Who We Are:

Clint graduated from Southern Oregon College in Ashland, Oregon in 1974 with B.S. Degree in Biology. He began his federal service with the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division in Buffalo, Wyoming in 1978. Early on, his service consisted of work overseeing a variety of surface-water monitoring programs. But as opportunities changed, a majority of that time also included water quality and sediment programs associated with the National Stream Quality Accounting Network as well with several statewide Ambient water-quality monitoring networks. Several years were also spent in the ground water discipline. The last several years of his career included more management aspects as he became supervisor over the Hydrologic Surveillance section in the Kansas City, Missouri Subdistrict Office and the Sacramento, California Field Office.

He officially retired in 2009 while in Sacramento, CA. He volunteered part of his time back to the agency for a 3-month period before he once again worked on a part-time basis for an additional year and a half. After that he drew his career to a close and his wife and he relocated to Bozeman, MT. Now they spend their time volunteering and being on boards for various groups and organizations within the Bozeman community. Currently he sits on the board of the Gallatin Wildlife Association. He is past Vice President of the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance, plus past President of the local chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. He is active within many environmental groups in the Bozeman area and writes letters on behalf of many causes.

Susan Bilo has a M.S. from Colorado State University in Natural Resources Management and Public Relations. She is an energy efficiency and renewable energy consultant that worked for the U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and at Montana State University as an Extension energy project manager and instructor for Gallatin College and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Susan understands the direct connection of drilling and mining, transporting, and combusting fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) to global climate change and the significant impact it has on wildlife and habitat. She cuts burdock weeds with Sacajawea Audubon, removes and alters fences with the National Parks Conservation Association to help pronghorn antelope migration, and writes and testifies in support of ethical and science -based wildlife policies and projects locally, nationally, and globally.

John Marzluff is an Emeritus Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington.  His graduate research (Northern Arizona University) and initial postdoctoral research (University of Vermont) focused on the social behavior and ecology of jays and ravens.  He continues this theme, investigating the intriguing behavior of crows, ravens, and jays.  His current research focuses on the interactions of ravens and wolves in Yellowstone. He and his wife (Colleen) have written together on their raven research and are parents to two grown daughters.

Much of Marzluff's research is motivated by a desire to inform land managers and the public how to live sustainably with Earth’s biodiversity. He has focused on birds' responses to human action because they are visible, reactive, and valued. By discovering how bird communities respond to urbanization, agriculture, wildland recreation, and military training, he has advised local, national, and international agencies and organizations on topics including the restoration of endangered species, park reservation and development, building form and neighborhood arrangement, farming practices, and the intensity and location of military training. Rather than simply relating such activities to the occurrence or abundance of birds, he seeks to relate human action to the reproduction, survival, and dispersal of birds. This approach is exemplified by his long-term and broad research into the ecology and evolution of birds in urban and suburban areas. To build understanding and empower individuals to coexist with birds, he speaks regularly to lay audiences and has synthesized my research and that of others in popular books on the ecology and anthropology of crows and ravens, as well as the effects of agriculture and urbanization on birds.

John grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina learning about forests, streams and wildlife from his grandfather who took him camping, hiking and hunting at an early age.   The love of those mountains has stayed with him throughout his life.  He obtained a mechanical engineering degree at Ga Tech in Atlanta and then worked designing and building industrial and commercial facilities across the eastern US.  During those years, he would head into the mountains, the Smokies, the Appalachian Trail and Forests whenever he could.  In the early 70s, he gave up his engineering and construction job to move to Utah.  Whenever he could he went into the western wilderness and deserts to explore, backpack, climb and fish.

He obtained his PhD in Ecology at Utah State University, specializing in population dynamics.  Upon graduation, he began a consulting business with one of his professors.  The business relied on ecosystem concepts and interrelationships between the environment and wildlife to carry out baseline studies and management programs for oil shale development, mining, and hydroelectric industries.   A spinoff business addressed Superfund and Natural Resource Damages which systematically characterized the effects of contamination and habitat alteration.

In the 80s, John left these businesses and worked on his own to have more time for hiking, climbing, exploring the mountains and deserts of the West.  As he did this, his knowledge of ecology drove him to find places that had escaped livestock grazing, as he had recognized the damage they have done to our rivers and streams, watersheds and habitats.  These observations served him well as he learned what we have lost since settlement and grieves over those losses.

In the 90s, disgusted with the conditions of the streams and habitat in the National Forest and agency denial, he started a non-profit to confront the Forest Service.   From there, he went on to join the Board of Western Watersheds Project addressing habitat issues across Utah and SE Idaho.  In 2012, he established the Yellowstone to Uintas Connection, to promote and protect a regional wildlife corridor that was formerly used by Canada lynx and Grizzly bears.    In parallel, John began acquiring land in SE Idaho in ’93 which grew to 1,000 acres and is named after his first akita, Kiesha.  Today, he is President and Ecologist for both Y2U and KP.

The picture above showcases John surveying habitat in the Uinta Wilderness with Kiesha and partners.

GWA would like to introduce Haley Yarborough to our membership.

GWA brought on Haley Yarborough as a contract employee, a position that we so desparately needed. Her term began this month of August, but she won't begin to fully access that role until the first of September. We want to welcome her to GWA and hopefully you will all come to know her through her work and see great changes within our organization.

Haley Yarborough is an environmental writer, journalist, and instructor based in Missoula, Montana. She recently graduated from the University of Montana with a graduate degree in Environmental Studies, where she also teaches College Writing. Her work focuses on the intersections of ecology, public health, climate, and storytelling, with an emphasis on making complex environmental issues accessible to broad audiences. Haley has reported on wildlife issues across Montana and brings a background in journalism and biology to her writing and research. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, reading, playing games, and baking. 

We want to thank Ben Churchwell for the time and work he spent working on behalf of GWA on a volunteer basis. But Ben's time became extremely limited due to continuation of his work in the MSU's Master Program. Ben has assisted us in this transition so we want to honor Ben and wish him well in months and years ahead.