Alumni Updates


John Swancara, 1982
Submitted: September 24, 2019

John Swancara, Wildlife, 1982, has spent over 30 years pioneering reverse osmosis water treatment systems for homes and commercial applications. He pioneered small bottled water plants for small businesses. Currently he is the lead sales engineer for American Beer Equipment in Lincoln, Nebraska designing micro-breweries. John has authored several articles on water treatment.


Joyce Schlachter, 1994
Submitted: August 8, 2019

Joyce Schlachter, Wildlife, 1994, has retired after 26 years with the Federal government, working as a wildlife biologist. Joyce is enjoying her freedom and continues to volunteer with Project Wildlife, rehabilitating bats. Joyce says "thanks HSU for the best years of my life!"


Jason Storlie, 2007
Submitted: June 20, 2019

Jason Storlie, Wildlife, 2007, transitioned from wildlife biologist to manager of Bitter Creek and Blue Ridge National Wildlife Refuges.


Thomas Eley, 1969 and 1975
Submitted: April 12, 2019

Thomas Eley, Wildlife, 1969, worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a Refuge Manager and Refuge Officer. He is now retired and lives in Alaska.


Carl S. Chavez, 1966
Submitted: February 1, 2019

Carl S. Chavez, Wildlife, 1966, retired in 1998 after a 33-year with California State Parks. Among his many assignments, he was Superintendent of Humboldt Redwoods State Park from 1979-87 as well as all the other redwood parks south of Eureka. In 1985 he was named the department's first Superintendent of the Year. Leaving the redwoods he was appoint Northern Regional Director and later Northern Division Chief. He authored "A Pathway Through Parks" and co-authored with his wife Margaret (Class of 1966), "A Year in Bodie 1966-1967." He retired to Graeagle near Plumas-Eureka State Park, a unit he once managed. Presently he is President of the Board of the Feather River Land Trust.


Paula Golightly, 1982
Submitted: January 15, 2019

Paula Golightly, Wildlife, 1982, has worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 24 years working to restore aquatic and terrestrial habitats for fish and wildlife primarily on private lands in Humboldt County California through voluntary programs within the agency. She was recently promoted to Regional Coordinator for the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program covering Idaho, Oregon, Washington and the Pacific Islands and is now based out of Portland Oregon.


Dylan Karl, 2016
Submitted: November 9, 2018

Dylan Karl, Wildlife, 2016, completed two years of service as a Peace Corps environment volunteer in Guyana, South America. Karl volunteered as a community conservation promotor. Now that his service is complete, he is looking into going to Bowling Green State University for its Leisure and Tourism program.


Christine Messer, 2013
Submitted: November 7, 2018

Christine Messer (Orlowski), Wildlife, 2013, worked for the California Department of Food and Agriculture before deciding to continue her education. She obtained a Master's degree in Environmental Studies from California State University Fullerton in 2017. While completing her graduate degree she simultaneously worked for the County of Santa Barbara in the Sustainability Division. She currently works for the City of Lompoc as the city's recycling coordinator. She married Kirk Messer ('11, Biology, Zoology) in October 2017. They live in Santa Maria, California and recently returned to HSU for a visit after five years away.


Sanford "Sandy" Wilbur, 1963
Submitted: July 11, 2018

Sanford "Sandy" Wilbur, Wildlife, 1963, has just published his latest book, "Semi-Rough: A North Country Journal," about living off the grid in far northern New Hampshire. It has several wildlife, weather, environment, and people stories from the North Country. It's available as a free pdf if you write to him at symbios@condortales.com.


David Feliz, 1983
Submitted: July 6, 2018

Dave Feliz, Wildlife, 1983, is the Reserve Manager for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in Monterey County, California. This is one of 30 Reserves around the nation, set up to conduct research, habitat restoration and education on lands adjacent to and including estuarine habitats. These are all state/federal partnerships with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnering with state entities. The state partner at the Elkhorn Slough is the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Dave has been working for the Department since 1984, managing lands in various parts of California.


jeffrey rich, 1983
Submitted: June 4, 2018

Jeffrey Rich, Wildlife, 1983, has a new book out, "Bald Eagles in The Wild": www.jeffrichphoto.com


Bill (Sharky) London, 1985
Submitted: February 14, 2018

Bill (Sharky) London, Wildlife, 1985, recently retired from the Idaho Fish & Game after 32 years. The education, experiences, and guidance that he received at HSU made this fulfilling career possible.
As a Conservation Officer, he patrolled vast wildernesses on horseback, boated rivers, chased poachers, taught kids to camp, hunt & fish, trapped deer, surveyed big game and sage grouse, electroshocked fish, flew game counts, and dealt with lions and bears in town. It was an adventure. In 2004 promoted to District CO and worked from the Owyhee canyonlands to the Sawtooth Wilderness with an amazing group of officers. He recruited at HSU for 13 years to bring the best to Idaho. He is married (Shannon), together we have 5 children.


Shad Scalvini, 2003
Submitted: January 11, 2018

Shad Scalvini, Wildlife, 2003, previously worked for Green Diamond Timber and several consultants as a wildlife technician. Scalvini currently works as the lead Wildlife Biologist for Mendocino Redwood company (MRC) since 2012 and is in charge of the Northern Spotted owl program. Scalvini has also started a mutual program with the wildlife 311 techniques class where they hold their field trip on MRC property at Rockport Beach. We have conducted small mammal trapping, songbird, bat, & small owl mist-netting, track-plates, telemetry, herpetology surveys, etc. The last one that was held this fall, we saw an otter family, peregrine falcons, Barred owls, numerous songbirds, & 6 bat species amongst many other wildlife species.


Megan Jones Patterson, 2006
Submitted: December 11, 2017

Megan Jones Patterson, Wildlife, 2006, recently completed her PhD in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in Emily DuVal's lab at Florida State University. Her research focused on the costs and benefits of male cooperative display behavior in White-ruffed Manakins -- a small bird living in mid-elevations in Central America. She continues her work as a staff scientist and science educator with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).


Sanford Wilbur, 1963
Submitted: April 4, 2017

Sanford “Sandy” Wilbur, 1963 Wildlife, has just completed his newest book, Government Biologist, detailing his HSU years (1957-1963) in wildlife, journalism, and drama, and his 34-year career with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A free PDF of the book can be obtained by contacting Sandy at symbios@condortales.com.


Colin Brayton, 2004
Submitted: December 9, 2016

Colin Brayton, 2004 Wildlife, recently started Alaska Fjord Charters, in Seward, Alaska, and takes guests to the Kenai Fjords National Park, based out of Seward, Alaska.


Leonard A Brennan, 1984
Submitted: December 6, 2016

Leonard A Brennan, 1984 Wildlife, recently published his sixth book, "The Upland and Webless Migratory Game Birds of Texas" with the Texas A&M University Press. Brennan has been conducting quail research for the past 34 years, beginning with his graduate project that began at HSU back in 1982.


Gage Dayton, 1996
Submitted: November 9, 2016

Gage Dayton, 1996 Wildlife, was recently appointed to the Wilton W. Webster Jr. Presidential Chair for the UC Santa Cruz Natural Reserves. Dayton has served as administrative director of the UCSC Natural Reserves since 2008.


Jeremy Bisson, 1999
Submitted: March 13, 2016

Jeremy Bisson, 1999 Wildlife, spent six years working as a biologist in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office Observer Program after graduating HSU. In 2006, Bisson moved to south central Idaho, where he has been working as a wildlife biologist in the Burley BLM Field Office for the last nine years. His focus in Idaho has been sage-grouse habitat restoration where he’s had success in developing a landscape scale habitat restoration plan and collaboration.


Kenneth L. Liscom, Jan., 1949
Submitted: March 9, 2016

Kenneth L. Liscom, 1949 Wildlife, was born and raised in Arcata. Liscom has retired after 40 years of working with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. He studied salmon and steelhead in the Sacramento River, Alaska, Columbia, and snake rivers by radio tracking. Liscom also studied fish scale analysis and effect of electrical guiding on salmon.