I hold an MS in watershed hydrology and a BS in botany, with additional course work in mined land reclamation.  I was an environmental consultant for 22 years specializing in wetlands ecology, soil science, physical habitat, habitat restoration, T&E recovery work, and NEPA documentation.  More recently, I served as the Natural Resources Manager for a western Washington county.  Currently, I serve as Water Resources Program Manager for the Nooksack Indian Tribe near Bellingham, WA. I am particularly interested in the effect of climate change on glacier ablation and recession as it relates to the reduction of sustaining flows for spring Chinook salmon in the Nooksack River.

Here is my piece of CAKE. My main research interest is adaptation to climate change in water management. Based at the Centre for Water and Climate of Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, my research is firmly rooted in the global change community branching out into institutional as well as biophysical aspect. My work seeks to identify robust land and water management strategies and opportunities to implement these strategies at the regional scale. My scientific background in water management, climate adaptation, environmental sciences and experimental physics is complemented by practical experience, working in the national government and the private sector.

I am a graudate of Northern Michigan University's Environmental Conservation program. I chose to study and live in Michigan's Upper Peninsula for the rare advantage to experience such a beautiful area of Michigan. I enjoy Mountain Biking, trail running, cross county skiing and hiking, all with my 2 dogs along side.

I was an elected official in Santa Cruz County, California for twenty years. Now, I am an environmental attorney, "Of Counsel" to the law firm of Wittwer & Parkin. To get my perspective on land use and planning issues, please listen to the Land Use Report that I give each weekday morning on KUSP Radio, covering land use policy issues on the California Central Coast.

Kennedy Warne, founding editor of New Zealand Geographic magazine, has traveled the globe to experience the splendor of the mangroves. With his new book published by Island Press Let Them Eat Shrimp: The Tragic Disappearance of the Rainforests of the Sea, he illustrates what is at stake if they are lost and how we can protect them.

Once covering three-quarters of the world’s sheltered tropical coastlines, mangroves provide food and timber for local people; habitat for fisheries and wildlife; and protection against storms and rising seas. As carbon sinks, they also play a key role in fighting climate change. But almost half of these forests have been bulldozed to make way for shrimp aquaculture, vacation resorts, urban expansion, and other development. On Novemeber 29, 2011, Warne was interviewed on the Diane Rehm Show about his work, which you can listen to here.

The introduction to the Show states, "John Steinbeck once said 'no one likes the mangroves.' But New Zealand marine biologist Kennedy Warne argues they are simply misunderstood. There are seventy species of mangroves, ranging from trees to shrubs to ferns. What defines them is their unique ability to thrive in heat, mud and salt that would kill an ordinary plant. Mangrove forests support a wealth of animal and plant species. They provide food, medicine, work and homes for millions of coastal people. But development and shrimp aquaculture are threatening their existence. Warne explains the importance of these rainforests of the sea and how we can help protect them."

Jayne Musumba is a Knowledge Management Specialist with the Capacity Development Group of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Prior to joining UNDP, she worked as an Associate Sustainable Development Officer with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. In this role, one of her responsibilities included overseeing the implementation of the Small Island Developing States Network (SIDSnet), facilitating exchange of information and sharing of comparative experiences related to the sustainable development of the small islands. She holds a Masters degree in Management from the New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Gita’s focus with The Conservancy is on helping land managers identify and fill their biological information needs and tie this information back into decision making. A major part of this work has been partnering with the Bureau of Land Management to design more informative and efficient ecological monitoring for the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area near Tucson, AZ.

Gita got her start as an Ecologist as a child in the woods of northern New Mexico. She has been active in conservation of the Sky Island-Apache Highlands region since 1993, doing teaching, outreach, policy, and science work with several schools and non-profits. Her Ph.D. research on biodiversity and systematics of tropical jumping spiders indulged her love of the little things that run the planet and taught her to make the most of limited data about an unlimited world.