Ellie TownsleyFrom San Anselmo, California, Ellie grew up spending constant time hiking and exploring the hills of Marin County exposed her to the wonders of the outdoors and while strengthening her passion for environmental stewardship. Her family frequently visited Yosemite National Park where her desire to study the natural world sparked. She chose to enroll at the University of Oregon as an Environmental Studies major to pursue her dedication to environmentalism. She looks forward to spreading her wealth of knowledge gained in Environmental Studies courses and inspiring local students.
Zoe O'TooleZoe spent her childhood in Portland, Oregon. Starting in elementary school, she became interested in spending time outdoors, swimming, climbing trees, and exploring local parks and forests. Currently, in her free time, Zoe enjoys hiking, backpacking, and spending time outside. She is an Environmental Studies major at the University of Oregon with a minor in Biology. Having been educated at a school with an environmental focus, she is passionate about sharing her love for environmental education to the next generation of students.
Abbey GyetvaiAbbey grew up in Folsom, California. Her family constantly went on fun hikes and made sure that she was always spending time outside. She loves visiting Lake Tahoe when she’s back home in California and spending lots of time playing with her two dachshunds. She is currently majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Political Science at the University of Oregon. Abbey would like to become an environmental lawyer so she can fight for the planet. She is looking forward to teaching students and sharing her love and appreciation of nature with them.
Kathryn LynchProgram Co-Director
Katie is an environmental anthropologist who has a strong commitment to participatory, collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches in both her research and teaching. She has worked in Peru, Ecuador, Indonesia and the United States examining issues of community-based natural resource management. This has included examining the role of medicinal plants in Amazonian conservation efforts and the potential for engaged environmental education to promote conservation. Before joining UO she was a researcher at the Institute for Culture and Ecology, where her research focused on the relationships between forest policy and management, conservation of biodiversity, and non-timber forest products. She has also facilitated various courses and workshops that examine the nexus between environmental and cultural issues. |
Garrett ReaganGrowing up in Upstate, New York influenced Garrett’s love for the natural world. Spending copious amounts of time on the serene lakes of New York and in the rolling Adirondack Mountains. After high school Garrett took a year off to travel Europe, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand. He promptly moved to Oregon, established residency and began attending the University of Oregon. He is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies with a minor in Anthropology and Food Studies. He looks forward to instilling the same sense of empathy and compassion he was given at a young age to the students.
Kjirsten MillsKjirsten grew up on a farm in rural western Washington. She spent her childhood exploring the forests, rivers and fields surrounding her home. Her experiences with animals and nature from a young age cultivated a love for the environment and influenced her to pursue a degree in Environmental Science at the University of Oregon. She looks forward to working with students and helping instill the same love of nature into their lives.
Katy KuechleKaty was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She spent her childhood going to the beach and exploring the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Her experiences growing up in nature have fostered a deep appreciation for the environment that inspired her to pursue an Environmental Science degree at the University of Oregon. Because she was surrounded by such beautiful nature her whole life, she desired to give back to our planet and do what she could to help and thought a major in Environmental Science would offer great opportunities to do so. Katy is very excited to work with students and help them spark a desire to protect the planet.
Tyler GrimesTyler was raised in Hollister, California. He spent a lot of his childhood camping and exploring the Santa Cruz mountains and Henry Cowell Redwoods state park. His childhood experiences in nature have inspired a deep appreciation for the natural world, shaping his current life. These experiences have driven him towards a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. He currently looks forward to the experience in shaping and inspiring students and upon graduation, he will become an Active Duty Army Officer.
Sasha WhiteSasha brings a wide range of experience to her interdisciplinary studies as a masters student in the Environmental Studies program at the University of Oregon. Originally trained as a visual artist, she has also crewed on a tall ship off the coast of Maine, managed a medicinal plant conservation internship in southeast Ohio, collected seeds for restoration projects in the Willamette Valley, monitored vegetation in sagebrush steppe, and participated in prescribed fire operations across the fire-adapted ecosystems of Oregon. She is a qualified Wildland Firefighter and Wilderness First Responder and passionate about the use of plant medicine in acute and first-aid situations. Currently conducting creative research into the transgressive materialities of fire, art and medicine, she seeks to elucidate recurring tropes of crisis and danger within environmental humanities discourse and the narratives of the fire-prone landscape. When not drawing or making plant medicine, Sasha likes to be backpacking to the mountain lakes that led her to call Oregon home.
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