Board of Directors

The current Friends of Monument Preserve Board of Directors:

Officers:

President: Jon Nordby

Jon has been using the trails in the Preserve since 1989, and they were a large influence why he moved next door to them in 1995. In the early years, it was common to see him out on the trails hiking dogs in the morning, riding mountain bikes early afternoon, and finishing the day on one or more horses in the evening. Lately he is usually biking year-round, or out hiking and running with dogs and looking for the next trail project to get done. Jon’s wife Kim was on the original FOMP board and helped get it all started, so Jon has been involved with FOMP since it’s inception, including 4 years as the VP and now in his first term as President. Jon is trained by IMBA to build and maintain trails properly, but more importantly he feels that we improve our methods as we continue to learn from other volunteers and the previous trail work we have done over the years. Jon enjoys serving the community through his trailwork and by working with FOMP volunteers, Scouts, school kids, and corporate volunteers to implement some of the larger projects FOMP has accomplished in and around the Preserve. Being a software engineer during the day, Jon finds balance and sanity through working on the trails and just being out there on his favorite loop. Chances are, he is out there as you are reading this. Join him – bring your leather gloves in case you get put to work!

Vice President: Chris Tirpak

Chis has lived in the area and been an active user of the Preserve and its supporting trail system since 1993. Most often found on his mountain bike Chris has been helping FOMP with trails since the early days of the organization and became involved more actively 6 years ago when Limbaugh Canyon access became an issue. Chris continues to work on restoring access to the Limbaugh Canyon Trail. Chris previously served as the president of FOMP for four years before Jon Nordby took the reigns in 2010. Chris is an IMBA trained trail builder and you will find him passionately digging in the dirt trying to help FOMP create and maintain sustainable trails for all users.

Treasurer: Diane Strohm

Diane has lived along the south edge of the Preserve for 15 years. She is passionate about helping the landscape recover from the 1989 Mt. Herman wildfire. Her focus has been on planting tree seedlings; releasing naturally-regenerated seedlings from oak competition; and seeking out beetle-infested trees. She has two maniacal collies who share her enthusiasm for the preserve. She is truly appreciative of the efforts of other volunteers on these forest management tasks, and has witnessed encouraging growth in the burgeoning young forest over the past decade. Diane’s love for forests has grown through her 25 years with the US Forest Service in MT, OR, VT and CO, followed by seven years in her current position as forester for the Air Force Academy. She is also involved in the Pikes Peak Wildfire Prevention Partners, an interagency group devoted to education on wildland fire fuel hazard mitigation; defensible space concepts; and wildfire prevention. She enthusiastically welcomes others to lend their support to any or all of the valuable volunteer projects performed by FOMP.

Secretary: Marianne LaRivee

Marianne runs or hikes almost every day in the Preserve, and has for the 6 years she has lived here. Four years ago, she became active in the FOMP, participating in trailwork, tree planting, and seedling release. Marianne LaRivee spent 21 years as an Air Force Judge Advocate with extensive legal experience in criminal litigation, contracts, claims, information and privacy law, and international law. Retired from the Air Force, Marianne teaches Business Law as an adjunct professor at UCCS. She lives in Monument with her husband Dave.

Board Members at Large:

Dianne Bandle

Diane has been a member of Friends of Monument Preserve for the last five years. Joining FOMP coincided with her move to the area right near the preserve. She is passionate about the trails and enjoys being able to help with maintence of the trails and being part of the organization with other people that cherish our beautiful area. Hiking and running the area is like a little piece of heaven right in our backyard!

Hermann and Nancy Spielkamp

Herman and Nancy are founding members of FOMP and have been enjoying the area known as the Nursery, Fire Center, Preserve since 1972. Hiking, mountain biking, riding horses, cross-country skiing and watching the birds and the wild flowers. Our interest is to keep the area as primitive as possible in its natural state to conserve the current wild nature with bears, mountain lions and coyotes frequenting the area. We participate regularly in the trail work nights, the seedling planting and the dinner for the Hot shots fire jumpers. I built the horse jumps and organized the Bluebird trail (4 H group building nest boxes) and the annual clean up of the nest boxes.

Bill Benson

Bill has been a member of Friends of Monument Preserve since 2004 and spending time in the preserve since 2000. His main interests in the Preserve are hiking, trail running and Mountain biking as well as cross country skiing and snowshoeing when conditions allow it. Bill is passionate about taking care of our natural resources and teaching others to share in his enthusiasm for stewardship and resource protection. He has an extensive background building trails as a former Forest Service employee as well as an experienced mountain guide, forest fire fighter and mountain rescue team leader. He has spent some time as a Boy Scout Leader as well as a youth leader always taking the opportunity to teach others about taking care of the forest.

Brian “Grahm” Mullin

Brian has been a member of FOMP since 2008, but has been mountain biking in the Preserve for about five years. He is a biker, skier,kayaker and rock climber. He has been an avid outdoor enthusiast all his life, and his Mother and Grandmother instilled in him, thegrandeur, beauty and stewardship of nature. He came to Colorado in the mid seventies for college, and has called Colorado Springs homefor the past 24 years. The Preserve holds a special place for him, and it’s his spiritual nirvana. Brian understands, and has dealt withaccess and advocacy issues, primarily during his rock climbing career, and has worked with the BLM, DOW and Forest Service. Besides a full time computer career, he does professional testing, reviewing and writing on mountain bike products for his own blog and a prominent website.

Joe Ennis

For the past 11 years Monument has been home to Joe and his family. For the past 6 years the Preserve has become a very special place for Mountain Biking, Hiking, Snow Shoeing and spending time with friends, family and dogs. Joe’s passion for the Preserve is growing with each and every year and with that he decided to devote his free time not only to trail work but joining the board to further stability of the Preserve. Growing up in the Deserts of California Joe learned how fragile nature can be, riding bikes have always been a major part of his life so preserving our rights and freedoms for generations to come is always at the top of his list.

fomp.org

Board of Directors