Newsletter

Spring 2001: Au Sable Alumni

Enjoy reading what students and interns have been doing to care for the creation!

Rebecca Belcher (Pacific Rim SSI 2000) will be graduating from Abilene Christian University in May 2001 and is looking forward to graduate school in marine biology, probably at A&M. Rebecca recently wrote "I look forward to returning to Au Sable some time in the future. It was an unforgettable experience."

Nathan Hager (Great Lakes January Session 1996) graduated from Cornerstone University in May of 1996 with a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources/Biology. He is currently living in Marlette, MI with his wife Rachel, and their two children, Alexandria Joy 12-17-98, and Micah Nathan 8-30-2000. Nathan is a real estate appraiser by trade, and a farmer, conservationist, and biologist for fun. He is the Habitat Chairman for the Lapeer County Chapter of Pheasants Forever, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation and improving habitat for upland birds.

Nathalie Hallyn (Great Lakes EE Internship, Winter 1994, Great Lakes May Session, SSI&II 1996) graduated in 1999 from the University of Minnesota, with a M.L.A. in Landscape Architecture. She has been working for about two years with The Kestrel Design Group, an ecological design firm that focuses on sustainable design and master planning in Minneapolis, MN. Nathalie writes "I [have] realized how deeply Au Sable influenced my life goals and vision. Although the vision God gave me for my life has not changed direction by going to Au Sable, the people, the internship and the classes there are what fleshed the vision out and gave it a solid foundation and also increased and deepened my passion for stewarding God's creation… I have never heard any of the things that impacted me so much at Au Sable in any church or any other classes since my time at Au Sable, nor have I encountered any of the books that helped shaped my vision. So could you please thank everyone there who taught me and prepared me for what God had in store for me!"

Jodi Elliott-Jones (Great Lakes SSI 1989 & 1990, May 1991, SSII 1992), now living in Seattle, WA and working as a Training Design Specialist for Washington Mutual Bank. She is excited that Au Sable-Pacific Rim has been established, since it gives her the opportunity to see Au Sable Faculty, including her father, Joe Sheldon, and still feels like part of the Au Sable community.

Jim Kenaston (Great Lakes January Session 1983) is living in Athens, GA and working in computer support services for the NE Georgia Public Health District. The house church he lives at has a website at theuniversitychurch.org.

Holly Mehl (Great Lakes SSI 1988 & 1989) is in a master's program at University of Kansas (Lawrence) in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, with an emphasis in landscape ecology, GIS, and remote sensing technologies. Her thesis research examines the relationships between near-stream and in-stream conditions in Kansas, particularly associations between fish assemblages and riparian zone conditions. Holly writes "I'm really impressed with how much Au Sable has grown in the past years. It is very exciting and gives me much hope for the future. If it were not for Cal Dewitt (I call him my hero) coming to visit Central College, Pella, IA, I probably would not be doing what I'm doing today."

David Mulder (Pacific Rim SSII 1998) is currently residing in Midland, MI after traveling around the U.S. and Canada. During the summer of 2000 he biked across the Netherlands and Belgium and stayed 6 weeks in Kenya working with a missionary couple from my church doing medical work. David will graduate from Central Michigan University this upcoming summer and is hoping to work in a hospital doing cardiac rehabilitation.

Doug Musselman (Great Lakes SSI&II 1987, Great Lakes EE Internship, Fall 1987, Great Lakes Program Assistant 1988-1989) is currently living in the Poconos of Pennsylvania with his wife Maria and three children, Lydia, Rachel and Jacob. He is currently the Staff Ecologist and an Outdoor Educator at Spruce Lake Retreat/Outdoor School, which is a year-round retreat and camping ministry associated with the Mennonite Church. Doug writes, "I am very thankful to my Lord for using Au Sable Institute to guide me into a career/ministry of being a steward of His earth and its natural and human resources, wherever He leads me, and continually learning in this aspect of discipleship."

Leslie (Barr) Nyce (Great Lakes EE Internship, Autumn 1992, Winter & Spring 1993) is currently living in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. She works at Monroe County Environmental Education Center with contracted school programs along with public and private programs. She was recently married on June 10, 2000 to Ken Nyce and went on a honeymoon to Alaska backpacking in Denali National Park. Leslie and Ken live in a cozy log cabin with their black cat Cairo.

Aaron Nydam (Great Lakes EE Internship, Winter 1998)
Aaron writes, "A few years ago I spent two winter months up in Mancelona as an intern with Trish Fagg, Coordinator of the Environmental Education Internship at Great Lakes. That brief period made a great impact on my daily life and worldview.

Since then, God has opened many doors for me and taught me many lessons. As a primary school teacher in Kenya, I had the pleasure of observing the Au Sable program in the dream stage. Walking with Dr. Kinoti through the overgrown campus, observing the birds and, of course, the giraffe amongst the acacia, I began see the vision. It is a joy to read about the success of the program.

Returning from Africa, I worked beside a Utah wildlife biologist as a volunteer Resource Assistant with S.C.A. (Student Conservation Association), assessing stream habitat and trout populations. I taught math and science for a year and a half at a residential facility for at-risk teenagers. Along with the core requirements, I created a Science Seminar, looking at issues from evolution and cloning to the environmental crisis, and an Ecology class to investigate our on-site ponds. We observed the migration of Swainson's hawks, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, and other birds of prey. The students really took an interest.

Today, I am midway through my first year teaching Earth Science at Denver Christian Middle School in Colorado. I am still dreaming of becoming a quality educator of God's Overwhelming Creation."

Daryl A. Scott (Great Lakes SSI&II 1993) earned a bachelor's degree in biology from North Park University in 1993 and a master's degree in geography from Western Illinois University in 1999. He is currently is living in Middletown, CT and working as a Mapping Technician for the Metropolitan District Commission, the water and sewer utility for the Greater Hartford Area. He uses GIS software to make and update maps for the planning and engineering department as well as for external customers. He is also one of the directors for a small watershed association called the Mattabesset River Watershed Association. He built their web site and participated in the development of the watershed management plan, which was signed by municipalities in the watershed in September.

Linda Sjaardema (Great Lakes May Session, SSI&II 1988, Great Lakes EE Internship, Autumn 1988) is currently living in Huntingtown, MD and working for Calvert County Public Schools in their environmental education program. Linda teaches K,2,4,5,7 grades and coordinates the high school envirothon program. She is on the State Envirothon Planning Committee, as well as the 2003 National Committee in preparation for Maryland to host the 2003 Environthon.

Luanne Steffy (Great Lakes SSI&II 1998) graduated from Geneva College with a degree in biology in 1999 and then did a six-month internship with SCA in Virginia. Currently, Luanne is working on a Masters in Environmental Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Luanne is working on a NSF funded Water and Watersheds grant, looking at the effects of urbanization on a small watershed outside of the city. She has great praise for Au Sable: "My Au Sable experience was so great and I am continually finding how much of what I learned there is helping me in my new work."

Alan Weaver (Great Lakes SSII 1988) took two courses at Au Sable, Water Resources and Fish Biology, which proved to propel his career. He earned a B.S. in biology from Geneva College in 1989 and a M.S. in aquatic ecology at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1991. Alan worked at the Virginia Water Control Board briefly and then moved to Florida to work for the Game and Freshwater Fish Commission on the Urban Fishing Project (Tampa) and then as a regional biologist (out of Lakeland). He returned to Virginia in 1993 to work on the Anadromous Fish Passage Project, and in 1995 he became the statewide Fish Passage Coordinator. His major accomplishments to date include the vertical slot fishway on the James River at Boshers Dam that reopened 137.6 miles of historic spawning habitat. In 1997 Alan was named as the Conservationist of the Year by the Virginia Wildlife Federation for his work on fish passage projects. He is currently working on one major dam removal project on the Rappahannock River and a Denil fishway project on the Appomattox River. His job entails obtaining and managing federal grants, overseeing design and construction of fishways, monitoring of fishways and alosid stock monitoring. Alan has published two articles about fish passage in Virginia Wildlife Magazine (January 1995 and April 2000).

< back to Newsletter Spring 2001