Owen Guthrie, President

Owen is Associate Director for UAF eLearning and has a background in Biology & Wildlife. Born and raised in the woods around Fairbanks, he is strongly interested in seeing Fairbanks sustain its green spaces and unique “city in the boreal forest” nature.  (907) 322-3462 • 1470 Ithaca Rd., Fairbanks, AK, 99709

Martha Raynolds, Treasurer

Martha is a plant biologist with an interest in a variety of ecological issues. She came to Alaska in 1982 and has worked in the Arctic in Alaska, Canada, and Russia. She enjoys cross-country skiing and camping with her family. She was one of the original board members for the Interior Alaska Land Trust and is interested in using private land ownership to further conservation goals. (907) 479-3726 • 1636 Wolverine Lane, Fairbanks, AK, 99707

Max Plichta, Secretary

Max is an ecologist and current graduate student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He moved to Fairbanks in 2017 for a field job and quickly fell in love with the Interior for its flora, fauna, Thai food, and amazing community. He enjoys skiing, backpacking, and celebrating the changing of seasons. Max is interested in ensuring that Fairbanks maintains interconnected greenspaces for the benefit of the people and wildlife.

Brendan LaBelle-Hamer, Vice President

Brendan moved to Alaska in 1980 to attend UAF.  After graduating, he remained in Fairbanks, getting married and raising a family.  As an IALT member for many years, he was always amazed how much the land trust accomplished with what seemed like so few resources.  When asked, he decided to join the board to help continue the mission of conserving lands.

Christin Swearingen, Board Member

Christin Swearingen is a conservationist with a passion for mycology. After living in Anchorage for a time, she moved back to Fairbanks where she earned her master’s degree in Natural Resources Management at UAF. In her spare time she can be found contra dancing, organizing the next Fairbanks Fungi Festival, or baking tasty things. Her main goal in serving on the Board is to keep natural areas in Interior Alaska preserved for the community, wildlife, and kids to forever have places to find peace, refuge, and inspiration.

Cam Leonard, Board Member

Cam is an almost retired environmental attorney, having enjoyed a long career with the State of Alaska. Now he mostly just goofs around, getting out on trails in the winter and rivers in the summer. The Land Trust is a natural fit to combine his appreciation of the outdoors with his acquired skill set. As a new board member, he is most impressed by the level of support IALT enjoys in this community. So thank you!

Sue Bishop, Board Member

Sue moved to Alaska (from eastern Canada) in 1981 to attend grad school at UAF, and somehow never left. She has spent most of her career working for a Fairbanks-based environmental consulting firm, where she focuses on rehabilitation of disturbed land, primarily in northern Alaska. Her recreational interests are also outdoor-focused, including hiking, cross-country skiing, and berry-picking with friends and family. As a mother and grandmother, she hopes to help ensure access to nature and outdoor activities for the generations to come. She is a long-time member of the Land Trust, and is happy to get more involved now that she is semi-retired.

Jennifer Schell, Board Member

Jen moved to Fairbanks in 2009 after accepting a position in the English Department at UAF. Several years after she arrived in Alaska, she started volunteering with IALT, and soon joined the Board. Although she has lived in many different places, Jen absolutely loves Alaska. Nothing beats the mountains and the rivers, not to mention all the plants, animals, and fungi! Jen lives in the beautiful Goldstream Valley (not far from the Peat Ponds) with her two dogs, Sam and Eliot. In the winter, she spends most of her time drinking tea, teaching classes, writing essays, and reading books about the outdoors. And in the summer, she spends most of her time traveling around Alaska, hiking and backpacking with the doggies in tow.

Past & Present* Board members

Aaron Cooke

Kayde Kaiser

Frank Foster

Nora Foster (past President)

Merritt Helfferich (past President)

Martha Raynolds* (past President)

Linda Garrett (past President)

Shawna Thiesen

Chena Newman

Larry Knapman

Larry Moen

Carolyn Buckingham

Deborah Horner

Roselynn Ressa (past President)

Mike Stredny

Carolyn Buckingham

Nicole Pearce

Travis Booms

Collin Todd

Alex Prichard

Owen Guthrie* (current President)

Larry Byrne

Greta Myerchin-Tape

Seth Adams

Sama Winder

Jen Schell*

Brendan LaBelle-Hamer*

Carolyn Loeffler