Hometown/current town
Littleton, CO / Anchorage, AK
How do your past professional pursuits tie into your new position?
This job allows me to use my Master’s in Environmental Studies, alongside my writing and people skills. I am excited to work to protect the wild places that I have grown to love while guiding in Alaska.
Favorite day of fishing in Alaska?
A warm sunny day at Rainbow Lake above Cooper Landing. Looking for bugs under the rocks. Exploring different areas of the coastline on this picturesque alpine lake. Catching beautiful rainbow trout.
What brought you to Alaska in the first place?
I had to find mountains bigger than in Colorado! My first job was guiding hiking and whale watching tours in Juneau. I discovered all that the outdoors could offer here year-round, and I’m so grateful to be building a community who enjoys this way of life as much as I do.
Most memorable meal you’ve had from Alaska wild foods?
During my first summer in Alaska, we had a local food potluck dinner. We ate a stew with Sitka Blacktail Deer from a friend’s hunt. We enjoyed bright red sockeye salmon fillets from another’s recent fishing trip. We snacked on root vegetables from a friend’s garden. And I spent the afternoon picking wild blueberries and baking them into a crisp for dessert. It was a beautiful reminder of our connection to the land, the water, and each other.
What are you most excited to learn about in your new role as Southcentral Alaska Engagement Manager?
I am excited to learn about all the ways we can protect fish and their habitat in the area that many Alaskans consider home. There seems to be a lot of opportunity and motivation to protect cold-water habitat in the most developed areas of the state. I am excited to learn about the ways different partners can come together to address issues surrounding the Eklutna Hydro Project and the West Susitna Industrial Corridor.
Dream fishing trip?!
I’d love to chase Dolly Varden as an excuse to get up into some of the more remote areas in the Brook’s Range in northern Alaska!
