As this newsletter reveals, water ties in one way or another to most of the critical environmental issues that CSERC deals with across this vast region.  As we press for improved policies and better watershed protection, much of our advocacy work depends upon field monitoring, surveys, and literature reviews done by CSERC’s own staff scientists.  Using science as a basis for our comments not only builds credibility, but we also can share our monitoring results with various agencies and decision-makers.

   In the past few months, CSERC staff has gone through a number of changes.  Mike, our biologist, left the local region to pursue new opportunities. To fill that position, we hired Brenda Whited as our newest staff biologist.  

   Brenda grew up in California and spent much of her youth hiking and exploring in the Sierra Nevada.  She completed her Bachelor’s degree in biology at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and her Master’s degree in ecology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  She joins us at CSERC to help conduct wildlife and grazing surveys, respond to development projects, and lead our volunteer workdays. Brenda is also an avid rock climber and is already spending her free time on the granite in the local mountains. 

   While we added Brenda to our staff, we no longer have another staff person coming to work each day.  Heather Campbell (at left) has been a key part of CSERC’s team over recent years.  She ran the office, assisted our scientists with wildlife and meadow surveys, and coordinated many of our outreach and fundraising efforts.  On both a happy and sad note, Heather headed back to university life for the coming year, expanding her depth of knowledge, but leaving CSERC without her presence. 

   Fortunately, from her distant location Heather will continue to manage and enhance our CSERC website and translate the website into Spanish for Latinos interested in our mountain region.  To see her high quality efforts, please visit our revised website at:

www.cserc.org