About Us
The Gila Conservation Education Center was formed in 2004 with a mission to promote conservation in southwestern New Mexico through education, example and involvement. We have four primary goals:
- To establish an institution with leadership responsibility and accountability for conservation education in our community.
- To mobilize resources to enhance K-12 conservation education.
- To create opportunities for community members and visitors to participate in conservation education, habitat restoration and ecosystem maintenance.
- To develop long-term research investigations that involve a wide range of students, teachers, scholars, and volunteers.
Staff
Kathy Whiteman: Executive Director
[ director@gcecnm.org ]
Kathy came to the Southwest 18 years ago from Washington State. She received a Ph.D. in Biology from New Mexico State University. Her research focus is the patterns and processes of woody-plant encroachment into riparian ecosystems. Kathy is a National Science Foundation GK12 Fellow, and uses inquiry-based teaching methods to bring science research and practice into student classrooms. An avid outdoor person, Kathy is an experienced backpacker as well as wrangler, packing horses and mules in the Gila, Blue and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Areas of New Mexico and Arizona. An experienced wilderness guide, she educates and practices Leave No Trace principles. Kathy brings to the organization the field skills and knowledge necessary to conceptualize, develop and direct best-practices in science-based outdoor education programming.
[ director@gcecnm.org ]
Kathy came to the Southwest 18 years ago from Washington State. She received a Ph.D. in Biology from New Mexico State University. Her research focus is the patterns and processes of woody-plant encroachment into riparian ecosystems. Kathy is a National Science Foundation GK12 Fellow, and uses inquiry-based teaching methods to bring science research and practice into student classrooms. An avid outdoor person, Kathy is an experienced backpacker as well as wrangler, packing horses and mules in the Gila, Blue and Aldo Leopold Wilderness Areas of New Mexico and Arizona. An experienced wilderness guide, she educates and practices Leave No Trace principles. Kathy brings to the organization the field skills and knowledge necessary to conceptualize, develop and direct best-practices in science-based outdoor education programming.Barbara Nuzzi: Education Coordinator
[ presentations@gcecnm.org ]
Barbara moved to Silver City, NM from Woodstock, NY, where she was Assistant Program Director for the Ashokan Field Campus, an environmental education center operating under the umbrella of State University of New York. Barbara also has experience working with the Minnewaska State Park and Preserve and the Mohonk Preserve conducting interpretive work. She received her B.S. from Empire State College, NY and is an alumna of the Student Conservation Association and AmeriCorps. Her grandfather was part of the CCC, so she comes from a long line of conservationists. Barbara’s mastery of GCEC’s outreach material is unparalleled. She is able to deliver education programs with charm as well as skill, endearing both herself and the organization to students and teachers alike.
[ presentations@gcecnm.org ]
Barbara moved to Silver City, NM from Woodstock, NY, where she was Assistant Program Director for the Ashokan Field Campus, an environmental education center operating under the umbrella of State University of New York. Barbara also has experience working with the Minnewaska State Park and Preserve and the Mohonk Preserve conducting interpretive work. She received her B.S. from Empire State College, NY and is an alumna of the Student Conservation Association and AmeriCorps. Her grandfather was part of the CCC, so she comes from a long line of conservationists. Barbara’s mastery of GCEC’s outreach material is unparalleled. She is able to deliver education programs with charm as well as skill, endearing both herself and the organization to students and teachers alike.Board of Directors
 Linda Zatopek: ChairLinda Zatopek received a bachelor degree from University of Houston, College of Pharmacy and a JD degree from St. Mary's College of Law, San Antonio, Texas. She provides a brand of leadership based on a wealth of experience in legal strategic planning and communication. "Rule-making and writing are a continuous negotiation process," Linda says, "because there are generally some folks who don't want to do what you're proposing and other folks who are wondering why you haven't yet proposed that rule." Linda's knowledge and experience are critical to an organization such as GCEC, which is designed to embrace all stakeholders in providing a balanced approach to conservation education. When she came to Silver City in 2006, the Gila National Forest as well as the university presence attracted her. Linda and her husband, George Farmer, set up shop in the Burro Mountains and have recently founded Axle Canyon Preserve, where they are actively working to restore degraded habitat, protecting nighttime skies from artificial light, and set an example of treading lightly on the earth. Linda recognizes the need for conservation education, and GCEC fits well with her own philosophy of example and involvement. Her leadership has brought the organization to its current place as a recognized premier conservation education provider. In addition to chairing the Board of Directors at GCEC, Linda has also provided her expertise to Silver City's Gila Native Plant Society. |
 Robert (Bob) Rickle: Vice-ChairBob Rickle received his Ph.D. in Social Work from the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago. He is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at WNMU. Born in the west, Bob spent the bulk of his professional career in Chicago where he worked with severely emotionally disturbed adolescents as well as directing a small family service agency. Bob has been an avid hiker all of his life, from youth spent in the Porcupine Mountains of Michigan and graduate school hikes in the Smokey Mountains. His lifelong interest in the outdoors and environmental education brought him to Silver City and to the board of GCEC. Bob’s university connection helps GCEC to leverage the university as a resource. His understanding of children with challenges provides the organization with a resource for inclusion strategies in education programming. |
 Nora Love: SecretaryNora Love grew up in the Missouri Ozarks, where she says she was lucky to be able to run free in the outdoors, developing a lifelong love of and connection to the land. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Grinnell College in 1995 with a major in English, and a Master’s degree in Bilingual and Special Education from the University of Colorado in 2008. Nora is certified in bilingual, general, and special education in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico. Since 2008, Nora has brought these special skills to the Gila Conservation Education Center program development and implementation as well as to board development. This connection enables her to be a part of introducing Grant County students to the spectacular beauty of southwest New Mexico, guiding students toward developing a lifelong appreciation of nature and being outdoors. |
 Rich Bigelow: TreasurerRich Bigelow has lived in Silver City for over 30 years, and has been a building contractor here for 27 years. He dedicated 9 years to the development and building of Penny Park, and continues to contribute his time to Habitat for Humanity, the SWNM Green Chamber and the Gila Conservation Education Center. Rich and his wife Mary Stoecker raised two native New Mexican children who are currently exploring other parts of the world. Rich, an avid bicyclist who enjoys the outdoors, believes that volunteering time in the community is essential for its growth and prosperity. His experience running all aspects of a business, and his hard work fundraising for the Gila Conservation Education Center, have had a pivotal effect on the capacity of the organization. |
 Ellen SolesEllen was Director of a nonprofit publishing house in Austin, TX for 12 years. In 1996, she moved to Flagstaff, AZ to pursue study of the hydrology of arid regions, and received a Master's degree in Rural Geography from Northern Arizona University. During the past twelve years her work has focused on ground- and surface water interactions in diverse systems throughout the southwestern U.S., and especially in the Gila region. She works for the National Park Service Southern Colorado Plateau Network Inventory and Monitoring program. While she served as treasurer, Ellen's financial acumen provided the organization with sound fiscal records and policies, but it is her non-profit experience base along with her hydrological expertise that brings the most to our table. |
 Adrienne DareAdrienne Dare received her PhD in Mathematics form New Mexico State University, and then joined Silver City’s Western New Mexico University Math/Computer Science Department. Her experience also includes teaching math and science at a boy’s school in Nigeria while in the Peace Corps, working at IBM as a Systems Engineer, and teaching as well as programming computers at Lane Community College in Oregon. While at WNMU, Adrienne established the 1st Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference for girls: a conference to encourage girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. She received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women in 2006 for her work for the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and EYH. Now retired, Adrienne is secretary of the Grant County Association of Educational Retirees. She says that conservation and sustainability of the natural resources of our planet can be enhanced if the population has a better scientific understanding of the environmental issues. Adrienne’s expertise in cutting edge science fields brings powerful support to science education at GCEC. Her twin expertise in the arenas of Math and Computer Science, as well as her love of camping in the outdoors, is a necessary resource for education in the 21st Century. |
| Jim McIntosh |
| Bob Wilson |
| Priscilla Mathena Priscilla Mathena is a retired native of Silver City. She received her Bachelor's degree in biology from WNMU and began teaching physics, chemistry and biology in the Silver Consolidated Schools right after graduation, but pursued a Master's degree as well, eventually becoming a Physics Teacher Resource Agent for New Mexico. Priscilla's professional development continued at the Colorado School of Mines where she achieved expertise in using inquiry-based teaching techniques. Armed with this new teaching strategy, she sought grant funding for student outdoor experiences and produced Gila River curriculum designed to engage students in real time research, an activity that played a part in founding the Gila Conservation Education Center. Priscilla chaired the state level Minority Affairs Committee for the National Education Association. She served on the Educational Testing Service Committee charged with establishing specifications for the National Teacher's Test known as The Praxis Series, establishing rubrics for teacher licensing in New Mexico, and she later served as a reviewer for the program. Priscilla's science and teaching experience, her knowledge of the local student populations, and her expertise in inquiry make her the perfect mentor to move the Gila Conservation Education Center towards cutting edge education programming. |
 Susan Teller-MarshallSue received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research emphasis was ecology and evolution of vertebrate populations. After several years teaching freshman biology at UIC, Susan joined the education department at Lincoln Park Zoo. In addition to her scientific publications, Susan has contributed popular educational works to museum conferences and education journals. Her two favorites are The Joy of School Reform: How to Bolster Institutional Image, Membership and Revenue with Teacher Programming and The Virtual Zoo: How to Start an Institutional Web Site with No Staff, No Equipment, No Funding and No Technological Expertise. Most recently, Sue taught Biology at City Colleges of Chicago, also providing curriculum & instruction and teacher education at several museums in the Chicago area. The last grant program she designed and administered for Lincoln Park Zoo before her retirement was focused on helping primary teachers use inquiry methods in lessons regarding Lincoln Park's Traveling Zoo. As a part of that program, Sue also traveled to schools all over the city of Chicago with small animals in order to demonstrate the inquiry learning cycle for teachers in their own classrooms. |
Annual Report
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Non-profit 501(c)(3)
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