People

Howard Drossman earned his B.S. in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley and his Ph.D. in bioanalytical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, where he contributed to the development of instrumental techniques for genomic sequencing and single molecule analysis. Prior to receiving his doctorate, Howard studied environmental engineering at Stanford University and SRI international, exploring the fate of pollutants in aquatic systems. His professional interests remain in the area of environmental chemistry, focusing currently on Arctic nitrogen cycling, biogeochemical responses to forest thinning in Colorado, biosphere-atmosphere exchange processes and restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

In addition to serving as Executive Director of CCGSR, Howard is Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Science at Colorado College. As chair of the Environmental Program at CC from 2000 - 2007, Howard worked with faculty to develop and teach a transdisciplinary curriculum. His passion for such classes is reflected by his teaching schedule:

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics
Human Impacts on Biogeochemical Cycles
Hydrology, Aquatic Chemistry & Ecology
Energy and the Environment
Global Climate Change
Bioanalytical Chemistry

Howard was a visiting scientist at the MBL Ecosystem Center in Woods Hole and taught at the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (ISDSI) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Outside of the classroom and research lab, Howard enjoys backpacking, sea and whitewater kayaking, Tai Chi, organic gardening, and vegetarian cooking.

Hillary Hamann is a geographer with broad interests in hydrology and water resources. She received her B.A. in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University and her M.A. and PhD in Geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Currently, Hillary is on the faculty of the Department of Geography at the University of Denver where she teaches classes in hydrology, water resources and resource management.

Hillary’s research has focused on runoff flowpaths, water quality and the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance—pollution, climate change and deforestation—in alpine and tropical watersheds. Most recently she has been examining the effects of wildfire on the physical and chemical nature of water and sediment erosion in forested watersheds of the Rocky Mountain West and Southwest. In her spare time you’ll most often find her out-of-doors gardening, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and, of course, backcountry skiing.

David Havlick is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental

Studies at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs where his primary research interests focus on public lands, conservation, restoration, and militarized landscapes.He has a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, and graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in English.

He has worked for a number of non-profit organizations, including Wild Rockies Field Institute (which he co-founded in 1993), Predator Conservation Alliance, the Forest History Society, and Wildlands CPR. Publications include No Place Distant: Roads and Motorized Recreation on America'sPublic Lands(Island Press, 2002) and articles in Science; Ethics, Place & Environment; GeoJournal; Conservation in Practice; High Country News, and other publications. He is an avid runner, backpacker, cyclist, gardener, and backcountry skier, family-time permitting.

Tom Huber received his B.S. degree in geography from the United States Air Force Academy in 1969. After graduation from the Academy he attended pilot training in Enid, Oklahoma. In 1977 he finished his M.A. in Geography from Syracuse University and went on to teach at the Air Force Academy for the next three years. During his time teaching at the Academy, Tom completed his Ph.D. in geography from the University of Colorado, Boulder. He served on the faculty at Colgate University for one year, realized he was a westerner at heart, and returned to Colorado in 1981. He has been a faculty member at UCCS ever since.

Active in teaching and research his entire career, Tom has published six books and numerous journal articles. In 1993 he was named a President’s Teaching Scholar for the CU system, and in 1995 was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to Ireland. His research focuses in two areas – the geography of Colorado and resource management issues using remote sensing and image processing. When not serving the needs of his faculty and students, Tom can usually be found somewhere in the nearby mountains merging his academic interests with his favorite recreational pursuits - hiking and skiing.

Marc Snyder is an animal ecologist interested in specialized vertebrate herbivores and their associated host plants. He earned his Bachelor's degree in biology at Kent State University and his Ph.D at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he studied feeding preferences of Abert's squirrels and their effect on the reproductive fitness of host trees.Marc has since broadened his research inquiry to look at multi-species ecological interactions, their evolutionary consequences and conservation implications. Studying tree squirrels, porcupines, bark beetles, dwarf mistletoe, and various other forest denizens satisfies much of his scientific wanderlust, keeping him in some of the more beautiful places of the western U.S. and northern Mexico.

Marc is Associate Professor of Biology at Colorado College and a frequent contributor to scientific journals. When he is not chasing animals through the forest, Marc teaches ecology and zoology at Colorado College and field locations in the Western US, Central and South America, and East Africa.

David Westmoreland is a Professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is the Deputy Head of Research for the

department of Biology, as well as the Course Director for a senior-level course in evolution and a beginner’s course for biology majors. He held previous appointments at Emory University, the West Virginia Institute of Technology, and Iowa State University. David earned his B.S. from Louisiana State University in Wildlife Conservation, his M.A. in Zoology from Southern Illinois University, and his Ph. D. in Animal Ecology from Iowa State. His research interests are on adaptive coloration in animals, particularly the coloration of avian eggs.

David has taught courses in General Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Organismal and Population Ecology, Evolution, and Human Anatomy and Physiology, among others. He has published a textbook and numerous articles in peer reviewed journals such as the Journal of Avian Biology, Animal Behaviour, and the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. He is a member of the American Ornithologists' Union and the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. He has earned many academic honors including the William T. Goodner Award for Teaching Excellence at the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2001. He was also listed as a finalist for the Heiser Award for Excellence in Teaching at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

John Harner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He received his Ph.D. from the Arizona State University in 1996.

John's research interests revolve around two themes: the landscapes and social geography of U.S. cities, and U.S.-Mexico interactions and integration. Research in both of these topics frequently involves applied uses of geographic information systems (GIS). In 2005, he received a Fulbright to work in Guadalajara and was Visiting Professor at the Universidad de Guadalajara. He regularly takes students to Chihuahua, Mexico, for a summer class.

John has published in numerous academic journals, including the Annals of the Association of American Geographers, The Professional Geographer, Geographical Review, and the Journal of Latin American Geography. He is co-author of Human Geography in Action. He regularly teaches classes on the geography of food, the geography of the American Southwest, urban geography, the cultural landscape, and more.

Brian Vanden Heuvel received his B.S. in Botany from Colorado State University in 1997 and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. After finishing his degree, he had a two year post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California - Davis in the Department of Pomology studying the evolution of a nitrogen-fixing mutualism. His interests range from traditional plant taxonomy and systematics to the use of molecular markers to study questions in ecology and evolution. Currently, Brian is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University - Pueblo where he teaches classes in Botany, Evolution, Bioinformatics, and Molecular Genetics.

Beyond existing research programs with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria Frankia, new research programs in Brian's lab have focused on microbial source tracking of fecal contaminates in local watersheds, population genetics of invasive weeds, and identification of lung worms in Rocky Mountain Sheep populations using DNA sequence analysis. When not in the classroom or the research lab, Brian enjoys hiking, backpacking, and botanizing in Southern Colorado.

Janell Harvey received her B.S. in Animal Science from Colorado State University and her M.S. from the University of South Florida. Her thesis explored the Fishery and General Management practices and protection of Biscayne National Park near Miami. While pursuing her undergraduate degree she was a legislative intern, then held positions at the Denver Zoo, and the Oceanic Institute in Oahu, Hawaii, conducting aquaculture research. Subsequently, she worked for several years as a Wetlands Biologist at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, before completing her M.S.. Prior to being appointed Associate Research Director at the Catamount Center, she worked as a field biologist in environmental consulting in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. She enjoys scuba diving, skiing, hiking, fishing, riding her three horses, and volunteering in the community. She is an active member of the Junior League of Colorado Springs for which she has served on the board.

Vic Eklund, Jr., CF is an advisor and contributor to CC. He is a Natural Resources Planner in the watershed management planning arena, and recently retired from the Colorado Springs Utilities Water Resources Department. During that time he had been part of various water project planning and permitting teams including the Homestake Project and the proposed Jimmy Camp Creek Reservoir near Colorado Springs. Also, he has coordinated the development and implementation of a forest management plan for Colorado Springs watershed lands on Pikes Peak, assisted in the improvement of wildland fire protection and response, and helped facilitate the opening of a new recreation area on the watershed, all involving multiple inter-agency partnerships. He has recently devoted most of his time as WRD's Project Manager for the Pikes Peak Multi-Use Plan, a comprehensive multi-agency and citizen-involved regional planning effort.

Vic received his Bachelor of Science degree as a second-generation forestry graduate from Colorado State University. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in forestry from the University of Washington. A long time member of the Society of American Foresters, he has achieved the designation Certified Forester and was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1998. Having raised 4 children, and now blessed with many grandchildren, Vic and his wife Kay reside in Colorado Springs.