Meet Our Staff

We are fortunate to be able to pull from a pool of area experts, naturalists, and outdoor instructors to adjust for size and educational needs of our public and private participants.

Bill Hunt                                                                        Executive and Education Director

Bill has been involved in outdoor education/environmental education since 1973. He received his Degree in Outdoor Education in 1982 from Southern Oregon State College (now SOU). His leadership roles were mainly in Oregon, California, and Baja Sur Mexico. The addition of many years as an instructor, and two terms as the chair of the Association of Outdoor and Environmental Educators (AEOE) has enhanced his vision in making Environmental Education become more integrated in all education opportunities in the future.

Melissa "Buckeye" Amacher                                                               Natuarlist and Web Master

Hey there! My name is Melissa (although many of you know me by my nature name, Buckeye) and while I was born in New York and spent my early years there, I consider myself a Californian from the Peninsula of the Bay area.  I have been inspired by the outdoors ever since I can remember, but I realized I wanted to be a naturalist when I attended outdoor education as a fifth grader! Throughout high school and college, I have worked with numerous education programs geared toward helping kids find their inner strengths. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a B.A. in Public Health, focused in infectious diseases, and from National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) where I spent 96 days in the Rockies learning how to not only survive, but lead others mountaineering, backpacing, climbing, and paddling/kayaking.  I love being silly, laughing, and singing songs with new and old friends by a campfire.

YooHoo! My name is Swift! I grew up in Jackson , CA and went on to become a banana slug, graduating from UC Santa Cruz in psychology. I began working in the outdoors with Outward Bound in Florida where I led 30-day canoeing trips with at-risk youth. I went on to work in Southern California at Boojum leading backpacking trips and challenge courses. I taught outdoor science as a naturalist at Mendocino Woodlands and Great Basin Outdoor School in Lake Tahoe. I have always been an outdoor enthusiast and feel so lucky to share my passion with others. I also enjoy travelling, photography and triathlon. I am excited to share music and explore the night sky.