Color Country Natural Resource Camp
Staff
Camp Director
Ben Scow has worked for Utah State University Extension in Washington County in the area of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and 4-H since 2017 and has been involved in the camp for 3 years. With a bachelor's in agriculture and range management and a master's in Extension Education, his work responsibilities include working with ranchers and government agencies to find solutions to problems regarding vegetation, soil, and livestock. He also works with youth in the areas of livestock and backyard farming and enjoys being outdoors hiking, camping, and spending time on the farm.
435-773-8182
Assistant Camp Director
Edward has worked for Utah State University for the past ten years. Currently, he is blessed to work in Washington County with the 4-H program. But he has also taught as an adjunct professor, teaching Outdoor Ethics, Outdoor Survival, Photography, Climbing, Canyoneering, Hiking, and Backpacking. He graduated from Southern Utah University with a degree in Outdoor Recreation in Parks and Tourism.
He enjoys any time he can spend outdoors from chasing birds for his life list to Hunting and Fishing. He can also be found in his garden desperately trying to keep things alive. Any excuse to get closer to the dirt.
edward.Larson@usu.edu
Camp Advisor
The camp has been held at Fish Lake, Kolob Mountain, Browse, Cedar Mountain, East of Zion National Park, up Parowan Canyon, Panguitch Lake, and now on Cedar Mountain.
Sandy has been a biology and environmental science teacher at Dixie High School and Pine View High School. She is currently the Principal at Sunrise Ridge Intermediate School. She loves the outdoors, hiking, biking, kayaking, and backpacking (she has been to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon 28 times, mostly with high school students). She is the mother of two children and nine grandchildren, who have already been kayaking, hiking, and camping with Grandma.
Instructor
Nicki Frey received her undergraduate degree in Wildlife Management from West Virginia University in 1996. After working in this profession for a couple of years she moved to Logan Utah to work on her graduate degree at Utah State University. She accomplished both her Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology, working with the Jack H. Berryman Institute. Dr. Frey began working for Utah State University and the Jack H. Berryman Institute as an Assistant Extension Wildlife Specialist in October 2004, in Cedar City, Utah. Briefly, her responsibilities include helping private and public landowners solve wildlife management conflicts, conducting research on wildlife management and predator-prey interactions to assist with problem resolution, teaching at Southern Utah University, and providing youth and adult public outreach education opportunities.
Nicki’s recreational activities include most outdoor sports such as hiking, camping, snowshoeing, climbing, snowboarding, rafting, etc. just as long as it isn’t seriously life-threatening. She also loves martial arts and action movies.
Instructor
Melinda has worked in Southern Utah as a Native Aquatics Biologist with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) since 2003. She enjoys working outside doing native fish population monitoring and desert tortoise monitoring projects. Melinda received a Bachelor of Science from Weber State University. She majored in Zoology with an emphasis in conservation biology/ecology. During college, she spent her summers doing stream surveys in the Great Salt Lake as well as volunteering at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Since college, she has worked as a fishery technician for National Marine Fisheries Service in Hawaii, a veterinary technician, and an ice-skating instructor. Once Melinda decided on a biologist career path, she went back to school to get her Master’s. She graduated from Utah State University with a Master’s of Natural Resources in 2010.
Melinda has been part of CCNRC since 2007. She is passionate about working with “non-huggable” species and loves to share her interest with students by teaching the aquatic investigation at the camp. In her spare time, she loves to dance, rock climb, yoga, rollerblade, ice skate, and mountain bike. She also enjoys hanging out with her husband, son, and dog.
Instructor
Vernon has worked for Utah State University as a faculty member teaching agriculture, natural resources, and youth programs since 2000. With a Bachelor in Range Science (grass and shrublands) and a Masters in Natural Resource Management, Vernon has spent time working on his family ranch, as a Back Country Ranger in Yellowstone National Park, and as a Range Con for the National Forest Service.
Currently, Vernon spends most of his time working for USU, developing life skills in youth and expanding their love for science, technology, and a love and respect for the outdoors. Vernon’s interests include camping, hiking, rock climbing, shooting, and playing sports with his 5 kids and wife Lisa. He loves working with his hands and finding common-sense answers to problems.
Camp Administrator/Facilitator
Jaime has been involved with the camp for the past 14 years helping with the office information. She graduated from Southern Utah University with a Bachelors of Biology and even though she is busy with four children, she loves the outdoors and helping with the camp.
Jaime and Lael’s children are often seen around the camp, covered in dirt but never complaining (unlike the high school students). River will likely have his own staff entry on this website next year. This family can probably out-camp anyone you know.
Instructor
Lael has been involved in the Color Country Natural Resource Camp ever since the first year when he was a student. He has grown up loving the outdoors and is very knowledgeable in most aspects especially outdoor survival. He worked at the Red Cliff Ascent youth program for two years learning many of his outdoor survival skills.
Lael and Jaime Christensen have been married for 16 years and have four children: River, Kai, Paisley, and Archer. They live in Santa Clara and own their own plumbing business. They both love the outdoors and traveling. They traveled around the world for 18 months just after they got married, backpacking and camping along the whole time.
Instructor
Frannie York is the Agriculture Teacher/FFA Advisor at Pine View High School, she has been involved with the camp since 2013. She has helped with many different investigations and recreation activities at the camp, she will be teaching the soil investigation this year.
She has loved camping and being in the outdoors ever since she was a little kid. Some of her favorite activities are camping, hiking, four-wheeling, reading, and working with animals. Her favorite part of CCNR camp is being able to interact with students outside of the traditional classroom and explore different areas of Natural Resources.
Instructor
Randall Violett came to southern Utah from Wyoming where he earned his Ph.D. in Agronomy. He spent eight years teaching Range and Natural Resource Management at Southern Utah University before accepting an Agriculture and Natural Resource position with Utah State University Extension in Iron County. He has been an instructor at the CCNR camp for the past four years and the Director of the Utah SRM Youth Range camp for the past eight years. You might say he enjoys organizing and teaching at youth camps across Utah. He is passionate about educating the public about proper management of Utah’s private and public lands. Dr. Violett enjoys outdoor activities especially archery hunting on the Pine Valley Mountain and ice fishing on Panguitch Lake. His most treasured accomplishment is being declared the Iron County Cast Iron King for his Dutch Oven cooking skills at the Cedar Livestock and Heritage Festival, an accomplishment that Ben Scow can only dream about!