Sierra Foothill
Conservancy Board Members – 2012
Mark Balcom, SFC Board Treasurer, grew up in the foothills in
Nevada County. He learned the need to protect land from development when
he saw the land he used to hunt on developed into a shopping mall. He
has lived in the foothills near Prather since 1983. He served as
treasurer of SFC from 2003 to 2008 and rejoined the board in 2011 in the
same role. He has worked as a Registered Nurse for over 30 years. In his
leisure time, he enjoys hiking, cross country skiing and caving.
Paul
Beare
grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, but spent much of the 70’s on trails in
rural Missouri. In l979 he moved to Minnesota where he still owns a
lake cabin. Like many Minnesotans, Paul spent weekends and summers on
the lakes watching birds and trying to catch fish. A special favorite
was trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He currently
enjoys hiking and biking in the foothills and camping in the national
parks or wilderness areas. Paul has been an educator for 38 years, and
is currently Dean of the Kremen School of Education at Fresno State. He
has two children, Tom, 26, who resides in Portland, Oregon, and
Marianne, 30, who is a nurse practitioner in Alexandria, Virginia.
Eric
Cole
is an
attorney and shareholder of the law firm of Baker Manock & Jensen. He
was raised in Fresno and is a graduate of California State University,
Fresno. Eric’s interest in the outdoors, and in particular the Sierra
Nevada mountains, was his inspiration to obtain a Bachelor of Science
degree in Geology. He also holds a Master of Science degree in
Hydrology from the University of Arizona. Eric has been involved with
Sierra Foothill Conservancy since 2003, and has assisted with the
acquisition and preservation of several SFC properties. Eric and his
wife Kristen live in Fresno and have one child.
Rodney Olsen, SFC Board President, was born and raised in Fresno, California where
he has spent many years exploring the wild lands of this area. He holds
a masters degree in Biology from California State University, Fresno and
is an Instructor of Biology at Fresno City College. Rodney is dedicated
to educating young and old of the wonders of the natural world. In
addition to leading several hikes and classes for Sierra Foothill
Conservancy, Rodney works as an educational consultant helping teachers
explore effective teaching methodologies and life science content.
Rodney has been involved with Sierra Foothill Conservancy since its
inception and is an active member of the Land Committee, Education and
Outreach Committee and the Hikes and Classes Committee.
Craig
Poole
was
born in Bishop, California and grew up in Independence, California. He
completed Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Geology from California
State University, Fresno, and worked in the Geology Department for many
years before becoming a full-time Geology Instructor at Fresno City
College. He has always had a passion for the Sierra and its geologic
history. He has led numerous hikes and classes for SFC and has been
involved in summer programs for teachers statewide, focusing on State
Earth Science Standards. He has been on the board since its inception.
Heidi Riedle is a California native, born in
San Jose. Her family moved to Fresno in 1964. She attended
kindergarten through high school in Fresno and went on to attend Fresno
State University. Heidi lived in the Bay Area where she worked in the
Real Estate and Insurance industries for many years. She and her
husband, Pete Gustafson, moved back to the Valley in 2001. Heidi has
been volunteering with the San Joaquin River Parkway on their
fundraising events and started volunteering with SFC in 2005. She is
proud to have been invited to be on the board in 2006.
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