bioacoustic enthusiasts

local story explorers

and community connectors

Naomi Bates
Project Director
Associate Professor, Future Generations University

Native of West Virginia, USA — environmental scientist & engineer — GIS & LiDAR nerd — using science to empower communities

Ask me about: Homesteading in WV with my family, striving to grow at least three varieties of kale year-round, hydrometeorology and geomorphology, my top prize at International Science and Engineering Fair way back in 1996, serendipitous travel delays and an afternoon circling Everest by aircraft

Dan’l Taylor
Senior Scientist
President, Future Generations University

Third generation Himalayan explorer and conservationist — lifelong designer of unusual projects — world circler — cultural cooperation builder — yeti expert & writer — SEED-SCALE synthesizer — founder and president of Future Generations University

Ask me about: long lost yeti skulls returned, how to survive 3 weeks in the Barun with no stove, how each visit to Mohandas Gandhi’s ashram continues to inform my community development work, the first 54′ tricentric yurt I helped build and the yurt I call home.
danielctaylor.org

Bob Fleming
Senior Scientist
Professor, Future Generations University

Pre-eminent Himalayan naturalist and natural history educator — inculcator of the appreciation of dynamic relationships between different cultures and the natural world — illustrator and writer of “Birds of Nepal,” the first modern field guide to the birds of the region

Ask me about: any bird and we will endeavor to identify it, how to sit by a Himalayan mountain spring and call flocks of birds with just patience and your cupped hands

Tirtha Bahadur Shrestha
Senior scientist

Lifetime devotee of conservation of biological diversity and ecosystems in the eastern Himalaya — botanist, ecologist, plant conservationist — given the Ballpark Foundation Lifetime Service Award — team leader for the creation of Makalu-Barun National Park — hero of environmental conservation of endemic plant species in Nepal — author of more than 20 books, and hundreds of articles, containing new discoveries, concepts and ideas

Ask me about: ‘the abode of biodiversity’ that is the eastern Himalayas, Conservation Enlightenment in the next generation, locally-viable solutions for Nepal’s national parks many consider to be way ahead of their time

Dan Robison
Lead explorer, Bolivia
Professor, Future Generations University

Bolivian, born and raised — landowner and farmer in Rurrenabaque, the gateway of the Amazon and Madidi National Park — United Kingdom Marshall Scholar (intellectually distinguished and future leader) — Armonia and Mahara contributor

Ask me about: hitchhiking across Africa, “new” petrogliphs in the buffer zone for Madidi National Park, my postdoctoral work in Cali, Columbia, my lifelong interest in sustainable use of the Amazon

Nawang Gurung
Lead explorer, Barun, Nepal
Assistant Professor, Future Generations University

Native to the Himalayas — Community builder of new local bridges, health care centers, off-grid hydro power, multiuser water systems and community-based ecotourism projects — personifying the mission of Share and Care Nepal by making a difference, reaching out to vulnerable communities

Ask me about: how to say ‘community’ in 5 languages, stories of communities staying strong after the Nepal earthquake, my time in New England at UMass and New Hampshire College, my family and life in Lalitpur, Nepal

Damian Christey
Tech guru

Native of West Virginia, USA — Computer scientist — Open Source advocate — interested in using technology to empower people

Ask me about: Machine learning and Big Data, power dynamics of wall construction in Kabul, how to be Agile, Appalachian cave exploration, wiring solar panels and installing camera traps on the Yeti trail

Shane Palkovitz
Audio engineer, lead explorer: Chesapeake Bay
Socioenvironmental Specialist, Future Generations University

Socioenvironmental specialist — Learner of culture and advocate for the natural world — environmental educator — video/photographer

Ask me about: 8 years, 8 full length albums as an internationally touring musician, operating all varieties of motor vehicles on all manner of ‘roads,’ Wilderness Medicine training in Nepal, writing on “Human Displacement in the Third World and in Paradise”

Jennifer Flippin
Data guru, lead explorer: West Virginia
Research Associate, Future Generations University

At home in the Appalachian mountains, environmental toxicologist, ecology, water enthusiast, data wrangler, technical writer.

Ask me about: Colorado River trips through the Grand Canyon, field research on the Yellowstone River in Montana, hiking in the forest, and my current collection of vastly different and random hobbies.

Ruth Taylor
Tech translator
Research Associate, Future Generations University

West Virginia native, living in Washington DC, USA — Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) nerd — outdoor educator and adventurer — translator of tech jargon and online experience creator

Ask me about: designing cloud databases usable by everyday people, meditation headband wearable providing mindfulness biofeedback, celebrating my first birthday in China and hiking Nepal’s Kali Gandaki River at age 15, net neutrality activism in DC

Sushila Chatterjee Nepali
Project staff, Barun, Nepal
Assistant Professor, Future Generations University

Professional in community based natural resource management and conservation — more than 20 years of work in the field of conservation, particularly as an advocate for gender equality and social inclusion

Ask me about: life in Kathmandu, my visiting professorship at Kathmandu Forestry College and Tribhuvan University’s Department of Conflict, Peace, and Development Studies

Dukpa Thikepa Bhote
Field technician

Ask me about: climbing trees to install Songs of Adaptation bioacoustic monitors in the remote areas of the Yeti trail, the cascading blue waters of the Barun river, my commitment to an attitude of Courage, Confidence, Creativity, and Commitment in service of my community

Resides in the Sankhuwasabha region (Barun Valley) of Nepal –administrative and technical guru of bioacoustic monitoring and data collection on the Yeti trail — social worker — educator

Oliver Lippy
Educator, experience designer

Chesapeake Bay resident and enthusiast — our partner at Northbay Adventure — climber — environmental educator

Ask me about: Climbing and ropes course adventures, aquaponic gardening growing kale, cucumbers, lettuce, and goldfish

Daniel Farmer

From Philadelphia, PA – Alumnus of the University of Delaware – Returned Peace Corps Mexico Environmental Education Volunteer – Climate Reality Leader

Ask me about: Funny YouTube videos, social justice education (especially gender equity and antiracism), baking sourdough bread and delicious desserts, and cycling across the United States.

bioacoustic enthusiasts

local story explorers

and community connectors

bioacoustic enthusiasts

local story explorers

and community connectors