Roger Jacob, Jr. is a Yakama tribal member and began the Program in the Fall of 1994. He now has a full time position with the water resources program of the Yakama Indian Nation. Roger completed a thesis concerned with the management of grazing, forestry, water, traditional plants and fisheries in the Starvation Flats section of Satus Creek basin on the Yakama Reservation.

Brenda Ben James, a Mississippi Choctaw, began the Program in the Fall of 1994 and completed two years of training. She wrote a thesis on the life cycle and feeding habits of Bull Trout, and defended this thesis in May of 1997. Brenda James was the first fellowship recipient to be awarded the M.S. degree in Resource Management.

In the fall of 1997 she established Cascade Aquatics L.L.C., a private contracting business offering research in the field of aquatic ecology and fisheries management. Brenda has achieved a certain measure of notoriety with her courageous research methods, and her concern with the bull trout is even more relevant given the recent listing of this species as threatened.

Anthony (Tony) Bynum is a Grand Ronde tribal member and began the Program in 1994. After completing two years of training, he found full time employment as a natural resources specialist for the Yakama Indian Nation. He successfully defended his thesis on December 5, 1997, and was awarded the M.S. degree in Resource Management. Tony was honored this past summer with a request to come work for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C., and he is currently on loan from the Yakama Nation. He is now working as Special Assistant to the Senior Indian Program Manager in the EPA Office of Air and Radiation, on issues relating to the Clean Air Act.

Moses Dick Squeochs began work in the Program in January of 1995 and completed two quarters of training. He is currently working as the Director for the Yakama Indian Nation Water Resources program.

Barbara Bain a member of the Shasta tribe and began the Program in September of l995.

She completed the two year course of study in September of 1997, and successfully defended her thesis on December 12, 1997. Barbara Bain was awarded the M.S. in Resource Management.

Stacie Mesplie, an enrolled Yakama, began study in January of 1996 and received one year of training. She has been employed by the Yakama Indian Nation forestry program.

Lisa Ganuelas is an enrolled member of the Umatilla Tribe. She started graduate study in September, 1996 and subsequently completed two quarters of training. She is now the Legislative Coordinator for the Umatilla Reservation.

Dolores Castillo is enrolled with the Spokane Tribe, of Lakes-Chewelah descent. She began her fellowship work in June of 1996, and during 1998 obtained practical experience in mapping and air photo interpretation while working with resource managers on the Colville Indian Reservation at Nespelem.

Dolores resides on the Colville Reservation, where she is busy writing her thesis, which focuses on the historical geography and cultural landscape development of the Colville-Chewelah Valley north of Spokane. Dolores is now employed as Cultural Resources Technician for the Colville Tribe.

Star Gentry is a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She began studies in the Resource Management program Fall quarter 1997. Star became especially interested in the establishment of protected areas, and the mutual benefits of conserving natural biodiversity and the maintenance and protection of cultural diversity. During the summer of 1998 she conducted fieldwork at the National Park of American Samoa and examined its management structure which includes a lease between the National Park Service and native Samoan villages. Star is now living in the Puget Sound region and is working on a thesis on parks management and indigenous peoples.

Corey Carmack is an enrolled Colville of Wenatchi descent. He graduated from CWU with a degree in English, and began graduate work in the fall of 1997. He is interested in cultural resources management and in the restoration of degraded lands, and during the summer of 1998 worked with tribal archaeologists on the Colville Indian Reservation, primarily in the transcription and cataloging of oral history tapes and other documents.

Corey's thesis focused on traditional cultural places on federal lands, and the implications for natural resource management. He graduated in 2001 with the M.S. degree, and is currently employed by the Bureau of Reclamation in Yakima as a cultural resources specialist.

Ryan Smith is a Warm Springs (Oregon) tribal member, with an undergraduate degree in environmental studies from the University of Oregon. His thesis research has focused on flow regimes downstream of hydroelectric dams on the Deschutes River and their effect on salmon/steelhead stocks. Ryan is interested in the re-licensing process for Pelton Dam and has been exploring opportunities for operating the dams so as to replicate the natural flow of the river. He is interested in finding a way to maximize the hydroelectric potential with the least environmental impact.

Ryan most recently has been working for the Water and Soils Department on the Warm Springs Reservation.

John Graves arrived here with a B.S. degree in environmental studies from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. He is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Tribe. His course of study has emphasized fish and wildlife biology, ecology, and management. He served an internship during the summer of 1998 assisting a wildlife biologist with a study of black bear conservation.

John requested a leave of absence from fellowship-supported curricular activities, in order to more finely tune his focus on wildlife management for a thesis topic.

Lester Spencer is an enrolled Yakama who graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in biology. After working as an intern with the Geographic Information Systems program on the Yakama Reservation, Lester was tapped to participate in the Yakima Reaches Project, a collaborative effort among researchers at CWU and the University of Montana. He is now working as a Water Quality Technician for the Yakama Nation Environmental Management Program.

Lester's thesis work entails mapping changes to the channel and floodplain of the Yakima River over time.

Frank (Desi) Rollefson is a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, and holds the B.S. degree in environmental biology from the University of Montana. While attending Central Washington University he was on leave from employment with the Northern Cheyenne Natural Resources Department in Lame Deer, Montana.

Desi used his time at CWU to become better versed in wetlands ecology, management policies, and planning methodologies. He completed a thesis that relates directly to his job as a wetlands technician and project coordinator for his reservation's wetlands inventory and management program. Desi received his master's degree in 2004.

Geraldine George is a Native Alaskan of Inupiaq descent, and a stockholder in the Bering Straits Native Corporation. She holds the B.S. degree in agronomy from Washington State University, and has extensive experience in working for Soil Conservation Districts in Washington and with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Idaho.

Geri is interested in water rights and native subsistence, as well as other land use and resource issues surrounding the utilization of her Arctic homeland. Geri defended her thesis and graduated in 2003.

Shannon Adams is a Yakama tribal member, and holds the B.S. degree in zoology from the University of Washington. For the past three years she has worked for the Yakama Indian Nation's Department of Natural Resources in various capacities including archaeology, wildlife, and fisheries.

Shannon has been working on a thesis regarding the management of wild horses and other tribal resources on rangelands of the Yakama Reservation.

Timothy Real Bird is a member of the Crow tribe. Tim graduated in 1995 from Montana State University-Billings with a degree in Sociology. He has worked for the Crow tribe as Tourism Coordinator in association with the National Park Service's unit Little Bighorn Battlefield at Crow Agency, Montana, and has most recently been working on grants and fundraising for Little Bighorn College.

Tim is interested in working on both natural and cultural resources for the Crow Reservation, and completed several quarters of graduate study at CWU.

Jason Rau(Yakama) holds the B.S. in Fisheries Science from the University of Washington. He has been working for the past several years at the Cle Elum fish hatchery, and is involved with various projects aimed at reintroducing salmon and steelhead to the upper tributaries of the Yakima River.

Jason began graduate work at CWU in September of 2000.

Jeri Lawrence is of Blackfeet - Sioux - Nez Perce ancestry. In 1995 she was awarded the B.S. in Biology from Montana State University, and has worked as a GIS Specialist for the Blackfeet Tribe's Natural Resources Division since 1996. Jeri has extensive experience in computer cartography applications such as soil conservation and range unit mapping, and in GIS network administration. She has also served as an instructor at Blackfeet Community College.

Jeri began graduate work at CWU in September of 2000.

Elizabeth Sauer is a member of the Oneida Nation. She holds a degree in history from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and has worked as an intern for the Oneida Nation museum. Elizabeth has become interested in the historical interactions between French fur traders and native groups in the upper Midwest, and focused on historical and cultural resource management for her thesis research. Elizabeth graduated with the master's degree in 2004.

Elizabeth began graduate work at CWU in September of 2000.

Kate Valdez is a Yakama tribal member. She is a graduate of Washington State University, and holds two bachelor degrees: in Anthropology and Comparative American Cultures. She has been working as a GIS specialist for the Yakama Nation Forestry Program. Kate began graduate work at CWU in September of 2001, and has completed her course work. She is working on a thesis directed at Native American related burial issues and is employed by the Yakama Nation Cultural Resources Program.

Kate began graduate work at CWU in September of 2001.

Henry Sanderson is a member of the Yurok Nation, of northern California, and has attended Arizona State University. Henry is interested in land and water resource issues, and has extensive experience in geographic field methods and GIS.

He completed his undergraduate work in geography here at CWU, and began taking graduate courses in Resource Management during the winter of 2002. Henry has also worked for the Bureau of Reclamation in their Yakima office. He has since started his own business providing and installing office furnishings in Seattle, but has been able to work several days a week formulating his thesis.

Merrilie Gunnier is Yakama, and graduated from CWU with a degree in Anthropology. She is currently conducting archaeological and cultural resources research on the Klickitat River traditional fishing site, in the south-central part of the state.

Merrilie began graduate work at CWU in September of 2001.

Vanessa Vandever is a Navajo, and holds the B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University. She became interested in legal aspects of natural resource issues and Indian law pertaining to tribal lands. Vanessa began her graduate studies in September 2002, and has been working on a thesis focused on water and mining issues at Black Mesa on the Navajo Reservation. She was also awarded a Morris Udall Scholarship.

Vanessa began her graduate studies in September 2002.

Kateri Urbanec is a member of the Lummi Nation. She earned the B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington. She has worked for the Native American Science Outreach Network, and is concerned with environmental degradation of reservation resources. Kateri started classes in September 2002 and has now completed her course work. Her thesis focuses on chemical pollution of shellfish in Puget Sound.

Kateri started classes in September 2002.

Rebecca Rau is a Yakama tribal member and graduated from Central Washington University with a B.A. in Art. She is interested in assisting with the social needs of Indian people, and began studies in September 2002.

Farrel Whitefoot (Yakama) has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington; and a B.S. in Business from Central Washington University. His research interests involve cultural issues and tribal fiscal management. He began graduate work at CWU in September 2002.

Hillary Eagle-Eye Renick is affiliated with the Sherwood Valley Pomo of California, and is a graduate of George Washington University. Another former Morris Udall Scholar, she has worked as an intern in the office of Senator Maria Cantwell, and also as a risk management analyst with the Indian Health Service. She began her graduate studies in 2002. Currently she is employed by the U.S. EPA, Region 10, implementing Clean Air standards on northwest Indian Reservations.

Aesha Brown is Colville, and has a B.S. in accounting from Central Washington University and has worked as a Finance Director at the county level. Aesha is interested in tribal resource economics and intends to pursue a Ph.D. after completion of her Masters of Science degree. Last summer and fall she had an internship with the Washington Department of Natural Resources where she was researching agricultural economics on state lands within the Bureau of Reclamation�s Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. This internship has developed into her thesis research.

Rose Marie Elisondo (Yakama) has a B.S. in natural resources from Heritage College, and has worked for both the tribal Fisheries and Natural Resources Departments of the Yakama Indian Nation. She is interested in economic factors influencing natural resources policy, and in using GIS for better resource management decision-making. She began graduate studies in January 2003, and is currently an intern with the Yakama Nation working on contamination issues at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. She is entering a Ph.D. program in Environmental Sciences at Washington State University in Fall, 2005.

Elaine Espirito (Yakama) has a B.S. in Fisheries from the University of Washington. Elaine has a primary research interest in the ecology of Pacific Salmon and is focused on issues related to the Yakima and Klickitat rivers. Elaine began her graduate studies in the Fall 2003 and has completed her first year of course work. Her thesis has evolved into an application of a complex computer model (EDT Ecological Diagnostic and Treatment) used by federal agencies working in the Columbia River Basin on anadromous fish issues. This past summer she had an internship with the Yakama Nation Department of Fisheries while working on her thesis topic.

Jill Duerfeldt (Yupik) has a B.A. in Geography with a minor in Economics from Southern Oregon University. Jill has a regional interest in the Yukon Kuskokwim River Delta and her research is focused on conflicts over subsistence resources and the interacting laws and policies of the state and federal government. Jill began her graduate studies in the Winter of 2004 and last spring began fieldwork in the Yukon/Koskokwim River Delta as an intern for a Ph.D. student working on Eider Duck ecology. She has continued her thesis research working with a group of native Yupik in the Koskokwim River Delta on subsistence issues related to fishing.

Alden Whiteman (Cheyenne) has a B.A. in Liberal Studies from American University, Washington D.C. with specialization in economics and social sciences. He has completed advanced course work from Duquesne University focused on leadership. Al started his graduate studies in the Fall of 2003 and has now nearly completed his second year of course work. Last summer he had an internship as a research assistant looking into the distribution of Indian-owned casinos in the United States, a topic that is directly related to his thesis.

Ben Rhodd (Potawatomi) has a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of South Dakota with over 25 years of archaeological field experience. He has dedicated his course work at CWU to understanding and addressing water issues in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Ben started his graduate studies in the Fall of 2003 and has nearly completed his second year of course work. Last summer he had an internship with the Sioux Nation with the primary responsibility of developing a Tribal Historic Preservation Office.

Bernice A. Akamine (Native Hawaiian) has a B.A. and a M.F.A. from the University of Hawaii and a GPA of 4.0. Her interests are focused on museum collections, preservation, and repatriation of Hawaiian religious and burial objects. Her thesis work here has expanded to include agriculture, land tenure, and water rights issues in Hawaii. Her goal is to obtain a position with the state of Hawai�i in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Ingrid Gardner (Northern Cheyenne) has a B.A. in elementary education and a M.S. in Special Education. She has developed research interests in water resources involving treaty laws, watershed management, and natural resource law and policy. Recently, she has been researching Northwest tribal water rights. This research area is new to Ingrid and she hopes to help other Native American communities with the knowledge she gains in resource management.

Harlan LaFontaine (Sisseton/Wahpeton Sioux) has a B.A. in Community Studies and has been a recipient and participant in both the Indian Ambassadors Program (Kellogg Foundation) and the Bush Fellowship. He has a passionate interest in working with and serving Native American Communities and a long history of doing just that. His research interests are now focused on the preservation and use of Native American languages in educational and community environments.

Michael Porter (Yakama) has a B.S. degree in biology from Central Washington University. He has developed research interests associated with the management of large industrial dairy operations. Currently, this research involves waste streams, ground water interactions, and irrigation return flow systems in the Yakima Valley. This research area is new to Michael and allows the combination of his biology background with law and policy. He is considering studying environmental law when he completes his M.S. degree.

Jon Shellenberger (Yakama) has a B.S. in anthropology from Central Washington University. His interests lie in Cultural Resource Management, particularly in recoding and understanding Native American dance and ethnography. Currently he is starting research on a large track of land downstream of a major irrigation reservoir and will be working with elders to create an oral history of this landscape.

Anthony Waupochick (Menominee) has a B.S. in Forestry from University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. He has over ten years of professional forestry experience and wants to play a larger role in tribal resource management. His interests include watershed analysis and the legal framework of resource management.

Matthew A. Lopez (Crow) has a B.S in Natural Science and Mathematics from Rocky Mountain College and several years of work experience with the BIA as a GIS Technician. He is interested in the history, ecology, and management of the Crow Reservation in Montana and is exploring broad areas of interests in the mountain environments and historic land use in the Pryor Mountains.

Nelson Smith (Oneida) has a B.S. in Biology and Chemistry from University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. He has worked in wildlife management in the great lakes area and has developed an interest in wildlife management. He is particularly interested in the ecology of mountain environments and their preservation and management. Nelson is currently supported by Central Washington University as a Research Assistant and has served as a tutor to other Native American students in Resource Economics.