Conference Keynote Speakers

Robert Michael Pyle

Robert Michael Pyle received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and it was perhaps the only one ever awarded in the field of Nature Perception and Protection.  His master's in Nature Interpretation was followed by a doctorate in Ecology and Environmental Studies from Yale University.  In 1971he founded the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, and later chaired its Monarch Project.  The Society for Conservation Biology awarded Pyle a Distinguished Service Award in 1993.  For many years he has been a full-time writer and independent biologist and teacher.  His fifteen books include Wintergreen (winner of the John Burroughs Medal for distinguished nature writing), The Thunder Tree, Where Bigfoot Walks (subject of a Guggenheim Fellowship), Chasing Monarchs, and Walking the High Ridge, as well as The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies, The Butterflies of Cascadia, and several other standard butterfly works.  His most recent book, Sky Time in Gray's River: Living for Keeps in a Forgotten Place, won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for natural history literature and was a finalist for the Orion and Washington Book Awards.  He lives along a tributary of the Lower Columbia River in southwest Washington with his wife, Thea Linnaea Pyle, a weaver and botanist.

Tim Brown
Tim Brown, a native of Salt Lake, is the Executive Director for Tracy Aviary. Tim’s interest in EE began in college when he participated in outreach programs and, in 1993, he completed an internship at USEE. Over the next few years, he worked his way up the ladder to become the Executive Director of USEE in 1996. In 2002, Tim became the director of the new non-profit Center for Green Space Design and in 2005, Tim jumped at the opportunity to be the Executive Director of Tracy Aviary. Tim has also served on many local boards including Friends of Great Salt Lake (current), Four Corners School of Outdoor Education, and HawkWatch International. Tim has degrees from the University of Vermont and Antioch-University – Seattle, and lives in Salt Lake with his wife and two children.

Karen Hollweg

Karen is President of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). During her tenure, the NAAEE Board has developed a Strategic Plan for 2010-2015, increased unrestricted contributions from members three-fold, built the numbers of volunteers involved in the organization through committees and commissions, and enhanced the relationship with the 46 state and provincial affiliates which, like USEE, promote and support EE locally and regionally. In her career, she has been a public school teacher, school district curriculum coordinator and professional development provider, non-profit EE program director and volunteer coordinator, lobbyist, and advocate for education reform and conservation of natural resources. She lives in Boulder, CO, where she is active in the city’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, conserve open space lands, and continue to build a sustainable community. Karen will be speaking about the state of EE across the nation and what the future holds for environmental education in North America.

Vern Fridley

Vern Fridley, a second generation forester, was one of the four founders of USEE in 1981. As part of his career with the US  Forest Service, he spent the last 20 years with the agency in Ogden as an EE Specialist, with responsibility for assisting the National Forest Service in Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah. He was involved with the Western Regional Environmental Education Council in the development of PLT, and he served on PLT's National Advisory Council for 5 years. In 1970 he was named the Federal Civil Servant of the Year in Idaho, and in 1884 the Federal Civil Servant of the Year in Utah. More recently he and two others developed the North American Association for Environmental Education "Affiliates" program, of which USEE is a member. Upon retirement in 1990 he mortgaged his truck, rented an office and became USEE's first full-time (non paid) Director until Tim Brown replaced him in 1996. For the past 10 years Vern has lived in Parowan where he Chairs the City Shade Tree Board. Last year the City was named the "Utah Community of the Year" by the Utah Community Forest Council.