ENVIROMENTALIST

Virginia was part of the original community group that created Palo Cedro Community Park. She was involved with fund raising and events prior to the property purchase and continuing after. She originated and was chair of their Easter Event which is still happening.

ENVIROMENTALIST

Ellen has been an environmentalist since the early 1970’s when she used to haul recyclables 20 miles to a recycle center. She would, and still does, seek out stores that had items in bulk to reuse her own containers and plastic bags. "There is no reason to buy plastic bags because many items that we buy come in plastic bags (bread, frozen foods, etc.)" For 16 years she has been involved in outreach to inform people of the connection between animal agriculture and environmental devastation.

PH.D.

Geneva M. Omann, Ph.D., is a retired biochemist having spent her academic career at the University of Michigan Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. A twenty year resident of upstate California, she has taught substance abuse prevention in Siskiyou County middle and high schools. She is the co-founder and the secretary of the Board of Directors of We Advocate Thorough Environmental Review (W.A.T.E.R.), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting healthy watersheds surrounding Mount Shasta.

PLASTIC POLLUTION ARTIST

After spending decades working with traditional fine arts media, Debra has seen the art evolve through experimentation with different textures and media. This creates the look and feel of heavily textured art pieces by assembling them together, similar to a 3-D puzzle. Debra uses multiple types of plastic bottles, both recyclable and not recyclable. Designs for experiments with deli plastic are in process. Debra is also working with a group of artists each Saturday in the local community. These artists have the privilege of selling art and meeting people from all over the world. They share their passions as to why they create what they create.

EDUCATOR

Nate Fairchild began his career as an interpretive park ranger and wild animal trainer/educator, then moved into environmental education before becoming a classroom teacher in 1994. He has worked in public, private, and charter schools, teaching mostly science to middle school students. He has been the Director of Science at the Shasta County Office of Education since 2014, providing science support to teachers, directing Whiskeytown Environmental School and Schreder Planetarium, and acting as the liaison with charter schools. He is the Northern California coordinator for the California Regional Environmental Education Community. If it’s not a workday, look for him in the Mojave Desert, Lassen National Park, or anyplace with big rocks and waterfalls, with his wife and teenage daughters.