Staff & Board

Terry J. Harris earned a B.S. in Engineering Physics from the University of Colorado and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, and is presently admitted to the Washington and Maryland bar associations. Previously, he was an attorney practicing in Baltimore, Maryland. He served as political committee chair and interim Executive Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters, served as treasurer of the Herring Run Watershed Association, founded the Baltimore-based non-profit Cleanup Coalition, and has a broad base of experience in land use, brownfield redevelopment, and pollution issues.

E-mail Terry: terry@kealliance.org

Adrienne moved to Coeur d’Alene in the Spring of 2010 to be closer to family and to explore its wide array of outdoor activities. She graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science, during which she worked as an aide in the Ohio Senate. She then launched and expanded the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign in both Tampa, FL and Cincinnati, OH. She brings with her a passion for making a difference, as well as a wealth of experience in the fields of fundraising, marketing, community education, volunteer and event coordination.

E-mail Adrienne: adrienne@kealliance.org

Mike was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene. He has been a member of KEA for approximately 20 years and has been involved in monitoring and commenting on forest issues since 1990. Mike is currently a board member for the Coeur d’Alene Audubon Society (formerly the president). His hobbies include viewing areas on the Coeur d’Alene National Forest and the St. Joe National Forest.

E-mail Mike: mikej@my180.net

Kara is honored to continue the Roots CSA program and help teach responsibility and awareness for the quality of life on this planet. Her professional career has involved diverse areas of study from Emergency Medicine to Green Interior Design and Sustainable Construction. She was previously working with a commercial design firm in Colorado before moving to Coeur d’Alene in 2009.

Her earliest childhood memory of learning this environmental lifestyle is centered around The Windstar Foundation in Colorado. She remembers sleeping in teepees, attending the Choices for the Future and Earthkeepers Conferences and learning from John Denver and Bucky Fuller.

Kara has been a long time gardener and is passionate about teaching children the joys of digging in the dirt. She and her husband Tom, along with their two dogs enjoy exploring this new home in their orange, 84’ Westie. She enjoys hiking, backcountry skiing, gardening, painting and hiding out in her new greenhouse/clubhouse.

E-mail Kara: kara@kealliance.org

A Minnesota native, Amber arrived in Coeur d’Alene in the fall of 2009 to pursue her passion for horses. This lifelong love fosters a kinship with the natural world, a love for the outdoors, and a conviction for preserving the environment in which we are so privileged to live and play. These qualities combined with a background in graphic design made Amber a great fit for KEA, where she manages the website and newsletter and handles other technical and graphic elements. When not at KEA, Amber works for local eco-adventure company Sea Kayak Adventures, and does freelance graphic work and writing.

E-mail Amber: amber@kealliance.org

Janet and her husband, Greg, moved to the Coeur d’Alene area in 1973 in search of land on which to build a homestead. They found property on the east side of Coeur d’Alene Lake, pitched a tent, planted a big organic garden and began the realization of fulfilling their dream. After building a home, raising two sons, a herd of dairy goats, numerous chickens, bees, turkeys, rabbits and pigs, Janet found herself with an empty nest and a desire to get involved in local environmental issues. She has served on the Board for seven years and says, “I am proud to be part of Idaho’s oldest conservation organization with its grassroots, hands-on approach to raising environmental awareness. Kootenai Environmental Alliance is the “Little Engine That Could,” working with others to help promote conservation of the precious resources of our region– our forests, our watersheds, our fisheries, the wildlife and working landscapes. KEA is dedicated to working with communities to protect these resources. While the environmental challenges are never ending, our portfolio of accomplishments is quite impressive – great people doing great work.”

Janet also delights in putting on KEA’s annual fall fundraiser, Junk2Funk – a runway “eco-fashion” show with creations made from junk, trash and recycled materials.

E-mail Janet: jctorline@gmail.com

Wes has attended many of the County’s comprehensive plan meetings, helped KEA revamp its organizational standards and guidelines, and promoted the establishment of local conservation easements.

Over the past five years, he worked with various community members to bring a successful conclusion to the proposed dredging of the Blackwell Island marina basin. Its highly toxic sediments will be transported off site to a safe repository.

He worked with many other people over twelve years to preserve Cougar Bay in its natural state. This was accomplished through a series of land acquisitions involving The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, Kootenai County and two conservation easements held by Inland Northwest Land Trust.

Wes lives on a family farm protected by a conservation easement south of Coeur d’Alene. He writes, paints watercolors, and teaches adult classes on both these subjects. He taught high school English for thirty years and served as Idaho’s National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher-Scholar in 1990, studying the civil rights movement.

E-mail Wes: wesleyrhanson@icehouse.net

As a young girl Carol spent time with her family on Chatcolet and Coeur d’ Alene Lakes and 22 years ago she moved to the area permanently. As a Registered Nurse she worked for Sacred Heart Medical Center specializing in Nephrology and managed North Idaho Dialysis, on the Kootenai Medical Center campus, for many years. She also has a B.A. from Whitworth in Organizational Management.

Her love of helping stray animals came to a high point when she rescued an orphaned day-old Canada gosling from a sure death. They were unable to find help though, so she and her husband kept the little orphan safe until it was able to successfully return to the wild as an adult. Now she contributes to rescue and rehabilitation efforts throughout the state. Through their amazing true story she calls Raising Lucy, Carol is committed to educating children and adults on the interconnectedness of all things.

E-mail Carol: lakemuziks@verizon.net

Jason moved to Coeur d’Alene with his family in 1984. He is an avid whitewater kayaker, cyclist, snowboarder, and general outdoor enthusiast. In the past, Jason has been a licensed Idaho whitewater rafting and winter backcountry ski guide, and has owned and operated an outdoor equipment retail business, Otter River and Mountain Sport, in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Recently, Jason obtained his law degree from the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. Now 37 years old, Jason and his wife Marci reside in downtown Coeur d’Alene where he practices law in the Coeur d’Alene office of the firm Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport & Toole. Jason is excited to have returned to Coeur d’Alene, to dedicate myself to and invest in our community, and to have the great opportunity to sit on the KEA Board of Directors and advocate for our community.

E-mail Jason: jasonswing@gmail.com

Merlyn and his wife, Jean, moved to North Idaho in 1974 and purchased a 70 acre stump ranch on the eastside of Coeur d’Alene Lake. Both were enamored with the outdoor activities and the abundance of animal life here in Idaho. They discovered KEA in 1985 and became members to help protect, preserve and restore animal habitat and corridors which will inevitably lead to healthy and robust wild animal populations – wolves and grizzlies included. Merlyn has served on the KEA board since 1988 and is currently assisting Wes Hanson, on community planning issues for Kootenai County. Favorite hobby: fly-fishing!

E-mail Merlyn: gozzie07@gmail.com

Ed and his wife moved to north Idaho in 1993. He holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Montana and has held faculty positions at the Rockefeller University in New York and the University of Maryland. His primary area of research was echolocation systems in mammals. He later transitioned into stealth submarine research and development and is currently semi-retired.

He has been active in bat conservation efforts in the area for many years, assisting federal and state agencies and private conservation groups such as The Nature Conservancy. Efforts have included surveying abandoned mines to determine if they should be gated to eliminate disturbance, moving colonies from dwellings to nearby alternate roost sites, erecting bat houses at suitable locations and educating people about bats.

Ed is also currently President of the Coeur d’Alene chapter of the National Audubon Society and works actively with birds of prey as a federally licensed raptor rehabilitator. He and his wife are members of several conservation-based organizations.

E-mail Ed: eagleroost@roadrunner.com

Karen has a strong background in the biological sciences, and a penchant for protecting natural resources through science and education. A former researcher and equine veterinarian, Karen now makes her living as a medical writer — translating dry research reports into writings that someone without a medical background can understand, enjoy, and assimilate. She and her husband Dan spend precious down time hiking, camping, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and finding ways to raise public awareness about “what we have here in Kootenai County.”

Karen’s current passion is watershed restoration and xeric landscaping, and she just finished creating “The Hayden Lake Project” — a film documentary designed to educate people about the many ways our lakes, streams, and coldwater fisheries are in trouble. Her secret weapon is the brilliant scientists who live in the area and have so much to offer, but are often drowned out by louder voices. “They raise the bar for all of us. My goal is for Kootenai County to become known as a place where everybody is environmentally ahead of the curve.”

E-mail Karen: hayeske@me.com

Ryan is a writer, dreamer, and enthusiast for leveraging sustainability and technology in the workplace to help make companies more efficient, ethical, and profitable.

Currently in addition to his work on the KEA board, Ryan is a regular contributor on social media and technology issues at Social Media NZ and founder of Coeur D’Alene’s future coworking and entrepreneurial space, CoSpace CDA. Most recently he was employed as Idaho’s Weatherization Technical Monitor and spent three years in various sectors of the sustainable building and energy efficiency market. He’s served in multiple consulting and teaching roles focused on the environmental impact of building systems and business practices with organizations such as the University of Idaho, Coeur D’Alene Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Small Business Development Center, and Avista Utilities.

Ryan holds a MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute, a B.S. of Business Management from the University of Idaho, and is a Certified Sustainable Building Advisor, LEED Accredited Professional, and Certified Idaho Energy Auditor Trainer. In 2010 Ryan received Ecover’s national award for environmental leadership under the age of 30.

Ryan lives in Coeur d’Alene with his wife Jaime, and their two dogs Keno and Crouton. Ryan reads, writes, and tweets all things Eco, Biz, and Tech. Find him at RyanSArnold.com or follow him on Twitter @RyanSArnold and @CoSpaceCDA.

Rebecca Patano is a principal in DOMA Coffee Roasting Company, a longtime business partner of the organization. Rebecca is experienced and influential in fair trade and sustainable business practices, with strong ties to the local community, and expertise in design, marketing, and business operations.

E-mail Rebecca: rebecca@domacoffee.com