Mountain Park Environmental Center

Dave Van Manen, Director
Dave Van Manen has been working in the field of education, with both
children and adults, for over thirty years. Dave is founder and director of
the Mountain Park Environmental Center. Dave's background includes
being a nationally known children's musician, performer, and recording
artist, with a specialty in environmental music and storytelling. He has
fifteen years experience as a clinical music therapist, and is a workshop
and in-service facilitator. Dave has been a resident of the town of Beulah
for 30+ years, where he and his wife Helene raised their two children. He
is the author of Plants of Pueblo Mountain Park, a field guide to the flora of
mid-elevation sites of Colorado's southeastern mountains. Dave is an avid
hiker and can often be found hiking the trails of Pueblo Mountain Park and
surrounding areas.

Contact: mpec@hikeandlearn.org

Elaine Lopez Pacheco, LCSW, ACSW, LMT,
Co-Development Director
Elaine is a licensed clinical Social Worker and massage therapist. Elaine
was a founding MPEC Board member, visioning the future for MPEC.
Committed to non-violence, Sr. Elaine works part-time as a clinical
director/consultant for a non-profit agency, Project STEP, in CO Springs.
Elaine is also an associate member with Pueblo's Veterans for Peace.
Elaine is a Colorado and Pueblo native and enjoys the earth energy of her
bio-region and believes that our connection to the earth facilitates balance
of mind/body and spirit. Sr. Elaine is one of twenty women healers in the
southwest featured in Carol Kronwitter's book, Women of Grace.

Contact: epach@pcisys.net

Greg Smith, Co-Program Director
Greg comes to MPEC after 8 years in a middle school classroom. His
experiences include working summer camps in New Mexico and
Pennsylvania, teaching middle school math, history and technology, and
supervising adjudicated youth in the Youthful Offender System near
Denver. Greg has been married for 9 years to his wonderful wife Cindi and
resides in Pueblo West. Both Greg and Cindi have dedicated their lives to
working with children and both share an enthusiasm toward teaching.

Contact: rangergreg@hikeandlearn.org

James and Tiffany Harding, Pueblo Mountain Park
Caretakers, Tiffany Harding, Guest Relations
Natives of Pueblo County, they are in charge of the park events and
happenings during weekends and off-hours. James’ other job is a
salesman for BMC West, where he has been for 15 years and has
become well known in the local building industry. Tiffany has a
background in early childhood education and together they are the parents
of Harley James. James and Tiffany have always dreamed of living in the
mountains and raising their son closer to nature, so are thrilled to be living
in the park’s caretaker house.

Contact: James.Harding@bmcwest.com or tiffanyharding@msn.com

John Oates, Co-Program Director
After living in Alaska for several years, John's love for the natural world
grew more than just seeing the beauty. He wanted to express his love by
teaching people outdoor adventure activities as well as the ecology that
surrounds them. John graduated with a BS in Recreation: Outdoor
Leadership with a minor in Biology from CSU-Pueblo. He has led many
trips through the mountains, deserts, and canyon country. He completed
his internship here at MPEC in the summer of 2008 and became a
full-time employee in the fall of 2008. John has a wonderful family and
resides in Pueblo.

Contact: rangerjohn@hikeandlearn.org

John Oribello, Maintenance Assistant
John is a native of Colorado and received his degree in biology from
CSU-Pueblo. John is involved in all aspects of taking care of Pueblo
Mountain Park. He says his connection to the natural world started at the
age of 3, when he remembers planting his first garden with the wish to “
grow a watermelon.” John has since grown into a gardener with a bountiful
garden each summer full of peppers, tomatoes and zucchinis. His
watermelon growing expertise has yet to be cultivated.

Contact: johnoribello@yahoo.com

Kim Toman, Operations Director
Falling in love with the Colorado outdoors was easy for Kim when she first
visited Colorado in 1987. Having spent the majority of the early-90's in
Colorado helping utility power plants install emission monitoring
equipment, it was no surprise that she met her husband in Colorado, and
shortly after, made her permanent move to Colorado in 1994. Beulah has
been the Toman's family home since the move. Kim is the wife of Bernie,
an outdoors enthusiast, and mother of 4 children, Chris, Angie, Val and
Mandy. Working at MPEC has tuned her senses and love for Nature by
listening to interesting facts about plants, animals and ecosystems.

Contact: adminmpec@hikeandlearn.org

Rick Langdon, Maintenance Lead
Born and raised in Seattle, on Queen Anne Hill, Rick came to Beulah in
1971 to install a new phone system. He met his wife Bess and traveled
around the country for GTE, installing telephone systems back east and
on the west coast. He finally returned to Seattle in 1978 where Rick
worked for The Boeing Aircraft Company. He then went to work for AT&T
while raising his two children, Leta and Ricky. Rick moved back to Beulah
late in 1985 and worked for various phone companies until in 1987 when
he started work for McDonnell Douglas building rockets. He inherited a
cattle ranch in 1993 and spent his spare time continuing to raise his
children and working the ranch. Working for MPEC has given Rick a new
chance at working outdoors, close to home, and taking care of the park.