2010 Bios:

Mike Clark has been in his second tour of duty as Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s executive 
director since the summer of 2009. Mike guided GYC to a string of notable conservation 
successes while leading the nationally respected conservation organization from 1994-2001.

Mike was at the helm in 1996 when GYC led a successful effort to stop the Noranda 
Corp. from opening the New World Mine just outside of Yellowstone National Park. Also 
during his first tenure, GYC concluded land exchanges on Montana’s Gallatin National 
Forest that protected wildlife habitat from development, began private-lands conservation 
work that carries on today, and initiated a campaign for appropriate winter management of 
Yellowstone.

Since Mike’s return, GYC has successfully restored Endangered Species Act protections 
to grizzly bears and is working to do the same with wolves. The group is also seeking to find 
more room for Yellowstone bison to roam, force the phosphate mining industry to clean 
up its toxic pollution in southeast Idaho, protect vital habitat in wildlands around the park, 
and address the challenges presented by a changing climate.

Between stints at GYC, Mike was a consultant to foundations and non-profit organizations, 
including working with Trout Unlimited on water-law reform. He also served as executive 
director of Yellowstone Heritage, a conservation group dedicated to ranchlands preservation
in Greater Yellowstone.

Doug has been a resident of West Yellowstone for more than thirty five years. He has served on the
town council for two terms and was the mayor of West for one. He is co founder of Yellowstone
Track Systems, a small manufacturer of specialized nordic grooming and tracksetting equipment 
sold around the world. He is also a frequent and avid visitor to Yellowstone National Park when the 
West gate is open from April to November.

Heather is on her second tour of duty with the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce – the first tour she was a Visitor Services Agent then promoted to the Events Manager.  The opportunity to be the 
Marketing Director for the Grand Teton Music Festival was too alluring to pass up so she 
left the Chamber offices, but not the organization.  While at the Festival, Heather served 
on the Chamber Board of Directors representing the Arts. 

Now, she is the liaison for the State of Wyoming Travel & Tourism for Jackson Hole as the 
Tourism Manager.  Heather coordinates journalist visits and an annual media event in New York 
City along with assisting the State of Wyoming and Rocky Mountain International with FAM tours. 
She attends two consumer shows, International Sportsmen Expo (ISE) in Denver, CO and Salt 
Lake City, UT, to “sell” Jackson Hole as a vacation destination and several industry conferences:
Go West Summit, Rocky Mountain International Round Up, and National Tour Association 
Annual Conference.

Heather organizes cooperative marketing and advertising opportunities with members of the 
Chamber. Plus, she is on the Board of Wyoming Travel Industry Coalition (WTIC), a 
member of Yellowstone Teton Territory (YTT), a member of U.S. Travel Association, a member 
of National Tour Association, a member of Rocky Mountain International, and a loop partner for
two drives associated with the Top 10 Scenic Drives of the Northern Rockies.

David Jacob is an Environmental Protection Specialist for the National Park Service Environmental 
Quality Division.  Mr. Jacob’s office provides service-wide National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) guidance and project management assistance.  Mr. Jacob has served as a project 
manager for numerous NEPA compliance projects.  His current responsibilities include serving 
as Project Manager for the Yellowstone National Park Winter Use Plan/Environmental Impact 
Statement.  Mr. Jacob began his work with the National Park Service in 2002.  He obtained his B.A.
from The Ohio State University and a J.D. from the University Of Denver College Of Law.
Fortunately, the new Linx regional transportation cooperative will soon begin to change 
the region’s perspective on the off-season. How? By increasing mobility, and thus offering new
opportunities for even our most remote communities. Those residents unable or unwilling to 
drive personal vehicles in winter can become more mobile, and new prospects for winter
tourism and recreation will blossom as our cross-boundary transportation system evolves and 
expands.

Originally hailing from a farm in Michigan, John Lounsbury retired from the National Park Service in 2002 with a wealth of experience and intimate knowledge related to Yellowstone National Park winters.   He has spent a total of 22 winters in the interior of YNP, including as Canyon District Ranger and Lake District Ranger.   At times during the various district reorganizations in YNP, Lounsbury’s district covered more that half of Yellowstone and stretched from the Northeast entrance near Silvergate to the South Entrance. 

In addition to depth of experience at Yellowstone, Lounsbury also brings breadth of perspective on national park management.  He has worked as a NPS ranger in Sequoia, Everglades, Great Smokey, Olympic and Mt. Lassen national parks.  His other relevant experience includes seasonal work as a Forest Service fire fighter.

Mark Menlove is Executive Director of Winter Wildlands Alliance, a national nonprofit organization 
working to protect winter ecosystems and to ensure opportunities for quality human-powered 
winter recreation. A seasoned backcountry ski guide and outdoor writer, Mark is the former president
of the Utah Ski Association and Ski Utah. He also worked in communications positions with Park 
City Mountain Resort and the U.S. Ski Team and has served on numerous industry boards. He 
holds an MFA degree in Creative Writing and a BA degree in Mass Communications. A frequent 
visitor to Yellowstone in winter, Mark lives in Boise, Idaho with his wife, Dana Doherty 
Menlove, and children Asa and Eliza.

Bert J. Miller, Born 9/29/62, a native of Wyoming and after graduating from High School he went 
into the automotive indurstry. Starting his career at Webster Motors Inc., a General Motors 
dealership in Cody. After holding different positions with the company, in 1989 he was promoted 
to Sales Manager. In 2005 he was promoted to General Manager, Vice President and part 
owner of this company that was started in 1932. A tradition of Webster Motors as a whole is 
that they work very closely with our city and county governments on projects to better the 
community as a whole. Bert has been instrumental in keeping this tradition alive.

In 1986 Bert married Brenda Higbie (a Cody Wyoming native) and they started their family in Cody. 
They have a daughter, Sarah (20) who is attending Nursing School at Northwest College in Powell,
Wyoming. They also have a son, Jeremy (17), who will be a Junior at Cody High School.

The Miller family all have a great passion for snowmobiling and other motorized sports.  They 
find that passion has helped keep their family very close to each other.

Bert has held many office positions with their local Snowmobile Club, including VicePresident, 
Board member, and he has been the President for the past 3 years and will serve again as President 
for this next year. Bert is also currently the Vice President of the Wyoming State Snowmobile 
Association.

Randy Roberson has lived in West Yellowstone since 1964, and is the owner of Yellowstone Vacations, 
a company specializing in summer and winter interpretive tours in Yellowstone Park. His winter 
business continues to include snowmobile rentals and park tours, but in recent years he has found  
more visitors choosing snowcoach tours. Randy believes uncertainty over the park’s winter rules 
has been detrimental to visitors and gateway communities. At the same time, changes in winter use 
have been necessary to protect the park and to respond to changing visitor interests and snow 
conditions. For those businesses adapting to these new realities and opportunities, the changes have 
proven to be highly beneficial.

Rob Van Kirk

Rob Van Kirk is Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at Humboldt
State University in Arcata, California, where he had previously earned bachelor’s (1984) 
and master’s (1990) degrees.  After completing his Ph.D. at the University of Utah in 1995, 
Rob spent four years as research director at the Henry’s Fork Foundation in Ashton, Idaho.  
In that position, Rob combined his academic training in mathematical modeling of environmental 
systems with firsthand knowledge gained through over a decade of employment in the fly-fishing 
business to build a program of aquatic resources research and management that brought together
government agencies, watershed stakeholders, nongovernmental organizations, and academic 
institutions.  From 1999 to 2008, Rob continued this work—and his participation in collaborative
groups such as the Henry’s Fork Watershed Council—while on the faculty at Idaho State
University.  Rob has received several awards for his teaching, research, and service, including
the Conservation Award from the Henry’s Fork Foundation in 2005 and the R.L. Wallace Native 
Fish Conservationist of the Year award from the Idaho Chapter American Fisheries Society in 
2008.  Rob currently leads an 11-member team investigating the effects of changes in land use
on irrigation systems and hydrology in the Henry’s Fork Watershed.  This innovative research 
and outreach project is funded by a three-year, $620,000 grant from the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture and aims to enhance the sustainability of irrigated agriculture and aquatic systems 
in the watershed.