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About Our Board of Directors
Hermi Hiatt, State Chair
Coming
from Switzerland, a country where almost all landscapes below
timberline have been sculpted by man, I deeply appreciate wild
lands where man's hand is not much in evidence. Preservation of
unique habitats and open space for flora and fauna is very
important to me.
Hermi Hiatt, a volunteer with Friends of
Nevada Wilderness since 1987, has been involved with almost
every piece of wilderness legislation in the state. Her
on-the-ground knowledge, mapping and inventory work especially
in Clark County has had direct payoff with more areas protected
as wilderness. Hermi is a professional plant ecologist who has
worked extensively in the Mojave Desert and across the Great
Basin. Her professionalism has brought a strong science-based
component to Friends of Nevada Wilderness’ work. Hermi’s wealth
of knowledge, big heart and willingness to volunteer have been
instrumental to Friends’ success in conserving over three
million acres of Nevada’s Wilderness.
Roger Scholl, Northern Vice-Chair
Thirty-five
years ago I wished Nevada, with millions of acres of largely
unrecognized wilderness, could have one full-time person working
to protect this legacy. Today I am filled with gratitude for the
marvelous staff of Friends of Nevada Wilderness and those who
support their work. It is deeply satisfying knowing dozens of
magnificent protected areas are home to countless fellow
creatures, hold answers to questions we have yet to ask, and
offer a taste of my early experiences of discovery to my family,
grandchildren and thousands of others.
As an avid outdoorsman Roger has explored
most of Nevada's wild places - something he continues to do.
Dr. Scholl served as Deputy Executive
Director of the Wilderness Society in Washington D.C. for
several years and was a founder of Friends of Nevada Wilderness.
He has been a leader on Nevada wilderness issues since 1969 and
was instrumental in the passage of the Nevada Wilderness Bill in
l989.
Bart Patterson, Southern Vice-Chair
Having
wilderness areas, including a number of areas close to a large
metropolitan area like Las Vegas, is critical to our quality of
life. There is always a feeling of serenity in spending time in
these unspoiled areas, and this is a value I want my children to
experience.
Bart has always had a great love of the
outdoors growing up in central Idaho along the Salmon River.
This passion has continued with frequent hiking trips throughout
Nevada and other western states. He was past president of the
Arizona Heritage Alliance before moving to Nevada. An attorney,
Bart is the Chief Counsel for Nevada System of Higher Education.
Karen Boeger, Rural Vice-Chair/Founding
Board Member
I
was so fortunate to grow up at a time when much of the west was
still wild and the dominant recreational uses were traditional:
hiking, fishing, hunting and horseback riding. Within a
generation, those opportunities have vastly diminished. I want
to do all that I can to ensure that my grandchildren and their
grandchildren will always have the same wilderness opportunities
and life benefits that I was able to enjoy.
Karen, a retired school teacher and
Nevadan "Desert Rat" and volunteer conservation activist for
over 30 years, is a founding member of Friends Of Nevada
Wilderness.
Sarah Perrault, Secretary
I
love Nevada for its open space, clean air and water, geological
variety, and spectacular wilderness. We have a chance here in
Nevada to keep intact what other states are now struggling to
regain. I volunteer with FNW because we are helping keep Nevada
wild - and because the restoration trips are so much fun.
Sarah is currently a PhD student at the
University of Nevada, Reno, focusing on environmental rhetoric
and rhetoric of science.
At-large
Peter Bradley, Board Member
More
perhaps than food and water, music, the love of family and
wilderness are essential to my well-being. Without them, I
simply would shrivel up and blow away.
Pete is a wildlife biologist stationed in
Elko, where he works to protect populations of Nevada's wild
birds, mammals and reptiles and their habitats. His expertise in
wildlife is essential to showing the importance of wild places
for protecting our wildlife populations.
John Hiatt, Board Member
I
devote my time and energy working for wilderness preservation
because I greatly enjoy large open spaces which are not greatly
modified by man's activities. I also believe wilderness areas
are some of the best areas to view wildlife.
John Hiatt has been working on
conservation issues primarily in southern Nevada for almost 30
years. He played a large part in wilderness protection for
Forest Service lands in the 1980s and then focused his attention
on BLM managed lands. He helped to both create and expand the
Red Rock National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas. John
is well versed in Las Vegas civic affairs having served as a
member and chairman of the Enterprise Town Advisory Board since
1979; served on the Las Vegas Valley Citizens Groundwater
Management Advisory Committee since its inception in 1998; and
served on the Integrated Joint Water Planning Citizens Advisory
Committee. John is currently serving as chairman of the BLM's
Resource Advisory Council for the Mojave-Southern Great Basin
region. An organic chemist by training, with a Ph.D. from Yale
University, John has been employed as a clinical and forensic
chemist since 1973. John has been a member of the Board of
Directors of Friends of Nevada Wilderness since 1995 where his
extensive knowledge of a broad array of subjects has been
invaluable in steering Board policy.
Kurt Kuznicki, Board Member
After
you have gone out, gotten dusty and fallen in love with Wild
Nevada, you then come to the realization that you have a
responsibility to preserve and protect her for future
generations.
Kurt's love of the outdoors started at a
young age on fishing trips to the High Sierra with his father;
by high school Kurt was backpacking the John Muir Trail. Kurt
likes to get his hands dirty with restoration efforts in the
Black Rock Desert as well as leading Wilderness Values Outings
and Leave No Trace "Train the Trainer" Trips to Nevada's
pristine backcountry. Kurt is instrumental in getting folk out
on the ground.
Marge Sill, Founding Board Member
I
have always been happiest when I could feel at one with the
natural world. I hope that wilderness and wild things will
always be a part of the life of my extended family for
generations to come.
Marge is a full-time volunteer
conservationist. Her particular interests are wilderness,
national parks, national forests, and wild rivers. She worked
for and helped make every acre of Nevada's 3.37 million acres of
wilderness a reality. Marge is lovingly known as the Grandmother
of Nevada Wilderness and is an inspiration for several
generations of wilderness advocates.
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