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Rob Mason, Executive Director
Rob became our executive director in December 2008, bringing with him a deep passion for wilderness stewardship and protecting wilderness character. Prior to joining the SBFC, Rob served as the wilderness manager for the Sierra National Forest for five years, where he earned the Forest Service’s Bob Marshall Award for Individual Champion of Wilderness Stewardship for his work in the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses. When not plugging away on the computer for the SBFC or running back and forth between Idaho and Montana, Rob can probably be found tromping around in the backcountry, running in a race somewhere, climbing at the local boulder field or fiddling away in his garden.
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Eric Melson, Programs Director
A former participant in our Wilderness Ranger Internship Program, Eric became the SBFC’s second full-time staff during the fall of 2010. Eric is a graduate of Colorado State University, where he earned a B.S. in Protected Area Management. He brings with him a deep passion for wilderness stewardship, a love of wilderness travel, a strong work ethic and an infectious personality. Eric also leads the Selway-Bitterroot Frank Church Foundation’s work bringing the Telluride-based Mountain Film Festival to Idaho and western Montana. On his days off, Eric can be often be found either riding or working on his beloved mountain bike(s).
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Rachel Kaufman, Lead Wilderness Steward
Rachel joined our staff for the first time during the 2010 field season. She is a native Montanan and has grown up recreating in the state’s beautiful wilderness. She has previously worked as a wilderness ranger in Washington’s Alpine Lakes Wilderness and on wilderness trail crews in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the Chugach National Forest in Alaska. Rachel graduated from the University of Montana with a B. S. in Natural Resource Conservation and enjoys teaching conservation education both on the trail and in the classroom. Her lively personality and enthusiasm for wilderness stewardship compliment Rachel’s strong wilderness background to make her an effective and engaging wilderness leader. She is thankful for this opportunity to give back to the wild places that she loves and respects so much.
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Courtney Oyler, Lead Wilderness Steward
Growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Courtney learned to love the outdoors from a young age. She moved to Missoula in 2006, and has since spent a great deal of her time living, working and playing in the surrounding wilderness. Her passion for protecting wilderness was sparked in 2008 when she spent a season working for the Montana Conservation Corps in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. She has spent the last two seasons working on the Moose Creek District of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. She is grateful and excited to be able to continue doing work that she loves. Courtney attends the University of Montana and will graduate in December with a B.S. in Geography and minors in Nonprofit Administration and Mountain Studies. When away from work and school, Courtney enjoys preparing and sharing elaborate meals, traveling on her road bike and taking long, well-deserved naps.
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Corey Swanson, Nez Perce Wilderness Trails Lead
The SBFC is thrilled to have Corey Swanson join our staff for the first time in 2011. Corey graduated from Ohio University with a B.S. in Recreation. After graduation he moved west to pursue a career in the outfitting industry and worked one season in north central Colorado’s Rawah Wilderness before moving to Kamiah, Idaho, to work for the Flying B Ranch as a backcountry guide and packer. For the past two years he has worked on Forest Service trail crews based in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Corey currently lives with his dog Lucy in Syringa, Idaho where he enjoys hunting, fishing, drinking coffee, and looking out the window.
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Claire Muller, Wilderness Trail Crew Leader
Claire Muller grew up backpacking in the Sierra Mountains. While at UCLA, she participated in an outdoor guide training program to take fellow students into the wilds of southern California on weekend trips. She graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in International Development Studies and a minor in Latin American Studies. More recently, she has spent the last two seasons with the Montana Conservation Corps, leading the Wilderness Immersion Crew based out of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. When she’s not in the backcountry, Claire enjoys meandering around Missoula, reading biographies of famous environmentalists, and journaling.
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Charlie Smillie, Wilderness Trail Crew Leader
Charlie Smillie is returning as a Wilderness Trail Crew Leader on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest this summer after joining the SBFC as an Wilderness Ranger Intern last year. Charlie is originally from Billings, Montana, where he discovered his love of wilderness in the high country of the Absaroka-Beartooths. Charlie graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Resource Conservation and a minor in Wilderness Studies. In his free time, Charlie enjoys floating, frisbee, music, and of course, crème brulee!
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Sean Costello, Wilderness Trail Crew Leader
Originally from Washington, DC, with a background in non-profit Arts management, Sean spent the summer of 2010 working for the Montana Conservation Corps. He developed a passion for back country trail work and in 2011 worked on the MCC deep woods immersion crew spending four months in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. He is excited for the opportunity to work for the SBFC and to return to the Nez Perce National Forest for a second season. For the past two and a half years Sean has lived a perpetual summer working trails in Montana and wintering in Los Angeles. Sean received a B.A. in history from James Madison University.
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Ben Stein, Assistant Wilderness Trail Crew Leader
Ben Stein began exploring the outdoors as a kid during trips with his family to various National Parks throughout the country. He began backpacking in high school, and took a semester long outdoor educator course with the National Outdoor Leadership School during his sophomore year of college. Ben was a Wilderness Ranger Intern for the SBFC during his junior year of college. He graduated from the University of Montana with a B.S. in Recreation Management in May of 2011, and for the past year has been working as a field staff for a wilderness therapy company down in Utah. On his free time Ben loves to climb, backpack, and trail run.
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Taylor Hopkins, Wilderness Trail Crew
Taylor joined the SBFC in 2012, working as member of a wilderness trail crew in the Selway-Bitterroot. He is a native Montanan from Columbia Falls, growing up with most of his time in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Taylor has worked on a United States Forest Service wilderness trail crew in the Bob Marshall for three years. He is working on a B.S. degree in Resource Conservation at the University of Montana. On the weekends, Taylor can usually be found next to a trout stream or lounging in his hammock.