Lead Naturalist

One of the founders of Discovery Southeast, Richard is senior author of The nature of Southeast Alaska (3^rd edition, 2014), and coauthor of: The enduring forests (1996), Book of the Tongass (1999), The coastal Forests and Mountains Ecoregion (2007, Audubon/TNC), and Salmon in the trees (2010). For Discovery Southeast he’s written many publications including Natural history of Juneau trails (2013) and, with Cathy Connor, Reading Southeast Alaska’s landscape (2013).

An Alaskan since 1977, Richard spent his first 12 years studying the delta of As’xée (Eagle River). From 1989 to 92, he piloted Discovery Southeast’s Nature Studies program (grades 3 to 5), now expanded to all Juneau schools. From 1996 to 2004 he led the Landmark Trees Project, documenting Alaska’s finest remaining large-tree forests. In 2005, with Bob Christensen he launched the Ground-truthing Project, ‘eyes and ears in the woods’ for the Southeast conservation community, and a voice for resilient forestry. Since 2010, he’s divided his time between Tongass-wide studies and more local emphasis on Áak’w & T’aakú Aaní (known to some as the City and Borough of Juneau). For the past decade, in partnership with Sealaska Heritage Institute and Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, Richard has melded Discovery Southeast’s natural history expertise with those organizations’ cultural programs, together promoting place-based, culturally responsive education throughout our northern rainforest ecoregion.

Alaska Conservation Foundation gave Carstensen its 2017 Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. In May, 2019, Richard received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska Southeast. His work can be found at Discovery Southeast’s ‘sister-website’ JuneauNature.

Lead Naturalist

Steve has been leading local elementary schoolers through the woods for Discovery Southeast since 1991. The head naturalist at Glacier Valley Elementary School’s Nature Studies program, he grew up in New Jersey, earned a degree in environmental education and a certification to teach high school biology and Earth science, moved to southeast Alaska in 1981, and has been ever since. He has won the Jerry Dixon Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. For a glimpse into the mind of a veteran Nature Studies facilitator, readSteve’s piece about going “Off Trail” from Discovery Southeast’s Fall 2001 newsletter. Also check out “Night Walk” from the Spring 2000 issue.

Executive Director

A Sand County Almanac is an amazingly effective bedtime story for a 5 year old, which is how Shawn Eisele, as a 5 year old, was introduced to the field of nature education.  It was soon followed by many mornings duck and goose hunting with his dad in Wisconsin marshes. Shawn continued that passion for the outdoors into adulthood as a guide and instructor for organizations including NOLS, Wilderness Ventures, and Scouting.  He was also active in children’s and community centers, including The Sue Duncan Children’s Center on Chicago’s South Side.  Based on that experience with social causes, Shawn went to law school at UC Berkeley, externed in the Northern District of California with then-judge and now justice Martin Jenkins, and came to Juneau, Alaska for a clerkship with the Alaska Supreme Court.  While practicing environmental law in Juneau with Earthjustice he had the good fortune to get acquainted with Discovery Southeast as a board member, and then took a leap back into non-profit management to work with the wonderful naturalists and families of Discovery Southeast.  He appreciates the mission because his own connection to nature at an early age was so formative for him, and because it’s so fulfilling to watch kids learn to be at ease and enjoy themselves outdoors. He connects with nature by skiing as often as there is snow, and gardening when there’s not.  You can reach Shawn at executivedirector@discoverysoutheast.org.

Program Coordinator

Bess grew up on the central coast of California where jumping in waves in the chilly Pacific ocean til her feet were numb was one of her favorite pastimes. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She began teaching kids after college for an outdoor education company called Naturalists at Large, where she worked for many years. After falling in love with outdoor education, she worked at summer camps, as a sea kayak guide, and moved to Juneau for a naturalist guiding position at Gastineau Guiding in 2015. She and her husband decided to try out an Alaskan winter while teaching, and worked with the Juneau School District as a Para-Educator. She began working at Discovery Southeast in the summers in 2016 and is now the Program Coordinator for both summer and school programs. She absolutely loves living, working, and playing in Juneau and is starting to think she may be on her way to becoming one of those “just never left” Juneau-ites

Education Coordinator

Kelly was raised in Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. She grew up collecting rocks and perfecting the art of picking up a crab without getting pinched. With a degree in Environmental Studies and a Masters in Teaching she has spent much of her adult life playing, learning, and teaching kids. She has been with Discovery since 2015 working as the education coordinator. Before joining Discovery Southeast, Kelly was a classroom teacher in the Juneau School District, and Director of Education Technology for the State of Alaska. In her free time she loves snowboarding, fishing, and exploring with her family.

Lead Naturalist

Maggie grew up in remote fish hatcheries in Southeast Alaska, the daughter of two biologists. She and her sister enjoyed a unique and magical childhood on the beaches of Southern Baranof Island, before the family made the big move north to Sitka, Alaska. After high school Maggie received a B.S. in Geology from Western Washington University and used her science background as a jumping point to a Master of Education at Portland State University, focusing on middle school science. Maggie taught 7th and 8th grade science for several years in Portland, Oregon before she and her husband returned to Southeast Alaska where she found her home at Discovery Southeast. Maggie has found she is thriving in an outdoor classroom helping Juneau’s kids connect with and celebrate the nature around them. Outside of work she spends quality time with loved ones through cooking, camping, and snowboarding.

Lead Naturalist

Amy has worked as a naturalist in Juneau since 2005 and with Discovery Southeast since 2008!  Her endless fascination for the flora and fauna of our region is expressed to her students and friends each time they walk together in the woods.  She hopes to inspire people of all ages to preserve and protect our natural lands.

Lead Naturalist

Joel is a transplant.  Having moved to Juneau with his wife and two kids in 2014, he has found welcoming earth to grow deep and tangled roots.  His childhood days were spent splashing in a creek in the forest adjacent to his Portland, Oregon home. He later moved to North Carolina where he spent his formative teenage years.  A summer road trip found its way to Alaska and the trajectory of his life was forever altered by the vastness of this great land.  The snowy mountains of Alaska have called to him ever since, constantly telling him to come camp, ski and find peace in their tranquil yet powerful presence.  He earned a B.A. in Secondary Education and has held a few different occupations over the years, including forest firefighter, middle school teacher, and most recently starting a family farm at his North Douglas home.  He is involved in the vegetable growing scene here in Juneau.  Joel is a board member of the Juneau Community Garden and works in the Kaxdigoowu Héen school garden.  He joined Discovery Southeast in January of 2022 and enjoys taking children outside and watching their curiosity glow in the natural beauty of this place.  A naturalist at heart, he is constantly learning from the land and the experiences he shares with others in the outdoor environment.  

Lead Naturalist

Naatalgaii (na-tough-guy) was born and raised in New Hampshire; he spent his childhood roaming the lush forests and mountains. He moved to Utah to seek higher heights and attend college and that is where he met his wife Sam. Over the years, Naatalgaii has worked to build positive and strong connections with youth as a community outreach worker and paraprofessional, while also keeping his love of exploring nature. He moved to Juneau in the summer of 2020. Naatalgaii joined the Discovery Southeast team as a member of the summer staff. Having a very wet, but wonderful summer Naatalgaii decided to stay on as a year round naturalist. Naatalgaii is grateful that he now gets to combine his passion of teaching and supporting youth with his love of nature.

Naturalist, Admin & Communications

Naturalist

McLain grew up in Juneau, and spent her childhood exploring her backyard. She earned a degree in history and is always excited when she can explore with students the relationships between humans and their environment. McLain has worked as an assistant naturalist with Discovery Southeast since the summer of 2020. She loves sharing the landscapes and soggy hikes she was raised on with another generation of rainforest kids. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, gardening, music, and exploring in the woods.

Naturalist

Alaska will always feel like home to Brooke, who was born and raised in Anchorage. After an opportunity to live in Juneau short-term, she returned five years later—a result of not being able to get over this moody rainforest by the sea.

As a child, spending time in nature provided healing benefits and built confidence. Now with three kids in tow, she spends most of her free time seeking outdoor recreation opportunities. Going to the beach, low tide exploring, hiking, paddle boarding, biking, camping, gardening, and feeling the sun warm her soul are some favorite activities—balanced out with plenty of cat naps and mugs of hot cocoa.

Brooke joined Discovery Southeast in the fall of 2023, after spending the previous summer organizing children’s education programs for our local arboretum. She enjoys engaging her passion of connecting families to the  outdoors on a regular basis.

Naturalist

A Forest Ecologist and mother of three adventurous boys. Tana has lived and explored throughout Southeast Alaska for the past 15 years, delighting in the region’s beauty and bounty. She has a diverse background in the natural sciences, specializing in songbirds. As a biologist, she’s guided interpretive walks and cave explorations with the National Park Service, led river-canoe birding expeditions with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, banded birds and monitored endangered honeycreepers on the volcanoes of Hawaii with the USGS, and surveyed birds by land, sea, and air in the wilds of the Tongass National Forest. Most days, you’ll likely find her on a trail or beach, foraging and marveling, listening to the birds, and speaking to the trees. She’s delighted to explore and discover with the kids of Haadaa Héeni