For more information on the The Wyss Scholars Program, please return to the Wyss Scholars Page.

Heath Nero
Environmental Policy and Planning

Heath Nero is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating from the Academy, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Corps of Engineers and stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. Heath was deployed to Iraq in April 2003 and earned a Bronz Star for meritorious service. Heath spent his final year in the Army helping to develop Fort Carson's Sustainability and Environmental Management System (SEMS).

 

After his military obligation was over, Heath worked for The Wilderness Society's BLM Action Center in Denver, Colorado serving as the organization's Outreach Coordinator. During his time at TWS,
Heath and his coworkers helped secure administrative protection of over 600,000 acres of Wilderness quality lands managed by the BLM. He used his summer stipend to fund an internship with the National Wildlife Federation's Office of Federal and International Affairs in Washington, DC where he gained valuable legislative process experience.

 

Heath graduated from SNRE in 2009 with a masters degree in environmental policy. His thesis focused on the role of BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System within the multiple use management of BLM lands (available online here). He has returned to Colorado where he continues to work to protect the iconic landscapes of the American West.

 

Elizabeth Nysson
Environmental Policy and Planning

Elizabeth Nysson has a keen interest in land use issues in areas of the Intermountain West experiencing increased energy development, housing expansion and sprawl. Her research and Master’s project focus on the ancient pronghorn antelope migration route experiencing fragmentation due to natural gas development and rural expansion in Western Wyoming. One of the core components of the project is based on developing collaborative tools for stakeholder involvement for the preservation of the pronghorn’s path.

 

Liz’s interest in land conservation issues emerged during her undergraduate experience at the University of Wyoming where she received a Bachelors of Arts degree in May 2006. After graduation, Liz served a year for AmeriCorps through the Campus Corps Program at The University of Montana. While on the Montana campus, Liz volunteered at the Wilderness Institute working on its Legislative History Project and learning about the wilderness designation process.

 

Liz used her summer stipend to work at the Green River Valley Land Trust in Pinedale, Wyoming. This internship helped her develop knowledge of market-based land conservation methods, provided an enhanced perspective on the region where her master’s work is focused, and further strengthened her understanding of conservation issues in Wyoming and other parts of the Intermountain West.

 

Following graduation from SNRE in 2009, Liz accepted a position as Climate Change Coordinator for the Oregon Natural Desert Association in Bend, Oregon. She is responsible for the establishment of a commonly-accepted protocol that enables renewable energy development in Oregon’s high desert while ensuring protection of the area’s unique natural values, including ensuring that appropriate mitigation is adopted for renewable energy and transmission projects. She is also working to improve communication between conservation organizations, local communities, developers and government. Additionally, Liz is evaluating current climate change policies and science and creating guidance documents that will help direct conservation efforts and campaigns.