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Program Coordinators
Tara Davis
Twinning Program Coordinator and US Contact
willamette.laja@gmail.com
541 – 601 – 4142
Tara has worked in conservation for sixteen years focusing on river restoration as well as non-profit management and fundraising. A fourth generation native to the USA’s west coast, she received a Bachelor’s Degree from Santa Clara University, California in Environmental Science and a Masters in Water Resources Management emphasizing watershed health in developing nations from the University of New Mexico in 2006. In Oregon and abroad, Tara has worked with several diverse civil society organizations on projects concerned with affordable housing, federal wilderness area designation, private land protection, and river restoration. Tara’s master’s degree research enabled her to work closely with conservation groups in the Río Laja basin in Guanajuato, Mexico. Over a decade later, this work has transformed into the binational Willamette-Laja Twinning Partnership. To read about Tara’s personal conservation story, click here: Faces of Greenbelt.
Augustín Madrigal
Laja Initiative Coordinator and Mexico Contact
amabulnes@hotmail.com
01-541-121-15-81
Agustin is the Director of Salvemos al Rio Laja, leader of the Laja Initiative as well as the formation of the Willamette-Laja Partnership. Salvemos al Rio Laja has performed large-scale watershed restoration in high priority zones of the Laja. Agustin has close relationships with Laja’s rural communities to deliver cooperative conservation and economic development.
Aves Compartidas Youth
Environmental Education Program Instructors
Laja Basin
Jalil Aragon
Aves Compartidas Coordintor and instructor, Laja Basin
Jalil studied a career in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s degree in Industrial Organization. After years of experience in the automotive industry, she began to transition to a more sustainable way of life. For more than a decade she has shared her personal, family, and academic experience with youth and community groups on topics such as: social responsibility, simplicity in everyday life, and environmental education. She is currently collaborating in the Aves Compartidas education program as part of the Willamette- Laja Twinning program.
Grisel López
Program Instructor, Laja Basin grissel_lop@yahoo.com.mx
Grisel López is one of the program instructors for the Willamette-Laja Aves Compartidas program. She was born in México City and later moved to San Miguel de Allende where she lives and works. She has over 15 years of education experience, working on various projects! Grisel is passionate about writing and telling stories to the children she teaches. From a young age, she has been fascinated by land and orchards.
Paola Rangel
Program Instructor, Laja Basin
paola-forestal@hotmail.com
Paola graduated as a Forestry Engineer from Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Irapuato, Guanajuato in 2018. She spent a semester in the Willamette Valley with the Twinning Program working with several conservation organizations and local schools and has been a leader in the development of the Willamette-Laja Aves Compartidas program for youth. Paola is currently working with Salvemos al Río Laja as an instructor for the youth program in rural schools and assisting the organization with habitat restoration.
Aves Compartidas Youth
Environmental Education Program Instructors
Willamette Basin
Carina Zehr
Aves Compartidas Coordinator and Instructor, Willamette Basin
Carina has worked in environmental education for the past 8 years after realizing a passion for connecting people with nature. She earned her B.A. in Environmental Science and Sociology and an M.A. in Environmental Education from Goshen College, Indiana. Her work has taken many forms over the years, ranging from school gardening to forest kindergartens, centering on connecting children to nature. Her own love of nature began as a child playing in the diverse ecosystems of eastern Bolivia, central Argentina and south-central Kansas. She is a recent transplant to the Willamette Valley and enjoys spending as much time outside exploring the area as possible.
Interns
Estefani Reyes Moreno
Climate Resilience Intern
Estefani is an intern for the Willamette Laja Twinning Partnership. She is studying electrical engineering at Portland State University to receive her Bachelor’s degree. Estefani enjoys working with youth, especially the underrepresented, to create an educational impact, as well as creating and participating in solutions for environmental issues. She enjoys reading, drawing, and listening to music in her free time.
Sebastian Witherow
Conservation Engagement Intern, Remote
Sebastian is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability through Oregon State University’s extended campus. He has a passion for social, economic, and environmental sustainability and hopes to see a shift in the public’s perception of environmental issues. In his free time, Sebastian spends time hiking, traveling, and swimming.
Logan english
Aves Compartidas Progam Intern, Corvallis
englislo@oregonstate.edu
Logan English is currently a second-year student at Oregon State University., studying Anthropology. He is originally from the island of Maui in Hawaii and has always been interested in the native flora and fauna, especially avian species. as well as Pacific languages
Isabella Lozano
Aves Compartidas Progam Intern, Corvallis
Isabella is a current student at Oregon State University, where she is studying a Bachelor of Science in Design and Innovation Management with a Minor in Spanish. Isabella is enthusiastic about education and environmental sustainability and believes that the classroom is an excellent place to begin pushing for social and racial justice. In her spare time, she likes dancing, painting, traveling, and listening to music.