Administrative Staff
Nicole Stafford (she/her)
Director
Our noble leader has been the ELC director since the summer of 2016. Growing up, Nicole lived in many different places. Since she has now lived in Fort Collins longer than anywhere else, we’ll let her claim it as her hometown. Nicole has degrees in Parks and Protected Area Management, Environmental Communications, and Business Administration and finds solace, adventure, escape, and more in nature. She cares deeply about the natural world and wanted to ‘save the environment.’ While she still wants to save the world, a part of that has morphed into helping to grow good humans (her words). Her favorite programs are those that allow participants to discover nature on their own terms through semi-structured exploration, when participants do the most learning and growing. Nicole hopes program participants leave the ELC feeling comfortable and confident in the local environment and that the student staff finds in the ELC a positive place to learn and grow. Like any good leader, Nicole brings the 30,000 foot view. She keeps the ELC’s mission and goals in mind through all of the work we do and all the decisions we make. Her personal values of growth, adventure, and connection are embodied in her work at the ELC. She brings idealism and, at the same time, pragmatism. When she’s not making big decisions, Nicole enjoys trail running, rafting, SUPing, crafting, exploring new places, learning, romping around outside, and snowboarding.
Fun Fact – Nicole has two secret talents: a mean raptor walk and a pretty decent crab imitation.
Jules Woolums (she/her)
Program Coordinator, B.A. Studio Art (2013), B.S. Fish, Conservation, and Wildlife Biology (2024)
Jules joined the ELC as a summer camp instructor in 2024 before moving into the Program Coordinator role. After earning her first degree in studio art from CSU in 2013, she spent five wonderful summers at Colvig Silver Camps in Durango, Colorado where she learned first-hand the importance of playing in the mud, running in the rain, and living a little bit of life in the wild (sharing showers with lizards and peeking out cabin holes at mountain lions.) She returned to CSU to complete a second degree in fish, conservation and wildlife biology so that she could keep doing such things. When she is not staring at animals, she is doodling devoutly, treasuring hunting at the antique mall, and rearranging the couch pillows to give her dog, Camper, a better view of rabbits in the front yard.
Student Staff
Lucy Blair (she/her)
Forest Managment
Lucy is originally from Iowa City, IA. She found her passion for education through the AmeriCorps program City Year Baton Rouge where she worked in 5th and 6th classrooms over two years. Her love of teaching and the outdoors met when she was a day camp counselor in the South Louisiana swamps. Today she is in her third year studying Forest and Rangeland Stewardship and is excited to get back into education and help shape the next generation of environmental stewards.
John Chandonais (he/him)
2nd year, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
John is a United States Air Force veteran from Clinton Township, MI. He discovered his passion for environmental education while working as an environmental education intern with the National Park Service. His favorite animal is the North American Beaver because of their environmental engineering and industriousness. His hobbies include birdwatching, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. He is a dog owner to an Australian Shepherd named Roland who serves as his chief hiking companion. He is most excited to pass the torch of environmental stewardship to the next generation. His girlfriend, Sam, helped him to write this.
Payton DeGroote (she/her)
2nd year, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, minor in Ecological Restoration
Payton DeGroote (she/her) is a second-year student studying Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, minoring in Ecological Restoration. Originally from San Diego, CA, Payton did lots of camping, hiking, and swimming at the beach! At the ELC, Payton hopes to educate younger generations about the importance of conserving and caring for our planet while she herself learns to nurture our home back to health. After completing her first year at CSU, Payton enjoys rock climbing, hiking around Northern Colorado, reading, and walking around Old Town.
Fun Fact: Payton watched a documentary in her 7th grade science class about the farm industry and livestock production that changed her way of thinking about food consumption. Since then, she has followed a Vegetarian diet.
Kayla Finley (she/her)
Master’s Student, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
Kayla is a Colorado native, who grew up camping, hiking, and spending lots of warm days on a lake. She is super excited to have found a way to combine her passion of working with kids with her passion for the environment. At the ELC, she hopes to help kids form a connection with nature and help teach them about how incredible the natural world is. In her free time, Kayla loves to hike, camp, ski, paddleboard, and swim! You can also find her taking care of her many, many house plants (probably getting close to 50 now) or reading a book outside. If Kayla could be any animal, she would want to be a Moose living in Rocky Mountain National Park, so she could be super big, run really fast, and be a great swimmer in one of the most beautiful places in Colorado.
Jack Hagenbuch (he/him)
3rd year, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
Jack is a third-year student from Palatine, Illinois studying Ecosystem Science and Sustainability. He had people in his life who inspired him to pursue his interest in the environment and he hopes that by working at the ELC he can inspire others to do as well. Jack brings positivity and creativity to the ELC team and is looking forward to lesson planning and teaching groups of students! If he could have any animal adaptation, he would have gills so that he could breathe underwater. Jack is secretly really good at finding cool clothes in thrift stores and in his free time enjoys making music, hiking, climbing, camping, and creative writing.
Isabel Browning (she/her)
3rd year; Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
I love educating kiddos on all the hidden wonders of the outdoors, I love getting them excited about natures processes and opening their eyes to what they may not have noticed before!
In my spare time, I love doing anything outdoors! Fishing, climbing, birding, etc. Some fun facts about me: I have a tattoo of a cat in a trash can! And, I’ve seen Grizzly 399’s Granddaughter.
Emma Kucera (they/them)
4th year, Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Forest Fire Sciences
Emma is a 4th year student at CSU studying Forest and Rangeland Stewardship with a concentration in Forest Fire Science. They are originally from Los Angeles, California and always found a way to get out of the city into nature. Emma love to hike, camp, fish, rock climb, and frolic through the woods! Emma is our Site Maintenance and Volunteer Coordinator at the ELC and focuses on maintaining trails, invasive species removal, and more. They hope to learn more about land management through this position and teach others about it too!
Melanie Matthews (she/her)
3rd year, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
Melanie is a 3rd year student from Lakewood, Colorado. In addition to her major, Melanie is minoring in Spanish, and this is her 7th year studying the language. In her free time, you can find Melanie exploring nature, hiking, crocheting, playing with her dog, and watching movies! She is passionate about creativity and hands-on learning for both kids and kids-at-heart. Melanie is excited to work with the Northern Colorado community and help inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. Her favorite animal is a river otter because their playful, family-oriented, and curious nature is similar to her own! In her future, Melanie hopes to work as an education and interpretation ranger with the National Park Service.
Taya McBride (they/she)
2nd year, Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology
Cory Milligan (he/him)
4th year, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Cory is a fourth-year student at CSU studying Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation biology with an emphasis in conservation biology. He is from Newbury Park, California and is an avid baseball fan. Cory works for the ELC because he loves to teach and believes that one of the biggest things he can do to have an impact on the environment is to pass on his knowledge to future generations. Cory hopes to foster a good relationship between the youth he works with and the Earth so that they can show others what it means to respect our planet. Cory’s favorite ice cream flavor is anything with chocolate chips, and the animal he relates most to is a giraffe because of its height.
Karli Pfaffl (she/her)
3rd year, Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology
