Water Wise

Amy Verbeten is originally from Walla Walla, Washington. She learned some of her most important lessons about collaborative conservation and western water issues on the strawberry farm where she worked as a kid, and while accompanying her father on fly fishing adventures throughout the intermountain west.  She went on to formally study watershed science and education, earning Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Washington in Ecology and Geology, and a Master of Arts in Environmental Education from Prescott College. She has spent her career in education and conservation, with organizations including the National Outdoor Leadership School, Outward Bound, Walking Mountains Science Center, Colorado Mountain College, and Prescott College. Amy has worked for Friends of the Teton River since 2007, and has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2012. Outside of the office, Amy loves growing, foraging for, and preparing local food, and sharing her passion for the rivers and wild lands of the west with her husband, daughter, and an assortment of furry friends. 

Contact Amy Verbeten

Mike Lien joined Friends of the Teton River in the summer of 2002 as a research associate and currently serves as FTR’s Director of Stream Restoration and Fisheries Research. Mike has surveyed stream channel conditions, conducted fisheries assessments and completed restoration and fish passage projects throughout the Teton River watershed. Mike has a B.S. in Forest Resources and Hydrology from the University of Minnesota and was a hydrological technician for 10 years for the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska prior to starting with FTR. A resident of Driggs, Mike enjoys spending a few months each winter surfing at various locations around the globe.

Contact Mike Lien

Will was captivated by rivers at a young age. Some of his earliest memories are napping in the bottom of an aluminum canoe and falling in the river while fishing. A passion for the outdoors motivated Will to complete a B.S. in geology at Appalachian State University and M.S. in natural resources at the University of Idaho. Over the past decade Will has divided his time between teaching math and science in the classroom and teaching leadership and environmental education on backcountry expeditions with NOLS. Will is excited to connect others to their local landscapes and especially to the unique water resources of the Teton River watershed. Will is grateful to have found inspiration and community in the Teton Valley and spends his free time outside with his partner Kait and their dog Hank.   

Contact Will Stubblefield

Kevin Bauer has a diverse background spanning over 25 years as an executive, entrepreneur, investor and investment banker in various growth industries.  

Kevin is currently the CEO of Envoy Group a digital experience consulting group.  In addition, Kevin leads Envoy Ventures, which combines Envoy Group’s capabilities with direct equity investment to help entrepreneurs and business leaders accelerate and launch digitally-driven business models.  Prior to Envoy, Kevin spent over 10 years as an executive and entrepreneur in the environmental sustainability industry.  Prior to his operating career, Kevin spent ten years in the investment banking industry, primarily with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse First Boston, advising technology industry clients.   

Kevin has served on numerous private company boards and is a member of Young President’s Organization (YPO). He is a graduate of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and Washington and Lee University. You can find Kevin in the outdoors on the weekends pursuing some of his hobbies like mountain biking, hiking, fly-fishing, and surfing or coaching his son’s lacrosse team. He lives in San Diego, California with his wife and two sons and considers the Teton Valley in Idaho his second home. 

Gini Van Siclen joined FTR’s board in 2016 and was on the leadership team as Treasurer through 2020.  She has served on the boards of technical societies and nonprofit organizations for many years. To pursue her particular interest in nonprofit governance and capacity building, she earned her Masters of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business in 2012. She is Adjunct Faculty at Naropa University, helping leadership graduate students learn about nonprofits and social entrepreneurship.

Gini worked as a project manager and team member in facility, nuclear safety, and waste management for the Idaho National Laboratory and Scientech, Inc. Subsequently, for many years she taught a three-day seminar in risk management for project managers for an international training and consulting firm.

In addition to her MNA degree from Notre Dame, Gini has a BA in French from Duke University and an MA in Mathematical Sciences from The Johns Hopkins University.

She and her husband, Clint, live in Teton Valley, Idaho, where they enjoy walking their dogs, fly fishing, hiking, cross country skiing, reading, and especially getting together with their sons, DeWitt and Arthur and their significant others.

Max’s childhood in mid-coast Maine introduced him to the wonders of the outdoors. His interest in wild places led him to St. Lawrence University, where he graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Economics in 2016. After a summer in south east Alaska, Max landed in Missoula, Montana where he worked on restoration efforts that benefited Westslope Cutthroat Trout, and their habitat. Since 2018 he has been living in the Tetons, first working for the Wyoming Game and Fish department as a Fisheries Technician, and now as the Fisheries Crew lead at FTR. Throughout his time in the Tetons he has focused on better understanding the intricacies of our native trout species, and working to better the ecosystems they rely on. When he is away from work Max enjoys exploring the watershed via bike and skis.

Contact Max Lewis

Lee Holmes is a long-time Teton Valley property owner and current Idaho resident. He is a retired paper industry manufacturing manager who currently enjoys fishing, golfing, hiking, skiing, and all of the other great activities Teton Valley has to offer. When Lee is not busy enjoying the Valley, he can be found at his home in Tucson, Arizona, traveling, or spending time with his two grown children and four wonderful grandchildren. Lee has been supporting Friends of the Teton River for many years, and he is excited to do so now in his role as Vice President of the Board of Directors.

Dr. Jen Pierce is an Associate Professor at Boise State in the Department of Geosciences. Her research focuses on Quaternary geomorphology, Holocene fire history and climate change, recent fire history and climate change, fire and debris flow hazards, carbon storage in soils, and feedbacks among hydrologic, biologic and geologic systems. Jen, her husband Dave, and children Sabine (6) and Annie (4) enjoy spending time at their home in the Teton Valley hiking, biking, skiing and exploring the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

Since Bill’s first visit to Teton Valley in 1989, he has not been able to stop visiting this amazing oasis of fishing. Bill’s many accomplishments include: Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks 1985-1988; Deputy Under Secretary of Interior 1981-84 (was the Department’s chief water rights negotiator during this period); Chairman of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (mid-80’s); Chairman National Wildlife Refuge Centennial Commission 2002-2003; President Falling Spring Greenway 1989-2013; Member National Academy of Sciences Environmental Board 2004-2008; Trout Unlimited National Board of Directors 1992-1995; Trout Unlimited Chapter President (National Capital Chapter) mid – 70’s; presently serve on the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust Board of Directors; author Seasons on the Flats. Avid lifetime angler and resident of Tetonia, ID and Marathon, FL (so I can chase fish year round).

Boots Allen is a 26 year senior guide in the Greater Yellowstone area, where he guides 140 plus days on Wyoming’s Snake and Green rivers, Idaho’s South Fork of the Snake River, and the waters of Yellowstone National Park. He is a top scoring guide and angler in numerous competitions, an accomplished custom fly tier, and a writer of many articles appearing in several national fly fishing magazines. After completing his Ph.D from the Population Research Center at the University of Texas, Boots shunned the world of academia and policy work so that he could focus his attention fulltime towards fly fishing. He is a noted speaker at fly fishing events across the country and hosts destination trips around the world. Boots is the author of four books, including Modern Fly Fishing for Trout and Finding Trout in All Conditions. He resides in Victor, Idaho, with his wife, Faith, and two children, Mason and Josie.

Mr. Contor grew up in the national parks of the western U.S., and as a young man returned to the farming roots of both his grandfathers. He managed an irrigated row-crop farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, rented and then purchased an irrigated hay and grain farm in Howe, Idaho, and had a brief stint as a seed-company fieldman in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. He has worked in the hydrology field since 1996, including seven years in private consulting, ten years with the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute where he served as a research hydrologist, and five years with Idaho Department of Water Resources where he served as a Senior Water Resource Agent.

In private consulting, Mr. Contor worked on water-rights transactions and aquifer recharge evaluations, served as an expert witness, and performed environmental site assessments and baseline studies for conservation easements. With the Institute, he served as principal investigator on hydrologic projects as diverse as preparing water budgets for large numerical aquifer models, investigating remote sensing of evapotranspiration on irrigated lands, developing tools to calculate the economic demand for irrigation water, and investigating managed recharge of aquifers. He has published in national peer-reviewed scientific journals and has authored numerous technical completion reports for the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute. At Idaho Department of Water Resource, Mr. Contor measured flow in pipelines and open channels, investigated water-right claims and made water-right recommendations in the Snake River Basin Adjudication. While farming, he served on the board of a small canal company.

Mr. Contor holds an M.S. degree in hydrology from the University of Idaho, a B.S degree in agricultural economics from Brigham Young University, and a specialized associate in farm crops management from Ricks College.

Contact Bryce Contor

Anna Lindstedt graduated from Montana State University-Bozeman in 2002 with a B.S. in anthropology and a love for rivers and the outdoors. After college, she started her non-profit career with the Rocky Mountain Nature Association, and from 2002-2004 she worked in Rocky Mountain National Park, creating a youth service and education program focused on cultivating student’s interest in natural resources conservation careers. Anna began working at FTR in 2004 as the Education and Outreach Director, and has been the Development Director since 2007. She loves living in Teton Valley with her husband, young daughter, and two dogs, and exploring the rivers and ridges in the West.

Contact Anna Lindstedt

Sarah was born and raised in southwest Colorado. After graduating from Colorado College with a degree in Biology and Fort Lewis College with a degree in Business Administration, she attended Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. In her time at Lewis and Clark Law School Sarah was influential in the development of the Lewis and Clark Small Business Legal Clinic, a pro bono law clinic seeking to assist low-income business owners with business transaction legal matters. She was also a member of the Animal Law Journal, serving as Notes and Comments Editor. After law school Sarah accepted a job with a law firm in Montana where she represented a variety of clients in transactional, administrative, and litigation matters. The majority of Sarah’s practice was devoted to the mediation and litigation of water right matters before the Montana Water Court and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Sarah began working as the Streamflow Restoration Director for Friends of the Teton River in May of 2010.

Contact Sarah Lien

Dawn chose to call Idaho her permanent home in 2006, following 17 years of Teton Valley being a family vacation spot from the corporate rat-race of Minneapolis, MN. Prior to nearly 10 years as the executive assistant to the Teton County Commissioners, she worked for Thrivent Financial and Dayton, Hudson, Marshall Field’s Travel Department. Dawn brings community insight and financial and marketing experience to the FTR front office. When not working, you can find her volunteering and taking advantage of the valley’s cultural and recreational spirit.

Contact Dawn Felchle

Chris “Jigidy” Jensen found himself in Teton Valley in 2001 after many years guiding on South Fork, Henry’s Fork and Teton Rivers. Chris was born in Idaho and grew up in Salt Lake City. He was lucky enough to spend summers in Idaho as a kid and after graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Utah he moved to Idaho full time. You can still find Chris on the river fishing for fun and occasionally guiding a client turned lifelong friend. He works in digital marketing and e-commerce from his home. He’s excited to be working hard and raising a family here in the valley.