development converges with environmental issues.  Meghan loves Chicago, but is very excited to spend a summer back home with the organization that first sparked her interest in environmental policy and issues, AYEA.  She enjoys swimming, running, hiking and movies. 

Celeta Cook
Discovery Southeast (Juneau, AK)
Natural Science Educator

Celeta is a graduate from Quest University Canada, where she received a Bachelor of Arts and Science.  She specializes in cognitive empathy and has spent a lot of time researching what motivates people to care about global issues.  She is passionate about educating children on the importance of caring for our world, both environmentally and socially.  Originally from Deseronto, Ontario, Celeta has worked with children in 7 countries and has contributed to environmental projects both at home and abroad.  She is excited to explore Alaska and cannot wait to spend the summer outdoors inspiring children to not only love their big backyard, but to help preserve it for generations to come.

Camrin Dengel
Alaska Marine Conservation Council (Anchorage, AK)
Conservation Intern

Camrin Dengel, a native of Valdez, Alaska, currently studies at Humboldt State University in the Redwoods of California.  Growing up in Valdez instilled in her an appreciation for the natural world and outdoor adventure.  Camrin plans to graduate with her individually designed degree of Natural Resources/Environmental Photojournalism in the coming spring.  She has spent many of her past summers on bike touring trips, international and national travel, exploring the outdoors and guiding local water outfits in Valdez.  Her dream is to find a career that allows her to protect the natural environment she loves to explore while putting her photography and creativity to work through environmental advocacy. 

Geoff Genzano
Renewable Energy Alaska Project (Anchorage, AK)
Renewable Energy Education and Advocacy Intern

Geoff Genzano, originally from Philadelphia, is currently an undergraduate student majoring in environmental studies at The New School in New York City.  He his focusing his studies on energy policy and the role it will play in a renewable energy economy.  Geoff is an avid photographer who enjoys hiking, camping and being outdoors.  He hopes to take part in the energy debate that has defined Alaska’s past and will ultimately shape its future.

Eric Grazia
Cook Inletkeeper (Homer, AK)
Watershed Monitoring Intern

Eric is originally from Bethany, Connecticut and graduated in May 2011 with a degree in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He is interested in various aspects of hydrology and water resource management practices that lead to improved water quality.  Eric is looking forward to working with Cook Inletkeeper in Homer, conducting water quality monitoring and helping with outreach efforts and volunteer coordination.  In his free time Eric enjoys playing basketball and biking.  He has never been to Alaska and is very excited to learn about the state’s unique environmental issues, as well take advantage of the outdoors and recreational opportunities.

Jennifer Hanlon
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (Juneau, AK)
Cultural Resources Intern

Jennifer is an Alaskan, born and raised, from Yakutat, Alaska.  She graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in Global Environmental Studies.  She will continue her education at Vermont Law School in their Master’s in Environmental Law & Policy program this fall.  Growing up in a traditional hunting and fishing community where people still live off the land, her interest in conservation is based on the understanding that our natural environment defines how people live their lives and that the ecosystem needs to be healthy in order to support the communities that still have an intimate relationship with the land. 

Claudia Hartley
Copper River Watershed Project (Cordova, AK)
Campaign Communications Coordinator

Claudia Hartley grew up in the shadow of Mt. Rainier in Seattle, Washington.  Her parents both have careers in natural resources and, as a happy result, Claudia spent much of her youth exploring the Northwest’s beautiful environs.  This spirit of outdoors exploration and appreciation has stayed with her throughout her life.  A recent Life Sciences Communication graduate from the University of Wisconsin Madison, Claudia hopes to apply her degree towards the protection of wild places.  She is thrilled to be spending another summer in Alaska and is honored to be working on behalf of the state’s amazing and abundant natural resources.

Mara Hill
Alaska Community Action on Toxics (Anchorage, AK)
Environmental and Community Health Researcher/Advocate

Mara is from Anchorage, Alaska. She currently attends Willamette University in Salem, Oregon where she is studying Politics and Psychology. Leaving Alaska to go to school made her further appreciate the state and its natural beauty, which motivated her to become involved in conservation and the environment. She is excited to be working at a meaningful job this summer in the state she grew up in. Mara spent the fall semester of 2010 in Aalborg, Denmark where she learned to use public transportation and wear scarves. She enjoys crossword puzzles, running, ladybugs and eating eggs with toast.

Ted Koller
Yakutat Salmon Board (Yakutat, AK)
Coastal Forest Management/Biomass Intern

Ted is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and is a rising senior at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania where he is majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Religious Studies.  Within his Environmental Science studies, Ted is focusing on forest ecology and land use.  His passions are fly-fishing the Lake Erie tributaries for steelhead as well as hiking and backpacking.  He has fly-fished in Montana as well as backpacked through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico.  He feels that Alaska is a natural fit for both his academic and recreational interests.  He is excited to learn more about how forests can be sustainably managed for various purposes and how forest clearing affects stream health.

Elli Matkin
Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (Fairbanks, AK)
Science Intern

Elli is a senior, majoring in Sociology and Environmental Studies, at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.  Environmental justice–with a focus on indigenous and immigrant rights–is the interest about which she is most passionate.  Elli is from Homer, Alaska and grew up fishing, camping, and doing whale research with her parents.  Needless to say, Alaska conservation is incredibly important to her.  She has been applying her outside education to local issues and plans on continuing to do so far into the future.  She is thankful for the opportunity ACF has offered her to understand the complexities of social and environmental issues in Alaska.

Laura Mendenhall
Great Land Trust (Anchorage, AK)
Habitat Conservation Intern

Laura Mendenhall grew up in Kansas and graduated with a B.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from Kansas State University in 2009.  After a year working as a field biologist intern for the California Condor Reestablishment Program, she is now studying for a Master’s of Environmental Management, concentrating in ecosystem science and conservation, at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.  Laura is primarily interested in geospatial analysis and community-based environmental management.  She is most excited to apply her skills learned at Duke and from her experiences in the field to land conservation in Anchorage.

Meredith Pochardt
Takshanuk Watershed Council (Haines, AK)
Field Technician

Meredith is originally from upstate New York.  She graduated from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Watershed Science and Engineering.  Since graduating, Meredith has spent time traveling and working across the country.  Most recently she has spent time working as an outdoor educator at an outdoor science school in southern California.  Her interest in Alaska conservation began in the summer of 2008 while working for the Alaska State Parks in Seward.  Her inspiration comes from some of the great naturalist such as John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson.  She is looking forward to exploring Haines and all of southeastern Alaska.

Kevin Saechao
Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (Anchorage, AK)
Fundraising Intern

Kevin immigrated to Alaska when he was 8 years young.  He is currently an undergraduate student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Environment and Society and minoring in Justice at the University of Alaska Anchorage.  He is focusing his passions on environmental justice in Alaska.  His ultimate goal is to become an environmental lawyer to advocate for Alaskans who cannot stand up and speak up for themselves.  When Kevin isn’t trying to survive, he enjoys his Surly CrossCheck, the sun, Call of Duty, watching Hayao Miyazaki films, coriander, futbol, cooking Asian food and studying the word of God.  He aspires to become a major player in re-shaping Alaska’s environmental policy.

Kirsty Sanchez
US Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage, AK)
Conservation Planner

Kirsty Sanchez graduated from Winthrop University in 2010 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in Business Administration.  She is currently a graduate student at Clemson University studying City and Regional Planning with a concentration in Environmental and Land-Use Planning.  Kirsty is interested in all things environmental, but is especially interested in climate change and techniques for managing wildlife and habitats under the threat of changing global temperatures.  While she has lived and traveled all over the world, this summer will be Kirsty’s first opportunity to visit Alaska and she cannot wait to begin working as a conservation planner with the USFWS and experiencing all that beautiful Alaska has to offer.

Natalie Shapiro
Kachemak Heritage Land Trust (Homer, AK)
Conservation Assistant

Natalie Shapiro grew up in California and moved to Idaho as a young adult where she became hooked on conserving roadless wildlands.  She recently acquired a M.S. in Environmental Studies and a Certificate in GIS at the University of Montana.  Through her work with wildlands restoration projects, she became interested in conservation easements as a tool to protect rapidly dwindling wildlands.  She is thrilled to be able to gain hands-on experience with conservation easements this summer and is excited to visit and help protect wild areas in Alaska, a place she has always wanted to visit.

Paloma Garcia Simon
Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Fairbanks, AK)
Arctic Multimedia Intern

Paloma is originally from Mexico City, but currently lives in New York City.  She is a junior at The New School’s Parsons School for Design pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies focusing on sustainable design.  After college, she plans on attending graduate school for Landscaping Architecture to eventually practice ecological restoration.  She enjoys music, biking, hiking, camping and just being outside, and in her free time she likes building furniture, creating animation videos and cooking.  Paloma fell in love with Alaska the first time she visited the state and is now very excited for the opportunity to return and enhance her professional experience while raising awareness on conservation issues and resolutions.

Lindsay Spurrier
Juneau Watershed Partnership (Juneau, AK)
Watershed Research and Conservation Intern

Lindsay Spurrier is originally from Lincolnshire, Illinois, but currently lives in Durham, North Carolina studying Coastal Environmental Management and Geographic Information Systems at Duke University.  She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2010 and is still a Badger at heart.  Lindsay’s interest in Alaska comes from her love of fish and the coast.  She is specifically interested in Pacific salmon fisheries and coastal habitat management.  When she isn’t studying, Lindsay loves nothing more than being outside with good friends.  Hiking, fly fishing, going to minor league baseball games, or just sitting around a fire all put a smile on her face and she can’t wait to experience Alaska’s amazing outdoors.

Jennifer Sta. Ines
US Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage, AK)
Endangered Species Program Intern

Jennifer–previously a Californian, currently a New Yorker, and now a summer
Alaskan–will be working towards the conservation and management of endangered species in Southcentral Alaska.  She received her bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley and is completing her master’s degree in Climate & Society from Columbia University in the City of New York.  In between her academic stints, she worked with *OnEarth*, the independent publication of the Natural Resources Defense Council, where she fostered her passion for communicating environmental issues to the public through print magazine and the Web.  Always preferring the outdoors to the office, she is looking forward to being a part of the movement to study and conserve the higher latitudes, a place that is rapidly transforming due to the implications of climate change.

Fleming Talton
US Fish and Wildlife Service (Anchorage, AK)
Endangered Species Program Intern

Fleming Talton is a first-year graduate student in Geographic Information Science at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.  His research interest is in Natural Resources Management, specifically Precision Agriculture.  Using GIS as a monitoring and prescriptive tool, Fleming hopes to minimize ecologically harmful inputs while maximizing crop production.  Having lived for six months in Uruguay, his ultimate goal is to implement these new technologies in emerging economies.  Fleming loves exploring with a backpack, making music, linguistics, and the company of good friends; he can’t wait to get started working with endangered species and to experience Alaska.

Sam Wohns
Northern Alaska Environmental Center (Fairbanks, AK)
Clean Water and Mining Program Intern

Sam Wohns is a sophomore at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After graduating from high school in his hometown of East Grand Rapids, Michigan, he spent eight months traveling in South America.  Sam split his time between volunteering, exploring, studying and trekking.  He returned home with a renewed passion for environmental issues.  At Harvard he helps run a community garden, works at the Office for Sustainability and writes for The Crimson’s FM magazine.  As a Social Studies major and Ethnic Studies minor, he studies social inequality and indigeneity.  Sam is excited to work as an intern this summer to help protect critical habitat for Alaskans to use and enjoy today and in the future.