About Eastern Sierra Land Trust - Who We Are
Founded in 2001, ESLT is the first and only land trust based in the Eastern Sierra. We began our work when private citizens and public officials in our area expressed interest in the development alternatives, mitigations, and habitat protections that land trusts can provide.
In December 2003, we completed our first voluntary land conservation agreements (commonly referred to as conservation easements), in the migration corridor of the Round Valley Mule Deer Herd; the following year we hired our first professional staff. Today we're continuing to work to protect vital lands, making up more than 6,000 protected acres thus far.
Eastern Sierra Land Trust: Board of Directors
President: Tony Taylor — Tony is retired after 29 years in technical marketing and management for the IBM Corporation. He has served the University of Redlands in Southern California as president of the Alumni Association and is a member of the Board of Trustees.
Vice President: Sid Tyler — Sid is a recently retired City Council member in Pasadena who has been visiting the Eastern Sierra for 40 years. His business experience has been in the health care field, from which he retired in 1995 as Executive Vice President at Tenet HealthCare Corp. Early years: grew up on a cattle ranch in Western Colorado, thence to Harvard College.
Treasurer: Bob Gardner — Bob is the Vice President for Administration and Finance for California State University of San Bernardino and also serves on the City Council for the City of Redlands. He is a native Californian and spends time at his cabin in June Lake, with his wife Karen. Along with their three sons, Bob and Karen enjoy skiing and exploring the Eastern Sierra.
Secretary: Marie Patrick — Marie moved to Crowley Lake after many years of visiting the area from LA. She founded, owned and managed the City of Los Angeles Marathon for over twenty years, prior to that organizing and promoting tennis, golf and cycling events in the U.S. and Europe. She and her husband enjoy all that the Eastern Sierra has to offer – hiking, biking, skiing, fishing and the four seasons!
Director: Bill Bramlette — Bill is a fourth generation rancher in the Benton Valley. He owns the Benton Hot Springs Bed and Breakfast with his wife Diane, and enjoys touring the world by bicycle.
Director: Heather DeBethizy — Heather is an Associate Planner with Mono County Community Development Department. Originally from North Carolina, Heather discovered the Eastern Sierra as a Student Conservation Association intern for the Inyo National Forest. In her free time, Heather enjoys backpacking, road cycling, and skiing, and recently completed her first triathlon.
Director: Jan Hunewill — Jan, with her husband Stan and the Hunewill family, own the Hunewill Guest Ranch, a working cattle ranch in the beautiful Bridgeport Valley. Jan filled the post vacated by Stan after he retired from the ESLT board.
Director: Will Richmond — Will is an attorney living in Bishop. He is a retired District Attorney with extensive experience in environmental issues.
Eastern Sierra Land Trust: Advisory Board
| Dave Doonan Farmer, Montgomery Creek Ranch |
Steve Frisch |
| Nate Greenberg Mono County Geographic Information Systems |
Rusty Gregory |
| Linda Hess Attorney at Law |
Sandy Hogan |
| Byng Hunt Mono County Supervisor |
Geoff McQuilkin
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| George Milovich Inyo/Mono County Agricultural Commissioner |
Duke Ostendorf |
| Pete Pumphrey Attorney at Law |
Doug Ross
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| Terry Gooch Ross Organization and Leadership Development Consultant |
Tim Sanford
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| Brian Stange Financial Consultant, Washington Mutual Bank |
Ann Wong
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Eastern Sierra Land Trust: Staff
Kay Ogden - Executive Director: After working as Associate Director for the Sierra Nevada Alliance, Kay has recently been appointed to the position of ESLT Executive Director. She brings great passion for the Eastern Sierra landscape and experience in project management, strategic planning, building connections, and leading effective programs. Kay also has extensive creative experience; she spent 18 years operating her own design and marketing firm, and spent years as a board member of the Mono County Arts Council. An avid long-distance cyclist, Kay is particularly fond of randonneuring: a grueling pastime popularized by the 750 mile / 1200 km Paris – Brest – Paris (PBP) race, which she successfully completed in under 90 hours. She also enjoys gardening, canning fresh locally-grown food, and hiking with her partner, Jeff Boone, and their rescued German Shepherd, Rush Creek.
Lesley Bruns – Outreach and Development Director: Lesley joined ESLT in August 2012. Lesley brings diverse experience to her new role with ESLT. She was a Theatre Arts major at UCLA, which led to trips to London to further her acting training. This sparked a love for travel, so she became an independent travel agent: a career which lasted two decades. As that industry declined, Lesley turned to insurance and spent the last ten years as an agent/broker. A Mammoth Lakes resident since 1997, she enjoys hiking, biking and cross-country skiing. She was one of the co-founders of Sierra Classic Theatre, and continues to be involved in the Eastside drama scene. Lesley has been active with environmental non-profit groups since her teens and is excited to be part of the great team at ESLT.
Aaron Johnson – Lands Director: Aaron joined ESLT in October 2008 after working in natural resource management for a wide range of government agencies; federal, state, and municipal. Aaron brings a background in vegetation management, invasive species inventory, biological field work, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). He is excited about being a part of the dedicated and inspired ESLT team and using his skills to help conserve the working and wild landscapes of the Eastern Sierra. Aaron joins us most recently from the Bay Area after having worked previously in the Colorado Front Range, Santa Cruz, and Tahoe. When not hard at work, he enjoys mountain biking, scrambling over granite, kayaking, chasing his dog, tinkering with bikes, and lazy mornings with coffee.
Marguerite Burkham – Membership and Communications Coordinator: A recent addition to the Eastern Sierra, Marguerite brings with her an eye for design and an eagerness to channel her marketing and communications experience in a fresh direction. After spending several years learning business design, staff management, and wine stewardship in high-end restaurants, Marguerite is thrilled to tap into her lifelong passion for environmental preservation. She deeply enjoys using her expertise to the benefit of her new community and its natural spaces. Marguerite is an avid hiker and has been relishing every chance to explore her new home territory; when not on the trail, she also enjoys photography, creative writing, baking, and puttering around in her vegetable garden and chicken coop.
Elise Robinette – Education Coordinator/AmeriCorps Member: Another new addition to the ESLT team, Elise started as the new Half-Term Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership member in April of 2013. Growing up in the beautiful heart of Appalachia, Elise developed an affinity for the natural environment at an early age. In 2011, she made the divergent switch from studying photography to joining a conservation corps in Colorado. For the past year leading up to her term with ESLT, Elise had been leading conservation crews all over the state of California. She is excited to bring her field and leadership experiences to her new position with Eastern Sierra Land Trust and to become actively involved in the wonderful community of Bishop. When she is not on the clock, Elise can be found scouring the streets on her road bike, clinging to rocks or exploring new trails. She will likely always be seen with a clunky film camera around her neck.
