Our Staff
Amanda Lindell
SHE/HER/HERS
Office and Contract Manager
Ara Winter Ph.D.
Data Manager
Ara Winter, Ph.D. is the Data Manager for BEMP. Ara’s spent the past ten years mixing data analysis across different spatial and time scales with extensive fieldwork in New Mexico. In his off time he is a Zen Buddhist priest, enjoys cooking, hiking, climbing, gardening and generally being outside. His current kids are a herd of rescued cats and dogs.
Greg Dyson
he/him/his
Executive Director
Greg has a 25-year career as an environmental advocate and nonprofit executive director. He has lived and worked in Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico, protecting old growth forests and wildlife habit on public lands. Greg has a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati School of Law, and in the distant past worked as a criminal defense attorney in Portland. He is an avid hiker, spending much of his time in the Zuni Mountains whenever he can get out of the city or walking in the bosque when he is in Albuquerque.
Keara Bixby
she/her/hers
Biologist & Lab Manager
Keara Bixby has a degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainability Studies at the University of New Mexico and was formerly BEMP’s Crawford Intern and Tamarisk Leaf Beetle Summer Intern. Growing up in Las Cruces with the Organ Mountains in her backyard, she spent much of her time looking for reptiles and developing an appreciation for wildlife. In her spare time, she loves being outside and circus acrobatics. She is extremely excited to be BEMPin’ it up and learning about what the Bosque has to offer to everyone.
Kim Eichhorst PhD
She/her/hers
Science and Research Director
Dr. Kim Eichhorst is BEMP’s Science and Research Director and serves as a Research Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Kim started research in the bosque in 1995, working with Dr. Cliff Crawford (BEMP’s co-founder), on the interaction between herbivores, cottonwoods, and pollution in urban and rural areas. She has worked for BEMP since the beginning and loves studying the intricacies of bosque ecology. She spends her time hanging out with her kids & critters, being outdoors, doing art, reading, and learning about how everything is connected.
Kim Fike
she/her/hers
Ecologist
Kim grew up chasing lizards under the cottonwoods and throwing sticks into the Rio Grande. Her love for this incredible riparian forest is deeply woven throughout her recreational and professional life. She originally started working with BEMP in 2010 as an Educator then transitioned to a Lab/Field Technician. In 2015, Kim became the Science Manager after finishing her Masters in Biology at UNM. She manages the data collection and subsequent processes for 11 different datasets across 33 BEMP sites. She loves that there is no end to learning about this ecosystem. Her passions outside of BEMPin include being active in the outdoors as much as possible and spending time with her husband Matt, dog Akilah and cat Foofer.
Laura Pagès Barceló
she/her/hers
Educator and Biologist
Laura Pagès Barceló is originally from a tiny town in Catalonia, Spain. She left her country five years ago to study sea turtles in Costa Rica, after which she traveled to Albuquerque to visit a friend for a few weeks, but fell in love with the landscape and never left. She recently graduated with a MSc from the Department of Biology at the University of New Mexico where she used stable isotopes to study sea turtle diet and movement in the Baja California Coast. Joining BEMP has allowed Laura to combine her interest in education and science. When Laura is not studying sea turtles or working with students she enjoys spending time with the people she loves through rock climbing, hiking, and dancing.
Matthew Leister
he/him/his
Science Manager & Entomologist
Matthew is a native New Mexican, he has had a passion for the outdoors, arthropods and all things nature since he was old enough to walk and talk. With his first word being “bug” it’s not surprising he has pursued a career exploring and attempting to understand the unique world of arthropods. This passion has taken Matthew all over the world collecting scientific specimens for museums and describing species new to science. His work with BEMP has not only allowed him to explore these amazing animals locally but given him the opportunity to share this passion with interested people of all ages and walks of life. When he is not BEMPin’ it up, Matthew enjoys spending time fishing, hiking with his family and dogs, drawing and painting but odds are if he’s outdoors you’ll find him hunched over an upturned log exploring the critters scurrying beneath.
Patrick Ryan
Porcupine Whisperer/Bus Driver
Patrick Ryan has been transporting kids from all over for BEMP research in the bosque for over 8 years after moving to New Mexico from the DC area and the Big Island of Hawaii. He has seen the great effects these trips have on so many different people, not just kids! When not hiking the bosque he likes hiking (just about anywhere), painting, playing guitar, learning about astronomy, and studying history.
Rafael Martínez de León
He/Him/His/Él/Ello
Spanish Translator
Rafa was borned and raised in the northeastern state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. He came to the United States in 2006 and arrived in Albuquerque in 2019. Rafa fell in love with the fantastic and majestic landscape of New Mexico, which reminds him of his home town of Monterrey (translated from Spanish to English as “king mountain”, referring to the city’s topography and the large mountains that surround it). Collaborating as a translator for BEMP’s social media, creating connections with our hispanic community, and getting them involved in our challenging mission has been a joy for him. In his free time, Rafa enjoys traveling and spending time with his three dogs: Diego, Denver and Molly.
Rich Wagner
Research Scientist Intern
Rich grew up exploring nature from California to Virginia but has called New Mexico and its amazing wild places home for decades. A passion for protecting these places led him back to college, and he became an avid BEMPer while earning his degree in Conservation Biology from the University of New Mexico. Rich is thrilled to be part of a team working to protect the bosque through community science and education of the next generation of environmental stewards. He believes that building a personal connection with nature is the best way to protect it and spends his free time hiking, biking, running and camping. He also loves cooking and the community that sharing food creates.
Shelby Bazan
she/her/hers
Educator
Shelby Bazan is a native Burqueña and has a great passion for the city, land, and culture. Shelby has a degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology from the University of New Mexico. After her first encounter with BEMP in high school, she is happy to be back working as an educator. In her spare time, she loves crafting, hiking, birding, herping (looking for reptiles/amphibians), and listening to music.
Zoe Wadkins
she/her/hers
Education Manager
Excited to explore the desert, Zoe joins BEMP having spent her youth immersed in the tidepools and forests of the Pacific Northwest. After witnessing the profundity that is fostered through an appreciation for the natural world, Zoe sought a path that fuses natural curiosity with lifelong learning and children’s laughter. After earning an M.Ed. in Environmental Education, Non-Profit Management and Northwest Natural History, Zoe joins BEMP hoping to blend her love for ecology, phenology, and naturalist illustration. When she’s not working as BEMP’s Education Manager, Zoe is likely deep in thought about bioluminescence, carving spoons, or howling at the moon with her love and their four-legged fur babies.