Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation - February 4 - February 8, 2019

Laura is a Certified NRA Shotgun,Rifle, Pistol, Personal protection in the Home, Personal Protection outside the Home, Conceal Carry instructor, and a Certified Volunteer Hunter Safety/Tree stand Instructor for both Illinois DNR and Texas Parks and Wildlife. A Texas Master Naturalist. Besides the shooting sports she enjoys teaching archery, fly fishing, cooking, beekeeping. She is a big and small game hunter, and has traveled extensively to hunt and fish. She is a Certified Master Gardener in Illinois and Florida, a beekeeper and a Nationally Certified Medical Technologist. Was an elected Trustee for the Village of Campton Hills, IL, former instructor at Country Garden Cuisine cooking school. In 2018 She transitioned to Texas. She is a member of Corpus Christi, Texas Pistol and Rifle club, NRA, Mid-Coast Chapter as a Master Naturalist, South Texas Beekeepers,and Sisters on the Fly.

Jacob Berl is a Conservation Officer with Idaho Department of Fish and Game. He earned a B.S. from Humboldt State University, M.S. from West Virginia University, and Ph.D. from Purdue University. Jacob enjoys hunting, fishing, and traveling as much as possible.

Scott resides on 12 acres of restored prairie in Oregon, Wisconsin. A native of New Hampshire, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He began hunting by following his father and grandfather around the mountains of northern New England in pursuit of deer and grouse. He has been hunting for more than 40 years for deer, wild turkeys, upland birds and waterfowl. Scott served as state leader of the Wisconsin 4-H Shooting Sports program for 13 years and is a certified instructor for rifle and shotgun. With the help of several colleagues and friends, he launched the Wisconsin Student Hunting Project in 1995, which received national recognition several years later; it is the model on which CLfT was based. Scott has taught many wild game cooking classes and enjoys promoting game utilization. He is very active in The Wildlife Society and belongs to numerous other conservation organizations.

Texas Game Warden July 1988-August 2019. Stationed on the lower Texas coast. Firearms Instructor, Hunter Education Instructor, Marine Safety Enforcement Officer Instructor. I have been hunting creeks and fishing since a child with my grandpa and father. I enjoy migratory game bird and waterfowl hunting. I also enjoy cooking. Married to Jill Flores. We have 27 year old twins. A speech pathologist and wildlife biologist. My family and I take every opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Living on the coast provides almost all season opportunities to fish and hunt. I have been able to pass on my knowledge to CLFT workshop students as to the roles of law enforcement in regards to wildlife conservation. I also provide preparation and cooking information of wild game meals for CLFT programs. Retired and living the dream. Enjoying organizing and assisting with youth hunting opportunities and summer wildlife programs.

Karl grew up tromping around the hills and rivers outside his family home’s back door in rural northern Michigan. Throughout high school and college he funded his extracurricular adventures working as a first mate on a salmon boat, a fly fishing, canoeing, and hunting outfitter and guide, and as a professional consultant during the development of wildlife management and research programs. Karl’s interest in nature, conservation, wildlife, and protected area management led him to study the role of nature reserves in harboring large carnivores in southwestern China for his PhD in Wildlife Ecology, which he completed in 2011 through a joint appointment with the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. These experiences fostered a deeper and more informed appreciation for America’s public lands system and inspired him to pursue a career with the United States Forest Service. Karl’s professional interests include ecological research, applying science to natural resource management, and promoting personal connections between people and the natural world. He has taught about the relationships among humans, wild land, and wildlife in the U.S. and abroad, and has developed and hosted international conservation workshops for global business leaders, conservationists, and political leaders. In his free time Karl, his wife, and their daughter enjoy exploring wild spots off the beaten path with their bird dogs, fly rods, and backpacks.

Jamie Nack has been a CLfT instructor since 2007. She received a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in Wildlife and Biology and a M.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Jamie considers herself very fortunate to have a father who was always willing to take his daughter hunting. The time spent and lessons learned helped instill a love for the outdoors at an early age, developed a passion for hunting, led to a career in wildlife management and nurtured a conservation mindset. Over the past 25+ years, Jamie has hunted deer, bear, bobcat, turkeys, rabbits, waterfowl, upland birds, fox and coyote. She is a member of numerous conservation organizations, including The Wildlife Society (state, section and national). Jamie resides in Columbus, Wisconsin with her husband, two daughters and three hunting dogs. Family time is often spent outdoors hunting, fishing, training dogs, gardening and exploring.

I taught at Purdue University in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources of 35 years, teaching several courses, including Habitat Management and Wildlife Techniques. Research interests were broad, and included white-tailed deer food relationships and avian breeding biology.
I have taught participants at Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow workshops since shortly after its inception, and try to bring my broad background and eclectic interests to the program.

I taught Dendrology, native shrub, and herbaceous I.D. at Purdue University for 30 years in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources. My classes were taken by sophomores to Graduate students studying Wildlife and Forestry. My goal was always to impress upon students the value of understanding the importance of plant identification in managing habitat.
My role in Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow is to teach and educate our participants to the best of my ability about wildlife conservation in our country. Every single workshop is a treat and I look forward to next season.