Maya MacHamer
co-founder + DIRECTOR
Maya was born and raised in this area. She started her Emergency Services career with the Four Mile and Gold Hill fire departments. She worked for Denver Health Paramedics for six years before returning to Boulder. After receiving a master’s in Public Administration and Emergency Management, she worked in various areas of flood recovery before establishing the Fourmile Watershed Coalition in 2015 and dedicating her professional time to creating resiliency and building community connections for Fourmile Canyon. She carries this background with her genuine desire to collaborate and connect into her role with the Boulder Watershed Collective. When not brainstorming about restoration and environmental enhancement projects, Maya loves spending time outdoors with her two children and husband.
Cat Price
CO-FOUNDER + OPERATIONS + MARKETING MANAGER
Cat has lived in the watershed for more than 10 years. Her background is in non-profit development, event planning, and project management. She moved into the environmental realm as the Grants Manager for the Fourmile Watershed Coalition in 2015. In that position, she managed the administrative aspects of restoration projects and engaged with stakeholders and community members to further develop the organization. Cat is inspired by cultivating benefit for the environment, the community, and the greater good, and is fulfilled by making a long-lasting difference. Cat enjoys spending her free time adventuring with her husband and two children, as well as practicing yoga, hiking, and skiing.
Erin Fried
Applied Social Scientist
Erin is a proud Colorado native, lucky to have grown up skiing, hiking, and smelling ponderosas in the Front Range. With undergraduate roots in the performing arts and psychology, she has pursued interdisciplinary paths at the junction of environmental social science and education with an artistic lens. She received her Masters Degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at CU, researching how creativity and real world problem solving helps undergraduates learn complex biological concepts. She has also applied her social science training to various consulting and university teaching positions. Grateful to be a part of the BWC team, she is passionate about local practices that inspire collaborative action and connects diverse stakeholders - especially concerning our beloved forests.
Kirin Riddell
Fire adapted communities coordinator
Kirin grew up in the oak woodlands of northern California. After completing a Bachelor of Science in Earth Systems at Stanford University, she moved to Alaska, where she lived off-grid for 12 years in a little dry cabin in the boreal forest of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. She spent six years with the Park Service in resource management and emergency response. She moved to Boulder with her husband and daughter in 2021 to complete a Masters in the Environment at CU Boulder, where her capstone project focused on understanding how local community values can holistically inform Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Kirin is inspired by the diverse ways that people connect with natural landscapes, and by learning about local values in order to plan for climate-resilient communities. She also loves to explore and learn about the forested watersheds of the front range.
Scott Heffernan
Forest Program Manager
Hailing from central Texas, Scott grew up playing and exploring the creeks, waterways, and natural landscapes around him with a curious mind. He graduated Magna cum Laude from the University of Colorado with a focus on population genetics and marine biology, but would utilize his minor in astrophysics while getting a Master's in Forest Remote Sensing from Oregon State University. Scott is a seasoned field ecologist and forester, and blends the art, science, and communication of forestry on a daily basis. When not in the woods, he enjoys rock climbing and making music with his wife and young daughter.
Preston Brown
Watershed program SpECIALIST
Born and raised in Colorado, Preston spent his early years playing in the open spaces and creeks of the Front Range. He still plays in the creeks of Front Range but as a watershed restoration professional with an expertise in natural stream restoration design and fisheries. After receiving a Bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University he began his watershed restoration career in northern California working in stream restoration for endangered coho salmon. Preston is a seasoned practitioner having directed large-scale river and floodplain restoration, low-tech- process-based restoration, and aquatic habitat restoration for endangered salmonids. After 10+ years in northern California, he and his family moved back to their roots in Colorado and live in Boulder County. While not working to restore the waterways of the beautiful Boulder Creek Watershed, Preston enjoys woodworking and spending time with his wife and young son, exploring the creeks and open spaces in their community.
Jackie Barry
Forestry Specialist
Jackie grew up playing in the oak forests of southeastern Pennsylvania. After getting their BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2011, they moved to Colorado. Upon getting introduced to the world of wildland fire, they became hooked and spent the next 4 years moving around the West working in fire in different capacities, including a stint on the Santa Fe Hotshots. After working for Santa Fe, Jackie decided to shift their focus from suppression to forest management, and began pursuing a Master’s of Natural Resources, focusing in Forests and Society at Oregon State University. After coming back home to Colorado and working in forestry and fire for the local government, they are now happy to be on the team at BWC. Jackie is passionate about the inclusion of diverse community stakeholders in creating ecologically and socially comprehensive and adaptive forest management plans in the Boulder Watershed. When not working, they enjoy making art, riding their bike, snowboarding, cooking, and spending time with friends.
J Warren
ACTION FIGURE
J chose Boulder as their home in 2017 after spending the early chapters of their life in Pennsylvania. While attending the University of Pittsburgh, J focused on the intersection of the natural and built environment as well as the social impacts, implications, and accessibility of urban green spaces. Now settled in Boulder, J explores local trails and brings a background in project and operations management from various industries, including emergency services. They have also earned a certificate in Critical Incident Stress Management through the ICISF. J is particularly passionate about ecological restoration and drawing wisdom from the natural world on strength, resilience, integrity, and acceptance. In their previous role as Patagonia Boulder’s Activism Team Lead, J connected community members and local organizations with resources to support initiatives addressing the climate crisis. Outside of their environmental work, you can find J forest bathing with their partner.
