Maureen Bookwalter

Maureen Bookwalter is Program Director and Student Coordinator for Northwest Connections. Maureen received her Master’s of Science in 2004 from the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies Program and was selected as a Doris Duke Environmental Fellow. Her graduate work focused on the divestment of corporate timberlands and the conservation strategies being utilized to maintain rural landscapes and working forests. Prior to her graduate work, she spent 5 years working for various government agencies (USGS, USFS, NPS, Nez Perce Tribe) doing wildlife and forestry related fieldwork. She has been working for Northwest Connections for the past 5 years coordinating NwC’s student educational programs and assisting with land conservation projects on both public and private lands. Her passion in the conservation field lies with protecting rural places – working towards balanced solutions that sustain the abundant natural resources while simultaneously sustaining local economies and protecting rural culture. Maureen grew up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York and has lived in Montana for 12 years.

Max Nielsen-Pincus

Max Nielsen-Pincus is a research associate with the Ecosystem Workforce Program in the Institute for a Sustainable Environment at the University of Oregon, where he conducts applied research and technical assistance to support natural resource-based sustainable development in rural natural resource-based communities in the American West. Prior to joining the EWP, Max was the Executive Director of the Crooked River Watershed Council. He worked with the collaborative organization’s board and partners to develop watershed restoration and monitoring programs focused on the reintroduction of anadromous fish to the Crooked River basin and the management of western juniper. Max served as a member of the Crook County Natural Resources Planning Committee and helped to establish the Deschutes Strategic Investment Partnership with the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Max received his Ph.D. in Forest Resources at the University of Idaho, M.S. from the Environment and Community program at Antioch University Seattle, and B.A. from University of Oregon. He has published articles in Landscape Ecology, Bioscience, and Ecology and Society.