NOS Staff and AmeriCorps Members
Melanie was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico and moved with her family to Idaho where she spent most of her childhood growing up on the family farm; she is the youngest of five children. She moved to Winnemucca in 1983 and spent all four high school years at Lowry High School. She moved to Boise, Idaho after graduation where she attended ITT Technical Institute. She worked for a while in the Boise area and moved back to Winnemucca to marry and raise a family. She has been married for 25 years to Mike Erquiaga, who is a Winnemucca native; they have two children together - both grown men now. She enjoys spending time in the great outdoors with her family, whether is in rural Nevada or beyond. Her favorite vacations are spent camping and white water rafting. She has spent time rafting the Salmon, Snake, Green and Rouge rivers here in the Northwest. She also enjoys reading and cooking. Melanie is excited to take over the reins as Executive Director and use her years of non-profit management experience to lead Nevada Outdoor School into the next decade of expanding our programs across the state and continuing to work and live in this great rural Nevada community.
Karl grew up in Idaho Falls, ID where his enthusiasm for the outdoors started. Between frequent family camping trips, camping and outdoor activities in the Boy Scouts, to summer camps and most of the summers spent in the outdoors/wilderness, Karl has developed a loved for the peacefulness, beauty, and adventures the outdoors has to offer. Karl attended Boise State University and frequently claims he “bleeds Orange & Blue”. He met his wife Sheryl, (from Spring Creek, NV), of 21 years, while both were attending BSU. They have an 11 year-old daughter. While living in Las Vegas they actively supported the Children’s Heart Foundation 501(1)(c)(3), ultimately serving on the Board of Trustees, to help guide the CHFN’s mission to serve the Nevada families of children with congenital heart defects. Karl and his family moved to Spring Creek during the Summer of 2021, to not only be much closer to family, but to return to their roots of small town living and enjoying the outdoors more often. Karl enjoys fishing, A LOT! He also enjoys cooking, hunting, riding 4 wheelers, and most importantly spending time with his family.
Zulma was born in Colima, Mexico but has lived in Winnemucca most of her life. She is married and has two wonderful girls. She enjoys hiking, and cooking with her family. She loves to travel and explore, Lake Tahoe being one of her favorite places. Her love for community service and adventure brought her to Nevada Outdoor School. She is passionate about strengthening non-profit organizations through the AmeriCorps program and helping their committed AmeriCorps members in Northern Nevada and Las Vegas.
Sarah was born in California, but was raised in Winnemucca, NV. After graduation she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. After a short move to Boston and back, she began a career in the Corporate World of Finance in San Francisco. After nearly 20 years away from home she and her husband relocated back to Nevada to be closer to family. She enjoys eating good food, traveling, camping, hunting and fishing.
Jessica was born in Kansas, but grew up on the east coast outside of Washington, DC. Her love for the mountains took her to Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina where she majored in Elementary Education. Jessie first came to the amazing state of Nevada as an AmeriCorps Naturalist with NOS in 2009. After her year of service, she moved back east and taught fifth grade. However, the beauty, adventurous spirit and vastness of the west soon brought her back. She has been on staff with NOS since February 2012 as Director of Programming, Associate Director and now, part time as Outreach Director. Jessie currently lives back on the east coast with her husband, Zoey Cat and beautiful baby daughter, Scarlett.
As a lifetime Nevadan I began my enjoyment of the outdoors by spending much of my early childhood with my grandparents and great grandparents in the garden and on hunting trips. Spending time outside never stopped when I moved away from Fallon to Elko. During college I studied to have a degree in Soil Management. Also during college, I was a part of the Great Basin Aggies Club where I met my Husband. Even when I moved to Winnemucca from Elko, the outdoors were never far away and in fact I got closer. From working at the Community Garden as an AmeriCorps Member to Winnemucca Farms as an Agronomist to helping my husband sub guide and trap, Nature is something I am part of. I now have 2 sons, Ridge (6) and Remi (3) who we take out on hunts, fishing trips and the trapline. I am so excited to be a part of the Nevada Outdoor School team again!
Allana grew up in a rural community outside of Buffalo, NY. She graduated from Binghamton University where she majored in Environmental Studies. She got her love for nature from not only growing up in a rural community but also having a camper in Northern Pennsylvania. This is where she spent her childhood going on hikes, catching insects and salamanders, watching the black bears walk through the woods, and riding four-wheelers on trails with her friends every weekend during the summer. Most recently, she completed two years of AmeriCorps service here at Nevada Outdoor School! She is excited to continue her career with NOS and is ready for any challenges in this new positon. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and traveling with her two dogs.
Meghan was born and raised in Elko, Nevada where she spent her childhood and now her adult years exploring all the beauty Nevada has to offer. She loves to camp, hunt, hike and discover new things along this crazy adventure called life. Meghan graduated from Elko High School and then attended Great Basin College to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. In her spare time she enjoys reading, archery, fishing and caring for all of her many plants! She is passionate about learning and the love of the great outdoors and can’t wait to share that passion here at Nevada Outdoor School!
This photo at Griswold Lake is special to Macy because it was taken on her first backpacking trip. Camping is her favorite escape. She was able to have her first-time backcountry experience through serving as an AmeriCorps Member at Nevada Outdoor School. Through two years of serving as a Naturalist, she made priceless memories and friends of all ages. Some may better recognize her as “Bubbles.” Macy loves working for Nevada Outdoor School because she finds value in outdoor education, exploration, and being an active member of our community. Macy studied Natural Resources at Ball State University and graduated in 2019. In 2021, she moved from Indiana to Elko to serve at Nevada Outdoor School and began integrating herself into rural Nevada. Outside of her fulfilling job, she enjoys roller skating, crocheting, secondhand shopping, and taking naps with her cat, Uma.
Johnny was born in northern California and moved to Winnemucca at 13 years of age. He's made many friends and many memories as he lived up in the high desert, from the mountains, the valleys, and history of the area here and throughout the southwest. He was drawn to Nevada outdoor school as a way to expand his horizons and to get in touch with the world as it grows. He enjoys renaissance faires, camping, hiking, learning ancient skills, and learning about the history of everywhere he goes, that includes the natural, historic, and prehistoric. And recently he has come to enjoy passing the knowledge he's learned on to others. He's currently attending Southwest Institute of Healing Arts to become an Integrative healing arts practitioner. To quote Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain; "There are two days that really matter to a person, the day they are born, and the day they find out why." He looks forward to working with Nevada outdoor school as he believes NOS will help him in this fulfillment.
Kaitlin was born in Kirkland Washington where she lived for a few years before moving to Athol, Idaho and finally Elko! She grew up in Elko most of her life but travels back every year to see her family and be back home. Kaitlin loves to spend time with her friends and family and her little dog, Aspen. She also likes to cook, travel, paint and crochet, and of course spend lots of time outdoors. She graduated from Elko high school where she was in Choraliers and is now attending college at GBC for her bachelors in Elementary Education. Kaitlin loves working with children of all ages and hopes to make a difference in the community and have a positive impact on our future generations!
Jasmine grew up in Arizona and recently moved to Winnemucca, Nevada. She enjoys camping, fishing, and raising livestock. She spends a lot of time doing volunteer work. During the summer she enjoys kayaking and other water sports. Jasmine is excited to help and get to know the community with Nevada Outdoor School through AmeriCorps.
Toni Coulter was born in Reno Nevada, growing up there and other places around the state with her parents and 3 sisters. She has had a lifelong love of the outdoors and an interest in all living things including bugs, which as a child she would make little homes for. Her other interests include gardening, singing, and arts. She currently resides in Winnemucca Nevada with her husband, two adult children, and pets. Toni decided to become an AmeriCorps/Nevada Outdoor School member upon the urging of her child Sedric, who was recently a member.
Noah was born in Salt Lake Utah, but was raised in Winnemucca, NV. His early life is where he discovered his love for the outdoors, riding dirt bikes, and pretty much any extreme sport he could get his hands on. A year after graduation he moved to Truckee, CA to pursue his passion of snowboarding. He worked at ski resorts as a way to easily snowboard every day. After 3 years he decided he didn’t have enough time to enjoy it while working so he moved back to Winnemucca. He’s very excited to start his new adventure with Nevada Outdoor School.
ABOUT US
Nevada Outdoor School inspires exploration of the natural world, responsible stewardship of our habitat and dedication to community.
CONTACT US
Winnemucca Office:
655 Anderson Street
Winnemucca, NV 89445
(775) 623-5656
Elko Office:
2363 N. 5th Street, Unit 102
Elko, NV 89801
(775) 777-0814
