Juris Doctorate, cum laude, Law
University of Minnesota Law School, Class of 1994
Master of Science, cum laude, Water Resources Management
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Class of 1985
Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, Biology
Mansfield State University, Class of 1979
Academic Awards
Cum Laude graduate, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, Minnesota Cum Laude graduate, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin Cum Laude graduate, Mansfield State University, Mansfield, Pennsylvania
First in Class, Biology Department, Mansfield State University, Mansfield Pennsylvania
Outstanding Biology Major Award, Mansfield State University, Mansfield Pennsylvania, 1979
Member, Lambda Chapter of Sigma Zeta, Mathematics and Science Honor Society
Licenses / Certifications
Wisconsin Bar, July 1995 to present
Minnesota Bar, May 1995 to present
Certified Wildlife Biologist (Associate), The Wildlife Society
Honors
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Achievement Award, 1990
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Achievement Award, 1989
Wisconsin Environmental Educators’ Writing Award, 1985
Administrator's Award, Farm Service Agency, 2004
EXPERIENCE
National Wildlife Biologist: Farm Service Agency, USDA, Washington
DC (May 2004 to present).
I serve as an internal resource on wildlife biology within the FSA's Conservation and Environmental Program Division and provide technical information on Endangered Species Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as well as on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and related private lands conservation programs and practices.
In my tenure, in collaboration with program staff and managers, I have created several innovative conservation practices and initiatives to benefit wildlife, including 250,000 acres of Longleaf Pine restoration in nine southeastern states (CP36, Longleaf Pine Continuous practice), 100,000 acres of habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region to benefit nesting waterfowl (CP37, Duck Nesting Habitat Initiative), and a nationwide practice to encourage grassroots initiatives that will benefit high priority wildlife species (CP38, State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement [SAFE]) such as at-risk species, listed species, and species of economic importance. I also developed internal protocols for data-sharing to encourage research and monitoring projects to benefit USDA programs and am developing monitoring and data management guidance to receive and share data collected as part of FSA wildlife enhancement efforts in order to allow for adaptive management.
I work with wildlife and conservation organizations to initiate cooperative projects and to faciliate partnerships to advance FSA’s conservation programs. I draft Memoranda of Understanding. I coordinate FSA's wildlife management policies with those set by other federal agencies, including NRCS, USFWS, and NOAA. I inform my professional peers about FSA's Farm Bill programs and activities. I am co-chair of the Private Lands subcommittee of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI). I also serve on the National Fish Habitat Plan Committee and I am on the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society Board.
National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Coordinator: Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Washington, DC (November 2003 to April 2004).
I worked with AFWA members and contributors that collect and maintain biological databases, data sets, and other electronic data resources, to prioritize the Web-based accessibility of these resources to the scientific user community. I planned and facilitated meetings among IAFWA member agencies and contributors, NBII Program officers and other stakeholders to explore partnership opportunities and develop new data and information products to be made available through the NBII. I developed data sharing projects that incorporate state fish and wildlife agencies as partners with NBII.
I helped develop funding projects at federal, state, international, non-government, and private sector levels for collaborative projects and products. I coordinated with IAFWA policy specialists, other staff, constituents and NBII Steering Committee to identify shared regional or thematic interests.
Litigation Consultant, President: Risk Writers, Ltd., Minneapolis, Minnesota (July 1990 to present): I founded and manage a successful expert service for environmental litigation involving pesticides, natural resource damages, groundwater contamination, historical knowledge of environmental contamination and human exposure to pollution or toxicants. Major Accomplishments – 2002, instrumental in $8.5 million settlement for Manufactured Gas Plant litigation; 2001, publication of book on environmental risk assessment, CRC Press 1999, instrumental in $105 million jury award for Manufactured Gas Plant litigation; 1996, first settlement for Wisconsin Migrant Workers exposed to pesticides; 1994, publication of book on groundwater protection, regulations and laws, Bureau of National Affairs; 1990, instrumental in strengthening Wisconsin administrative rules for atrazine regulation to account for potential toxicity of pesticide metabolites. Supervisor, none, self-employed consultant.
Attorney Editor, West Group, St. Paul, Minnesota (June 2001 to August 2003): I performed legal analysis of pending federal legislation and of the Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations. I also provided editorial enhancements to the US Code Annotated. As a Reference Attorney, I served on Environmental Reference Services Team and developed West’s Environmental Reference Attorney web tools pages covering major federal laws, as well as specialty practices such as land use law, zoning, natural resources regulations, and energy law. Supervisor: Doreen Gow, 651- 687-7860.
Land Use Planner and Contract Manager, City of Minneapolis Planning Department, Minneapolis, Minnesota (October 1999 to September 2000): I represented the Planning Department on land use and transportation. I worked with the City Council, Committee of the Whole and Planning Commission. Accomplishments – I drafted and managed contracts totaling $235,000 for the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit (LRT) station area master planning. I drafted Livable Communities Grants and attendant contracts and led an interagency / community workgroup to define land uses along the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit Line and allow for more livable neighborhoods along the LRT. I represented the City in environmental reviews of development projects. Supervisor: Chuck Ballantine, (612) 673-2597.
Environmental Litigator, Merritt, Furber & Timmer, Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 1993 to May 1996): My practice focused on environmental litigation. I also worked in regulatory, transactional and administrative law involving Brownfield transfers, Petrofund cleanups and related due diligence issues. Accomplishments – I litigated a ‘multiple-chemical-sensitivity’ case, and negotiated settlements for plaintiffs in indoor air cases. Supervisor: Grant Merritt, 763-572-3459.
Law Clerk, Attorney General’s Office, State of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota (September to December 1992): I researched legal issues, drafted legal papers for review by AG attorneys on issues of intellectual property, on pro se litigant’s claims and rights within the Corrections system, and on child molestation criminal actions. Supervisor: Deceased.
Groundwater Policy Analyst, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, St. Paul, Minnesota (October 1990 to April 1991): I specialized in sensitive groundwater areas and rules development, staffed the Groundwater Rules Development Committee, chaired the Locational Data Workgroup and managed US EPA research funds. In 1990, I won an achievement award. Supervisor: Donald Jakes, (651) 296-7786.
Project Scientist, Low-Level Radioactive Waste Siting Project, R. F. Weston, Albany, New York. (October 1989 to April 1990). I staffed the New York Low Level Waste Siting Commission, implemented NYLLWSC environmental dispute resolution and public information plans for siting a low-level radioactive waste site in New York State. Supervisor: Office closed.
Citizen Involvement Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison Wisconsin: (October 1985 to August 1989): I founded the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (WDNR) environmental dispute management program, including training and leading the activities of 35 staff and more than scores of environmental and natural resource decision-making projects. Issues ranged from environmental remediation of contaminated harbors to trapping regulations. I established working relationships with all of the major natural resource and environmental advocacy groups in Wisconsin and I created on-going communications with more than 1,100 citizen groups statewide. I worked closely with the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a citizen involvement mechanism created by statute when the Wisconsin DNR was created as a superagency to offset risks of agency capture by development interests. Awarded 1989 Achievement Award. Supervisor: Jeff Smoller, (608) 266-2747.
Science Writer, Earth Watch Radio, Institute for Environmental Studies (IES), University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin (1983-1985): Researched, wrote and served as announcer for more than fifty science radio programs on environmental issues. Supervisor: Tom Sinclair, retired.
Fisheries Researcher, Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania (1983-1985). I specialized in Wild Trout research and management, including public involvement and communications regarding new fishing regulations and a fundamental shift in natural resource management for Pennsylvania. Supervisor, Martin Marcinco, Pleasant Gap Fish Hatchery, Pennsylvania.
Wildlife Researcher, National Park Service, Isle au Haut, Acadia National Park (September 1979 to May 1980): I specialized in White-Tailed Deer energetics and public lands management.
Wildlife Researcher, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Northcentral Pennsylvania (June to September 1978, June to September 1979, 1981): I researched habitat requirements of hen turkeys through nesting and brood-rearing. I assisted with cannon-netting and baiting, conducted biotelemetry data-collection and mapping. I characterized habitat within the hens' home range and assisted with additional research on reproduction, age-structure, and condition of other species, including furbearers, white-tailed deer, and black bears.
PUBLICATIONS
Books
A Guide to Understanding, Managing, and Reviewing Environmental Risk Assessment Reports, CRC Press, 2001
State Groundwater Regulation: Guide to Laws, Standard, and Risk Assessment, Bureau of National Affairs, 1994
Book Chapters
Fish and Wildlife Benefits of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program, in Fish and Wildlife Benefits of Farm Bill Conservation Programs: 2000-2005 Update. Technical Review, 05-2, 2005. The Wildlife Society.
Environmental Security, Critical Infrastructure and Risk Assessment: Definitions and Current Trends. In: Linkov, I., Morel, B., eds. Environmental Security and Risk Assessment. 2005.
Are Standard Risk Acceptability Criteria Applicable to Critical Infrastructure Based on Environmental Security Needs? In: Linkov, I., Morel, B., eds. Environmental Security and Risk Assessment. Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2005.
Environmental Sampling and Analysis of Coal Fly Ash intended for Use in Roads: Minnesota Department of Transportation Findings and their Potential impacts on Environmental Health Decision-Making, NATO Scientific Workshop, Monitoring of Natural and Man-Made Radionuclides and Heavy Metal Waste in the Environment, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series (in press).
Lost Science, NATO Advanced Science Institute, Environmentally-Acceptable Pollution and Reclamation Endpoints: Scientific Issues and Policy Development, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series (in press).
Human and Ecological Health Risks from Heavy Metals and Other Substances Released to the Environment from Metal Shredders, In Cytotoxic, Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Potential of Metals Related to Human Environment, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series, N.D. Hadjiliadis, ed. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. Pages 363-373. 1997.
Defining Scientific Procedural Standards For Ecological Risk Assessment, In Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment: 2nd Volume, ASTM STP 1173, J. W. Gorsuch, F. J. Dwyer, C.G. Ingersoll, and T.W. LaPoint, Eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, 1993.
Groundwater Contamination by Atrazine and Its Metabolites: Risk Assessment, Policy, and Legal Implications, In Fate and Significance of Pesticide Degradation Products, L. Somasundaram and J.R. Coats, Editors. American Chemical Society Symposium Series 459, pp. 254-273, ACS Press, Washington DC, 1991.
Lectures & Conference Presentations
Fields of Gold: Wind Energy on CRP Acres, Pennsylvania Chapter of The Wildlife Society, State College Pennsylvania, March 2007. Instructor: Environmental Security, NATO Advanced Study Institute, Greece, 2004.
Instructor: The Human Factor in Wildlife Managment: Private Lands Lessons from the Conservation Reserve Program. Virginia Tech, Natural Resources Program, Alexandria, Virginia. October 24, 2005.
Instructor: Threatened & Endangered Species. New State Environmental Coordinators Training. Atlanta, Georgia. March 21-22, 2005.
Instructor: Lost Science, NATO Advanced Science Institute, Environmentally Acceptable Pollution and Reclamation Endpoints: Scientific Issues and Policy Development, Visegrad, Hungary, September 3 - 14, 2000.
What Do You Worry About? In Environmental Risks: What Goes Bump in the Night? 15th Annual Minnesota Solid Waste Seminar, Radisson Hotel South, Bloomington, Minnesota, February 26, 1998.
Instructor:Citizen Participation in Environmental Review in the United States and Minnesota, NATO Advanced Study Institute Series, Poland, September 1997.
Instructor:Defining Scientific Procedural Standards for Ecological Risk Assessment, Abstract, Second Symposium on Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment: Aquatic, Plant, and Terrestrial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pages 83-84, 1992.
Instructor:Exposure to Pesticide Groundwater Contaminants: Defining Acceptable and Unacceptable Risk Levels, In Proceedings, National Environmental Health Association Midyear Conference, January 23, 1990, pp. 387-396, 1990.
Instructor:Comprehensive Approach To Monitoring For Pesticide Parent, Formulation Materials and Breakdown Products In and Around Landfills, Presented July 16-18, 1990 at Annual Meeting of The Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO), pp. 241-250, 1990.
Legal & Environmental Practice Articles
Evaluating a Pesticide Exposure Case, YLD Newsletter, Wisconsin Young Lawyers' Division of the Wisconsin Bar Association, May 1999.
Environmental Notes, Minnesota Bench and Bar, Nov. 1996.
Communicating Carcinogenic Risks from "Low-Level" Exposures: The Myth of the Vanishing Zero, Journal of Environmental Health 56(3): 33-34, October 1993.
Breaking the Reactive Paradigm: A Proactive Approach to Risk Assessment Management, Total Quality Environmental Management 1(3): 253-260, Spring 1992.
Improving Risk Assessment Credibility, U.S. Water News, page 23, September 1992.
Groundwater Initiatives and Challenges in the Great Lakes Region, U.S. Water News, May 1991.
Risk Assessment, Policy and Legal Implications of Groundwater Contamination by Atrazine and its Metabolites, North American Association For Environmental Education Conference Proceedings, St. Paul, Minnesota, September 27-October 2, 1991.
Groundwater Monitoring For Pesticide Metabolites and Formulation Materials: Lessons From Wisconsin, Journal of Pesticide Reform 9(4): 28-31, Winter 1990.
Pesticides and Human Health, Defining Acceptable and Unacceptable Risk Levels, Journal of Environmental Health 53(1): 11-13, July 1990.
Challenges For Groundwater Risk Assessment in the 1990s, U.S. Water News, page 7, May 1990.
Risk Feedback: An Important Step In Risk Communication, American Water Works Association 82(11): 50-55, 1990.
Technical Reports
Final Alternative Urban Areawide Review (AUAR) for the Stinson Technology Campus, City of Minneapolis, March 2000.
Voluntary Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) for the St. Croix Valley Athletic Partnership, Inc. Southern Sports Complex, March 1999.
Minnesota Department of Transportation Waste Utilization Hazard Assessment Protocol Development Project Report, December 31, 1997.
Issues Document: Managing Minnesota Department of Transportation Environmental Liability Resulting from Use of Regulated Solid Wastes in Mn/DOT-Administered Transportation Systems, Part I. Coal Ash, Office of Environmental Services Waste Utilization in Transportation Systems Publication Series, Mn/DOT/97-003 INT, October 29, 1997.
Policy Analysis: Statutory Protection for Sensitive Groundwater Areas and Its Application for Groundwater Rules Development, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, August 1991.
Black Earth Creek: A Watershed Study with Management Options, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, IES Report 129, March 1986.
