Northern California Regional Land Trust

Meet Our Board

BOARD MEMBERS

Gerald Armour, M.S., President
Gerald Armour is co-owner and CFO of the Western Nut Company, a California almond and walnut marketing firm based in Chico, California. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Almond Board of California and has been involved with the almond industry for nearly 30 years. Jerry studied horticulture at UC Davis and received his master’s degree in 1975. He has an active interest in native plant communities and is a member of the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens and Hoyt Arboretum in Portland, Oregon. Jerry lives with his wife, Jane on a five-acre parcel in Paradise, California. He has been personally involved with restoration of native species on this property for more than 15 years. His background in horticulture and passion for native ecosystems fit well into his involvement with NCRLT and its mission to protect land and natural resources. Gerald currently sits on the Executive, Finance and Board Development Committees for NCRLT.

Tod Kimmelshue, Vice President
Tod grew up on a family farm in Durham, CA. He attended and graduated from the Durham School System. After attending two years at Butte College, he finished his college studies at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, earning a degree in Agricultural Business Management.

In 1982 Tod started work with Farm Credit in Livermore, CA and has been with the company ever since. He and his wife relocated to Chico in 1985. Currently he is a Regional Vice President in charge of public relations and business development. Farm Credit is a nationwide agricultural lending institution, which lends money to agricultural producers and agri-businesses.

Currently Tod is Past President of the Chico Chamber of Commerce and Past President of the Butte County Farm Bureau and helped lead those two organizations during the past several years. Tod lives in Durham with his wife Sherri and two sons.

Kristina Schierenbeck, Ph.D., Secretary
Kristina brought her talent and skills to the NCRLT Board of Directors in August 2007. She began her tenure at CSU, Chico as a biology faculty member in 1998. Throughout her academic career she has been actively engaged in conservation issues, serving on the board of the California Native Plant Society and conducting research on both rare and non-native invasive plant species. As director of the herbarium at CSU, Chico, Kristina is active in collaborative efforts among the academic, professional, and lay botanical communities. Kristina is strongly committed to the goals of the Northern California Regional Land Trust and believes that land conservation is key to the maintenance of the exceptional natural resources in the North State. Kristina currently sits on the Marketing & Outreach Committee for NCRLT.

Colleen Hatfield, Ph.D. Colleen Hatfield joined our board September 2008. Colleen is a landscape ecologist who joined the CSU, Chico Biology faculty in 2005. Her primary research focus has been watershed based, studying the relationships between watershed condition and ecological responses. Colleen has worked extensively with private, non-profit and government entities in assessing and developing approaches to evaluate and monitor ecological integrity. Colleen grew up on the Colorado farm her grandfather homesteaded and she continues to experience the family’s strong tie to the land. Through her background experiences, Colleen is acutely aware of the challenges and hurtles facing today’s land managers whether they be farmers or natural resource managers. Colleen is honored to serve on the board for Northern California Regional Land Trust as its goals and mission are central to her core values for land conservation.

Burt Bundy
Burt and his wife have a small commercial cattle and catfish operation at their home in Los Molinos where he has lived for over 50 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren. He is currently the President of the Tehama County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Burt is also President of the Mill Creek Conservancy, a local watershed group that facilitates riparian habitat and in-stream anadromous fish restoration on Mill Creek. He is also a member of Central Tehama Kiwanis Club and the Tehama County General Plan Advisory Committee.

He is a past member of the Board of the California Aquaculture Association and served three Governors as an appointee on the State Reclamation Board. His past affiliations include: member of the BLM, Northwest California Resource Advisory Council; member of the SB 1086 Advisory Council; President of the Regional Council of Rural Counties; Executive Board member of Tri-County Economic Development Council; Chairman of the Northern California Supervisors Water and Ag Committee; President of Superior California Water Association; and member of the State Board for California Farm Bureau Federation.

Richard Harriman

Joining the board in September ’09, Richard has been involved in environmental and land use issues since 1969, when he worked on his first research project regarding proposed oil drilling on the Canadian side of Lake Erie. Richard has practiced law in the Central Valley for over thirty years. His primary area of practice has been real property and business litigation, with an emphasis on environmental law, land use planning, water law, and appellate advocacy. Richard sincerely believes that it is not too late to make a difference in the Northern Sacramento Valley and that, if we act promptly and prudently, we can save large portions of agricultural land and open space in this region.

Dan Gordon

Joining the NCRLT Board of Directors in October ’09, Dan is one of our newest board members. Dan is married with grown children and lives on 42 acres of oak woodland in the Richardson Springs area. He has made Chico his home since 1979 and has served on the City of Chico Parking Commission, City of Chico Airport Commission, and has been a member of the Chico Association of Realtors since 1984. He has been a licensed real estate broker since 1983 with extensive experience in reading and interpreting title reports, identifying easements, boundary lines and creative financing solutions. Dan graduated from CSU, Chico in May 2009 with a B.A. in Sustainable Tourism and earned a minor in Anthropology. He has a sincere belief in the importance of land conservation and preservation. With his twenty-five years of experience, he hopes to help NCRLT carry out its mission.

NCRLT Committees

In 2006, NCRLT created two new committees including a Finance Committee and a Stewardship Committee. The Stewardship Committee has established a new, more in-depth monitoring protocol for existing and future easements that includes photo-documentation and resource assessment on each site. Our Finance Committee is developing innovative ways to make long-term management of easements and the organization as a whole more economically viable. These committees add to our Land, Executive, Board Development, and Fundraising and Outreach Committees, all of which help NCRLT move forward in a more productive and effective manner.