Dave and Kim Baker, David worked 44 years in Verizon telecommunications, serving in various management roles and in financial analysis. David and wife Kim have been OSU 4-H leaders for the past 15 years and love working with kids and believe the fate of our planet depends on how much we invest in them. For years David and Kim nurtured a dream to save the back-forty of their farm dissected by a deep limestone gorge. This desire led them into partnership with the Arc, and today Quiverheart Gorge Preserve is a reality.
Jacob Bartley is a Restoration Ecologist that has worked in the wetland and stream restoration/enhancement industry for 20 years. He is the owner of an ecological consulting firm known as Plum Hill Ecological Services, based out of Northern Kentucky. His expertise includes wetlands restoration and many other habitat enhancement projects. He serves as the project director of the Red Stone Farm Wetland Mitigation Bank, where just a portion of their construction and restoration activities have included hand-planting 27,000 native trees and hand seeding over 500 lbs of native perennial wetland seeds. The goal of this effort is to restore some of the historic forested wetland ecosystem known as the Beech Flats that once dominated this region of southern Ohio and to conserve it for perpetuity.
Brent Charette was trained in forest resource management at Hocking Technical College. His first career was with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, working as a state-wide naturalist for the Division of Parks and Recreation. He eventually went on to serve as Park Manager at Malabar Farm State Park. Brent now works for the Arc of Appalachia. As Nancy’s partner, the two of them enjoy hosting natural history events and courses at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary and, in their personal time, caring for one of the Sanctuary’s tracts of land known as Ridgeview Restoration Farm. Brent’s greatest passions include nature interpretation, permaculture & forest gardening, native tree propagation, and subsistence gardening. He loves anything to do with trees, including growing edible mushrooms, carpentry, studying mycorrhizal associations, and teaching others how to learn and appreciate our native trees.
Elijah Crabtree is the On-site Land Manager for the Arc of Appalachia at Tremper Mound Preserve in Scioto County. Elijah was born and raised in Ross County - the epicenter of Hopewell architecture - where he developed a passion for local cultural history, natural sciences and conservation work. He has a special interest in connecting people to the natural world and promoting historically significant sites as protected public domains for education and inspiration.
Jeff Dickinson has been involved in organic, sustainable, regenerative agriculture over the last 50 years, with forests and nature being a part of his vocation and avocations throughout this period. In addition to his BS and MS in Horticulture, he has received his PhD in Entomology at OSU in pursuit of applied ecology in agroecosystems, including agroforestry. In addition to working at OSU as the Project Manager in Sustainable Agriculture, and the Agricultural Director at Meadowcreek Project in Arkansas, Jeff has spent the last 30 years as the Executive Director, Farmer, Educator, and Researcher at the Stratford Ecological Center.
Ann Geise is a Cincinnati based artist, who has been drawing and studying nature her entire life. Her artistry leans toward the ecological - how local plants, animals, geology are all deeply inter-connected. After working in pharmaceutical research for several years, Ann's love of both nature and art converged and blossomed into full expression when she took a job at the Cincinnati Nature Center as Artist & Exhibits Manager. She stayed for 19 years - producing what is now Ann's signature art.
Teri Gilligan is a lifelong nature enthusiast and she enjoys participating in group learning activities. Teri is a lifelong bird enthusiast and an excellent teacher who is eager to share her skills with all birders of experience levels. Teri has assisted on previous birds by song courses and has shared volunteers her expertise to facilitate many events at the Arc of Appalachia. Teri’s overbrimming optimism, enthusiasm for life, and genuine love for people make her presence at every event unforgettable.
Mark Hoberecht’s love and wonder for nature began as a child. He is fascinated by all aspects of the eastern Forest, and especially its ferns. He first became familiar with the Arc when attending a fern course in the summer of 2014. It was during this and other courses, along with the Wildflower Pilgrimage, that Mark developed a lasting bond with the Arc of Appalachia “family.”
Mark is from northeast Ohio, and has recently retired after a nearly 40-year career at NASA working on fuel cell and other energy storage technologies. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering, and M.S. degrees in engineering science and sustainable systems. Mark also founded a small business, HarvestBuild Associates, that specialized in various natural building techniques, including straw-bale and cob construction.
Andrea Jaeger & Brit Wood Brit Wood is the Arc’s Facility Manager, overseeing the maintenance and upkeep of the Arc’s multiple overnight lodges and educational buildings. Andrea Jaeger is the Arc’s Director of Land Acquisition & Visitor Services. Their careers with the Arc began in August 2016 after moving back to Ohio from Chattanooga, TN. Since then, the Arc has become more than a job, but a way of life. In addition to their regular work responsibilities, they serve as caretakers of the Tobacco Barn Hollow Preserve region. They fervently enjoy spending as much time in the forest as they can get, and love having the opportunity to share their passion for this truly remarkable preserve with others.
Ethan King is the Assistant Manager of Land Stewardship at the Arc of Appalachia. He is a native of Cincinnati and has developed a passion for the outdoors, which stemmed from his Grandmother who is an outstanding naturalist herself. He is an only child so he is very close with his parents, family, and friends that he has stayed in touch with after graduating from High school. Ethan graduated from Hocking College with a degree in Wildlife Management. He worked for Wayne National Forest where he used topographic maps to locate Tree of Heaven infestations and schedule them for removal. While looking to get his foot in the door after graduation he found a job in Colorado where he engaged in ecological field studies for a company called NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network). Shortly after that position had come to an end he knew his roots were in Ohio and wanted to look for work in his home state.
Rick Perkins recently retired from the role of Director of Camp Oty’Okwa, a year-round Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Ohio children’s camp in Hocking County. Earlier, he served a full career with the National Park Service, where he worked as Chief Ranger for Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Ohio, and Park Ranger at Isle Royale National Park and Glacier Bay National Park. Because the Arc protectes several ancient earthworks, Rick’s experience in protecting indigenous legacies is invaluable.
Bob Scott Placier retired in 2015, after teaching in the School of Natural Resources at Hocking College for over 30 years. He mostly taught Dendrology and Ornithology toward the end, but also classes in Field Biology and Forest Ecology. Presently he devotes most of his time to bird banding at his Vinton County home, and serves as president of the Ohio Bird Banding Association.
Tim Pohlar is a Project Lead for the Land Stewardship team and resides at Blackgum Woods with his wife Miriam and two daughters Rose and Quinn. Tim has been with the Arc since 2004, where he started as an intern, learning his trees and nature studies from the many great naturalists before him. He has a passion for sharing the beauty of nature with others and stewarding our natural lands.
Judy Semroc is a conservation specialist, field biologist and naturalist. Judy has 25+ years of experience offering hands-on exploration based learning programs. As a former Petroleum Geologist and science teacher, Judy loves to learn about and share her passion for the natural world through hikes, interpretive programs, and photography.
Judy is the founder of Chrysalis in Time‚ the first Ohio chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA). Judy also serves on the board of the Ohio Bluebird Society & Ohio Ornithological Society (Conservation Committee). She has co-authored two natural history guides, “Dragonflies & Damselflies of Northeast Ohio” in 2008, and “Goldenrods of Northeast Ohio: A Field Guide to Identification & Natural History” in 2017.
Vicki Solomon has loved the forests and wildlands of Ohio as long as she can remember, She was that kid hanging around naturalists whenever and wherever she could. With a degree in Environmental Interpretation from the Ohio State University, Vicki has helped people discover their own love of nature working for the US Forest Service, Ohio State Park, Cleveland and Lake Metroparks. Vicki trains and works oxen, mentoring others in the US and Africa. She manages her acreage at the headwaters of the Cuyahoga River as a small farm and nature sanctuary. She and her husband, Mark, operate a seasonal local foods concession, and argue about which areas of the property Mark is allowed to mow.
Bob & Beth Staggenborg were both teachers and have experience leading nature hikes with kids in the woods. We love to help all ages connect to the natural world. We are passionate about having native diversity on our property and have planted a number of native trees. Bob is the host and producer of Nature Guys Podcast.
Nancy Stranahan is the Director of the Arc of Appalachia Preserve System, and was one of the non-profit’s founders back in 1995. Since that time, Nancy has organized the Arc’s expansion from zero acres to over 7000, founding over 20 new preserve regions in southern Ohio. Nancy previously worked for ODNR for ten years with Ohio State Parks as Chief Naturalist, and twenty years running a bakery, a soup & cafe, and international gift store in downtown Columbus known as Benevolence, promoting healthy and intentional food choices. Nancy not only loves preserving land, she has a passion for habitat restoration, and native plant propagation and re-introduction. Nancy LOVES teaching, learning, networking, and she has been teaching the Arc’s tree courses for over a decade.
Dave Todt is a retired professor of natural science at Shawnee State University. He served in various capacities at Shawnee since 1975, including seven years as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at SSU. Dave’s love of the natural environment started at an early age with family camping trips around Ohio and summers in the mountains of western North Carolina. At Shawnee State he taught courses including Ohio’s Natural Heritage, Field Ornithology, Ecology, and numerous other science and recreation courses. Dave was involved in the preparation of science teachers and environmental educators while at Shawnee. He also worked for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as a manager of the Youth Conservation Corps program. Dave served two terms on the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves Natural Areas Council and is currently active with the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association. He proudly serves on the Arc of Appalachia Board.
Bob and Marilyn Welker has served on the Arc board for the past 5 1/2 years, was a long-time activist in Columbus, and co-founded and directed Simply Living for many years. Living in the "cornfields of Champaign County" for the past 14 years, she has been "learning by doing," transforming two+ acres of disturbed land (former quarry) to create biodiversity by building the soils and planting native trees, bushes, flowers, and edible plants.
Rebecca Wood is a retired professor of Natural Resource Management from Hocking College where she taught Dendrology, Field Ecology, Wetland Management, Herbal Studies, Soils and many other field based courses. She currently owns and operates Hopewood Holistic Health & Holistic Journeys providing education and assessment in holistic wellness strategies and offers International Eco-wellness journeys to explore other's Backyards and Beyond, unique cultures and incredible Nature. She was honored recently as one of Ohio's 7 Herbal Elders by United Plant Savers (https://unitedplantsavers.org/ohio-herbal-elder-rebecca-wood/) and loves storytelling and igniting the 'green spark' in others to ensure, understanding, appreciation and sustainable use of Nature's diverse gifts. You can learn more about Rebecca at www.hopewoodholistichealth.com.