Instructors
Linley Mayer:
Linley Mayer works for Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources as an Interpretive Ranger located at Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site, Trail End State Historic Site, and Keyhole State Park. She has a B.S. in History and M.S. in Museum Studies. While working at the Fort Bridger State Historic Site, she obtained a Certified Interpretive Trainer certification through the National Association for Interpretation. Linley has a passion for facilitating visitor’s connection to our natural and cultural resources through personal and non-personal interpretation.
Merav Ben-David:
Merav Ben-David is a Professor of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wyoming (UWYO). She earned her BSc in Biology (1982-1984) and MSc in Zoology (1984-1988) from Tel Aviv University in Israel and a PhD in Wildlife Management from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (1990-1996). She started as an assistant professor at UWYO in 2000 and has since trained over 1,000 biologists and wildlife professionals. She was the Chief Scientist on an icebreaker expedition in the Arctic Ocean in 2009 studying polar bears; the Director of the Program in Ecology at UWYO (2016-2017); and the Chair of the Zoology and Physiology Department at UWYO (2017-2020). In 2012, she received the Barrett-Hamilton distinguished ecologist award for contributions to polar bear conservation. She won the Excellence in Wildlife Education award from the Wildlife Society in 2016 and became a Wildlife Fellow in 2017. Currently she is the Editor-in-Chief of Wildlife Monographs.
Melissa Connely:
Melissa Connely is a professional geologist whose focus is on geoscience education and paleontology. Melissa holds a Master of Science Degree in Geology from Utah State University and is co-owner of a consulting business, providing paleo-consulting, mitigation, and fossil preparation. She has 20 years’ experience teaching in the classroom and for special interest groups in the field. Her passion is to unlock the secrets of the past through the study of sediments and fossil remains.
Tara Costanzo:
Tara Costanzo works for the Wyoming State Forestry Division as the Community Forestry Coordinator and has been with the division since 2016. She is a member of the Wyoming Project Learning Tree Steering Committee and a PLT facilitator where she trains educators how to use the PLT environmental education curriculum to teach youth about the importance of trees and our natural resources. Additionally, Tara has assisted in teaching the Colorado State University Warner College of Natural Resources Forest and Rangeland Stewardship Department Forest Field Measurements course to students majoring in forestry and natural resources at the CSU Mountain Campus for several years and is excited to help you learn about Wyoming's diverse natural forests!
Scott Schell:
Scott Schell is the University of Wyoming’s extension entomology specialist based in Laramie. He earned his B.S. (1991) and M.S. degrees (1994) in entomology from U.W. and then was a research associate for Prof. Jeffrey Lockwood in the College of Agriculture for nine years. Starting in 2003, his work responsibilities changed to the identification of arthropods submitted through the Extension system to UW and providing management recommendations for arthropod pests of all sorts.
Dorothy Tuthill:
Dr. Dorothy Tuthill is Associate Director of the Biodiversity Institute, charged with developing and delivering educational programs. She is an alumna of the University of Wyoming Department of Botany, with research focused on soil microfungi. Raised by entomologists and broadly trained in botany, Dorothy enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for the natural world with students of all ages, and especially enjoys looking at the often missed tiny things.
Mason Lee:
Mason Lee is the senior project coordinator for the UW Biodiversity Institute. She has a B.S. and M.S. in wildlife biology and has worked with endangered reptiles and amphibians in Texas and Wyoming. Horned lizards are her passion; she has served on the Horned Lizard Conservation Society board for three years and is honored to continue working with the Society as president in 2021.
Zach Hutchinson:
Zach Hutchinson is the Community Science Coordinator for Audubon Rockies, a partner of the Wyoming Naturalist Program. Zach is an experienced master bird bander, coordinating the monitoring efforts by Audubon Rockies in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.
Rhiannon Jakopak:
Rhiannon Jakopak is a wildlife ecologist with a background researching mammal behavior. She finds the mammals of Wyoming particularly fascinating, and she spends as much time as she possibly can learning from them. She is a research scientist and outreach coordinator in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Wyoming. Her research is focused on the ecological and behavioral aspects that are passed from mothers to their offspring.
Kathy Lichtendahl:
Kathy Lichtendahl is a professional photographer, writer and podcaster focusing on issues surrounding conservation. She earned her MBA in International Business from USC in 1990, working as a marketing executive for 20 years before returning to college for an AAS in Photographic Communications in 2013. Her work has appeared in a wide variety of local, regional and national publications.
Brian Sebade:
Brian Sebade is a University of Wyoming Extension Educator located in southeast Wyoming. He is based in Laramie and serves Albany, Carbon, Goshen, Platte, and Laramie Counties. Brian’s focus for Extension is related to agriculture and horticulture education with a smaller focus on 4-H and youth development. A few of the major programs and subjects Brian has taught and facilitated include native plant identification and awareness, range monitoring, poisonous plants, edible plants, weed management and identification, Master Gardeners, wildflowers for reclamation and pollination, and pesticide certification.
Stephanie Estell:
Stephanie Estell is an Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist for Wyoming Game and Fish in Cheyenne. She moved to Wyoming in 2021 after working on invasive species management and macroinvertebrate research in Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Ohio. She earned her M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Idaho and a B.S. in Environmental and Field Biology from Ohio Northern University. Stephanie loves all things invertebrates, especially if they're aquatic, and would like to remind everyone to Clean, Drain, and Dry your boats to prevent the spread of AIS.
Stephen Siddons:
Stephen Siddons is a Statewide Fisheries Biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. He started his career in Wyoming in 2017 after working with a multitude of species from Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in New Mexico to Channel Catfish in Manitoba. He received his M.S. from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and his B.S. from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Stephen's conservation concerns have been driven by rivers since he was young, and he has been lucky to continue this passion by studying native fish and invertebrates in rivers throughout Wyoming.
Eric Hansen:
Eric Hansen, an Aquatic Invasive Species specialist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in the Casper region, is a lifelong lover of nature and everything Wyoming. In his role since 2018, he has enjoyed working closely with all things AIS around the state. With a background in customer satisfaction and an endless curiosity, Eric is excited to continue to reach as many individuals as possible and educate all on the importance of maintaining a healthy biodiversity in our waters and their role in the bigger picture for future preservation. When not wading, boating, kayaking, fishing or tubing in many of Wyoming’s streams and lakes, you will find him gardening, corralling cats, or tinkering with one of his endless projects in the garage.