About Us

The Southern Colorado Plateau Network is based in the new Applied Research and Development building on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and is affiliated with the Center for Sustainable Environments.

Mailing Address:
SCPN National Park Service
Northern Arizona University
PO Box 5765
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5765

Physical Address:
SCPN National Park Service
1298 S. Knoles Dr.
Northern Arizona University Building 56, Room 140
Flagstaff, AZ 86011
Campus Maps

The organizational structure of the network comprises SCPN staff, Board of Directors, and Technical Advisory Committee.

Current SCPN Staff

Lisa Thomas (Program Manager) is an ecologist with the National Park Service and has served as Program Manager for the Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory and Monitoring Network since 2003. Her previous NPS experience includes ten years managing the Prairie Cluster Prototype Monitoring Program, ecological restoration of prairie and savanna vegetation in Midwestern parks, and rare plant research. She holds a M.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Indiana University and a B.S. in Biology from Missouri Southern State College. Her current research interests include plant community dynamics and the integration of monitoring results to assess ecological integrity. Email Lisa or phone 928-523-9280.

Mary Anne Schrade (CPCESU and SCPN Program Assistant) was born and raised in Flagstaff and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Northern Arizona University. Her work history includes 9-1-1 dispatch with the Flagstaff Police Department, Coconino County Sheriff's Office, and seasonal dispatch in Zion National Park. In 2004-2006, she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa. Email Mary Anne or phone 928-523-1908.

Quantitative Ecologist- Vacant

Stephen Monroe (Hydrologist) holds an M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University and worked with the USGS in Flagstaff from 1989 to 2005. He has extensive experience in research and assessment of critical water issues in the western United States, and a focus of his research has been hydrology and ecology of springs in Grand Canyon National Park. Email Steve or phone 928-523-7458.

 

Anne Cully (Vegetation Ecologist) Bio under construction. Email Anne or phone 785-539-5503.

 

 

Jodi Norris (Spatial Analyst) joined the Southern Colorado Plateau Network after working for the U.S. Geological Survey in Wyoming. She has a PhD in Botany with research on paleoreconstructions of Central Rockies vegetation and biogeographic modeling of ponderosa pine. Her bachelor's and master's degrees are in Geology. Email Jodi or phone 928-523-1942.

Jim DeCoster (Plant Ecologist) received a B.A. in Pre-Architecture from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in Ecology from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His dissertation research examined the impacts of tornados and hurricanes on Southeastern forests. He spent 3 years in the Everglades working as a Louisiana State University post-doc examining the vegetation and disturbance ecology of pine savannas. He joined NPS in 1999 as the Midwest Regional Fire Ecologist, where he oversaw the region’s fire monitoring program. He joined SCPN in August 2006 working as a plant ecologist, overseeing the integrated upland monitoring program. Email Jim or phone 928-523-7454.

Allison Snyder (Data Manager) joined the Southern Colorado Plateau Network in 2007. Prior to this, she assisted with data management in the I&M Pacific Island Network. She received a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Washington and a M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. Her thesis research included mapping wildfire burn severity with satellite imagery as well as examining forest change due to fire exclusion. Email Allison or phone 928-523-7426.

Megan Swan (Botanist) received a Masters of Science in Land Resources andEnvironmental Science at Montana State University. Her thesis included research on soil water use and root system characteristics of spotted knapweed. Megan also has experience working with soils with the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station and collecting vegetation data with the Restoration Ecology Lab at Colorado State University. Email Megan or phone 928-523-7489.

Stacy Stumpf (Water Resources Technician) Bio under construction. Email Stacy or phone 928-523-0867.

 

 

Kristin Straka (Data Management Assistant ) has a B.S. in Biology and GIS Certificate from Northern Arizona University. She is currently working towards an AAS in Computer Software Technology. Prior to joining SCPN, she worked for Grand Canyon National Park and the Flagstaff area parks. Email Kristin or phone 928-523-7480.

 

 

Jean Palumbo (Writer/Editor) has a BA in Journalism from Arizona State University and a MA in Composition, Rhetoric, and Technical Writing from Northern Arizona University (NAU), as well as a graduate certificate in Conservation Ecology, also from NAU. She has worked as a technical writer and editor for the Sisk Ecology Lab at NAU, as the project coordinator on the Arizona Forest Health Council’s Statewide Strategy for Restoring Arizona’s Forests, and as a technical writing instructor for the NAU English Department. Her interests lie in educating and engaging the public on environmental issues through writing and outreach. Email Jean or phone 928-523-6928.

 

 

Affiliated Staff

Judy Bischoff (CP-CESU Director). Bio under construction.

 

 

Paul "Zeke" Lauck (Cartographic Technician) received his B.A. in Geography/GIS Management from Northern Arizona University in 2000. He is currently completing an M.S. in Geography with a thesis project on snow-sublimation per micro-climates in Northern Arizona. Zeke has an avid interest in human impacts on riparian habitats, and conducts research by boat as often as possible. Email Zeke or phone 928-523-6928.

 

Board of Directors

The SCPN Board of Directors provides guidance, oversight and advocacy in the development and implementation of the I&M Program for the 19 NPS units within the network. The BOD has five voting members and is composed of superintendents or assistant superintendents from five of the 19 NPS units within the SCPN. The Chairperson of the SCPN I&M Technical Advisory Committee and the SCPN Program Manager serve as non-voting members. To ensure effective coordination and communication with the NPS Intermountain Region Office and the Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CP-CESU), the Intermountain Region I&M Coordinator and the CP-CESU Leader will serve as non-voting members.

Member	Park
Dennis Carruth	AZRU
Brad Traver	BAND
Barbera West	CHCU
Pat Thompson	PEFO
Palma Wilson	GRCA
Judy Bischoff	CP-CESU
Bruce Bingham	IMR
Lisa Thomas	SCPN

 

Technical Advisory Committee

The SCPN Inventory and Monitoring Technical Advisory Committee is responsible for the scientific and technical planning aspects, park-based logistic support, and resources management applications of the I&M Program for the 19 NPS units within the network. The TAC is composed of NPS natural resource representatives from the 19 SCPN NPS units, plus the CP-CESU Research Coordinator and the SCPN Program Manager.