For the Media

Cook Inlet Keeper Staff Contacts and Biographies

Below is a list of Cook Inlet Keeper staff that news reporters or editors would most likely wish to speak to about Cook Inlet Keeper programs, issues or events.

IN ANCHORAGE

Lois Epstein is Cook Inlet Keeper’s Senior Engineer and Oil and Gas Specialist.  She is a good contact on issues regarding Cook Inlet’s oil and gas and federal pipeline safety.  Contact Lois at:  (907) 929-9371, lois@inletkeeper.org

Lois is a licensed Professional Engineer in the States of Alaska and Maryland and is a member of the federal Office of Pipeline Safety's advisory committee on hazardous liquid pipelines.  She holds an M.S. in environmental engineering and science from Stanford University and undergraduate degrees from Amherst College and MIT.  Lois’ worked more than 13 years as a Senior Engineer with Environmental Defense in Washington D.C. and for two private consulting firms and the U.S. EPA Region 9 Office of Water. 

IN HOMER

Bob Shavelson is the Cook Inlet Keeper and Executive Director and is the primary contact on Cook Inlet Keeper advocacy and organizational issues.  Contact Bob at: (907) 235-4068 ext. 21, bob@inletkeeper.org

Bob is an attorney with backgrounds in biology, chemistry, and environmental sampling and compliance.  He was Editor-in-Chief of the University of Oregon's Journal of Environmental Law & Litigation, and has considerable experience in toxics, Clean Water Act and Right-to-Know issues.  Prior to joining Keeper in 1996, Bob worked in the United States Senate, Oregon's Senate Majority Office, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium, and the University of Oregon's Ocean & Coastal Law Center.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Alliance of Water Keepers, Cook Inlet Citizen’s Regional Advisory Council, Alaska Conservation Alliance, and Coast Alliance.  He holds a BA in Biology from Boston University and a JD from University of Oregon.

Joel Cooper is Cook Inlet Keeper’s Research Coordinator and Laboratory Manager and oversees all of Keeper’s monitoring projects.  Joel is a good contact for issues regarding Keeper’s water quality science and community-based water quality laboratory.  Contact Joel at:  (907) 235-4068 ext. 29 or ext. 32 in the lab, joel@inletkeeper.org

Joel holds a B.S. degree in environmental studies focusing on forestry, plant and soil sciences from Southern Illinois University.  He has considerable sampling and monitoring experience with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service. 

Sue Mauger is Cook Inlet Keeper’s Stream Ecologist who oversees the water quality monitoring on the four salmon streams on the lower Kenai Peninsula.  She is a good contact regarding the salmon stream monitoring program.  Contact Sue at:  (907) 235-4068 ext. 24, sue@inletkeeper.org

Sue joined Keeper in Summer 2000, Sue holds a B.S. in Zoology from Duke University and a M.S. in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University and has considerable experience in water chemistry, water quality monitoring and macroinvertebrate assessment. 

Ingrid Harrald is Cook Inlet Keeper’s Volunteer Monitoring Coordinator who oversees Keeper’s volunteer monitoring program.  Edan is a good contact for all issues regarding the volunteer monitoring program, which includes monitoring on several streams and estuarine sites in the Anchor River and Kachemak Bay watersheds.  Contact Ingrid at:  (907) 235-4068 ext. 37, ingrid@inletkeeper.org. 

OTHER POTENTIAL HELPFUL CONTACTS

Contact Marla McPherson, Cook Inlet Keeper’s Office Manager and Outreach Coordinator at (907) 235-4068 ext. 21, marla@Inletkeeper.org to request general information or specific requests for images for media stories. 

Contact Will Schlein, Cook Inlet Keeper’s Web and GIS Specialist at (907) 235-4068 ext. 28, will@inletkeeper.org with questions about the web site or to request GIS mapping information.