Cindy Settje
Nursery Professional Sales Specialist After 15 years of entrepreneurship making costumes for everything from Broadway to ballet, she is getting back to her roots (she designed her first native plant garden at age 11) and is studying horticulture at FRCC in Fort Collins. She converted her front yard to native plants (mostly from HPEC!) in […]
Alex Cutia
Natural Areas Technician Alex grew up in Southeast Georgia, spending his early days fishing along the coast or wandering through the swampy woods, fascinated by the local floral and fauna. In 2017 Alex joined the U.S. Army, where he served in a variety of ecologically diverse places. Following his service he moved to Colorado. Alex […]
Breyer Kinzer
Breyer Kinzer is the Outreach & Education Manager at HPEC. Before coming to HPEC she worked as a Larimer County Park Ranger and Rugged Research Lead Environmental Educator.Breyer was born and raised in Oglesby, Illinois where he she fell in love with the rivers and forests around Starved Rock and Matthiessen State Parks. The oldest […]
Amy Roush
Amy is the Nursery Technician at HPEC. She grew up near Austin, Texas and graduated from Rice University in Houston in 2021 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science. She has prior experience working in nature preserves and gardens, including Hamilton Pool Preserve and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in […]
Baylee Evans
Baylee graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies with double minors in Economics and Anthropology. Baylee is a lifelong Colorado resident born and raised in Durango. Growing up she spent the majority of her free time outdoors and that enthusiasm has continued into her professional life. She […]
Jack Van Vleet
Jack Van Vleet is the Lead Restoration Ecologist for our Open Space Management programs. He is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Rangeland Ecology and minors in Ecological Restoration and Conservation Biology. As a lifelong Northern Colorado resident, Jack has a passion for the ecology and management of the […]
Stephen Hornbeck
Stephen is the Nursery Manager at HPEC. Born in Kentucky, Stephen entered the field of ecology with watershed and riparian restoration work up and down the Appalachian Mountain corridor. During stream mapping, fish tissue collection, and habitat assessment inventories, he fell in love with the variation of regional flora adaptations. After moving to Colorado in […]
Jim Tolstrup
Jim Tolstrup is the Executive Director of the High Plains Environmental Center in Loveland, CO, a unique model for preserving native biodiversity in the midst of development. His past work experience includes serving as Land Stewardship Director of Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO and running his own landscape design business in Kennebunkport, […]