Meet Our BoardBOARD MEMBERS Jim Saake, President Gerald Armour, M.S., Vice President Laurie Lofland, M.B.A., Treasurer Laurie graduated from the University of Redlands, California with a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature and from California State University at San Bernardino with a Masters Degree in Business. She moved to Chico in 1998 from Southern California to enjoy the great outdoors and her favorite pastimes include hiking and exploring nature. She joined the NCRLT Board of Directors in 2006 out of a desire to help protect and steward wilderness properties from encroaching development. Laurie currently sits on the Executive, Finance, and Stewardship Committees for NCRLT. Kristina Schierenbeck, Ph.D., Secretary Burt Bundy Mel Thompson  John Merz was one of the co-founders of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust in 1984 and has served as the Chief Executive Officer of that organization since 1986. In addition to the NCRLT, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Altacal Audubon Society, Big Chico Creek Watershed Alliance and Friends of Bidwell Park. He also serves as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee that was appointed by the Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD) Board of Directors to help in the current update of their Recreation Master Management Plan. He was also recently appointed by the Chico City Council to serve on the Planning Commission starting in January 2007. John currently sits on the Board Development and Marketing and Outreach Committees for NCRLT. NCRLT CommitteesIn 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. |
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Jim Saake is the principal of Saake’s Real Property Services, a real estate appraisal and consulting firm specializing in rural properties. He has been involved with land trusts since 1988 when he and two other Susanville residents founded the Lassen Land and Trails Trust. He first encountered conservation easements as the Lands Officer of the Lassen National Forest in Susanville. He believes conservation easements are an excellent tool for voluntary land conservation, and has been working with them ever since. Jim currently chairs the Executive Committee for NCRLT. 
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. 
Laurie Lofland’s professional experience has focused on market research and technical writing since the late 1980’s, as a director of market research for a NYSE homebuilding corporation and a research analyst and former owner of a marketing consulting firm with primary clients in the homebuilding industry. Laurie also worked at Butte-Glenn Community College during 2002 and 2003 as a project lead for the implementation of a computer system conversion and as project manager for a $1.4 million grant funded program through the Chancellor’s Office. 
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. 
Mel Thompson joined our Board of Directors in September 2007 and we are looking forward to his wealth of ranching and farming experience. He and his wife Mary have operated their own sheep ranch in Oroville since 1998 and have been sheep ranchers since the 1980’s. Mel graduated from California State Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA in 1970 with a B.S. in Journalism with an Agricultural Focus. He is the founding member of California Sheep Commission, representing Butte, Glenn, Yolo and Colusa counties, the president of the Northern CA Lamb Producers, LLC (NCLP), a member of the California Wool Growers Association (CWGA), as well as a CWGA representative for the Rangeland Management Advisory Committee to the CA Board of Forestry.