Meet the Team

Teresa Arrate

Development Director

Growing up in Reno, NV, Teresa Arrate spent a lot of time in the Sierras hiking and camping with her family, developing her love for nature and living outdoors. Teresa recently moved to Quincy after completing her Masters degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW) where she focused on community outreach and environmental education for women in a small community in Jalisco, Mexico. While at UW, she also helped develop the Climate Knowledge Project which means to enhance and expand climate change education, awareness, dialogue, and action. In addition to recreating in the region, with six seasons of field experience in the Great Basin, the Mojave, the Rocky Mountain Front Range, and the Sierras Teresa gained a strong familiarity with conservation, restoration, and ecological land management. Teresa is excited to be part of the Plumas Audubon team and she is -- along with her husband, Chris (who attended FRC in the ORL program), and daughter, Azura -- happy to be part of this great community in Plumas County.

Email Teresa: teresa@plumasaudubon.org

Brad Graevs

Project Manager

Brad first moved to Quincy in the fall of 2011 from where he grew up in Missouri. After graduating from Missouri State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology Education, he spent the next six years aiding and conducting wildlife research and conservation in areas such as climate change, invasive-endemic interaction, agriculture, fuels reduction, post-fire monitoring, and habitat restoration from the Midwest to the remote Pacific. Recently moving back to Plumas County with his partner, Ramsey, and daughter, Calliope, to be a part of this amazing community, Brad joined the Plumas Audubon team as the GIS/Data Manager and uses his variety of wildlife experience to ensure the work we do in the field is translated into viable information and that our projects are completed efficiently and effectively.

Email Brad: brad@plumasaudubon.org

Michael Hall

Field Coordinator

Michael began his love affair with Plumas County in 2010, when he graduated from UC Davis with a BS in Psychology and moved to work as an environmental science educator at Sierra Nevada Journeys in Portola. After four years, he left the Sierra to explore the Rocky Mountains, going to work for the Montana Conservation Corps on habitat improvement and conservation projects throughout the greater Yellowstone region. An opportunity to work as an environmental educator in Yosemite National Park brought him back to California, where he spent time teaching about issues such as species removal/reintroduction, leave no trace, and how climate change affects our national parks. In February, Michael moved to Quincy and joined Plumas Audubon to help with field work as well as help write educational programs focusing on conservation and restoration of local ecosystems. In his spare time you can find him exploring local areas, riding bikes, sliding on snow, climbing on rocks, or trying hard to catch a fish.

Email Michael: michael@plumasaudubon.org

Sophie Kissin

Festival Coordinator

Sophie Kissin was hired as the 2017 Festival Coordinator and did an excellent job running last year's Grebe Festival. She is currently assisting with our environmental education curriculum development. Sophie is originally from Minnesota and recently moved back. She studied Art History at Carleton College. She moved to Plumas County in 2016 with her partner John Owen, who worked at the Sierra Institute. Sophie loves to travel and explore new places. In 2015, she and John took a two-month bike trip from Minneapolis to Vermont. Sophie has lived in Russia, Hong Kong, and Turkey. Ask her about her travels in Russia, and if you speak a little of the language, she’s happy to converse with you! She enjoyed her time in Plumas County but her heart brought her back home to Minnesota recently--we miss her, but she is continuing to do wonderful work for PAS remotely.
In addition to her passion for travel, Sophie is an artist. She has taught art classes, worked at an art gallery, and she works with copper, silver and brass to make unique jewelry.

Email Sophie: sophie@plumasaudubon.org

Emily Bryant

Environmental Education Assistant

As our Environmental Education Assistant, Emily Bryant is helping Plumas Audubon make school connections to carry out the PEEP (Plumas Environmental Education Plan) project. Emily is the Digging In Garden Manager working with Plumas Unified School District grades K-6, Plumas County Nutritional Services, and Plumas County Department of Public Health to offer experimental, educational garden-based programming that teaches children about sustainable agricultural practices and encouraging students to observe changes in our local environments. Emily has been practicing organic gardening and farming for 10 years and has been participating in education, farmers markets, and installing gardens for just as long. Originally from La Grange, Georgia, Emily moved west to understand why California grows up to 90% of the country’s organic produce, wondering why we, as a nation, cannot better share resources and steward the land. Quincy won her over with its closely connected community and Emily is happy to make positive impacts in the community through her work and volunteering.

Shannon Lawson

Office Manager

Shannon Lawson recently joined Plumas Audubon at the start of 2018 and has been doing an excellent job at getting our heads on straight!