Cindy and Dan started spending summers in Lander in 2019, moving here permanently in June of 2023 after her career in education. Dan is a retired helicopter medic and current NOLS EMT instructor. They have a daughter, Sierra, who is a registered nurse in Bend, Oregon.

Cindy spent thirty years teaching high school Field Ecology and Biology in Joshua Tree, CA. During this time, she led students on camping, backpacking, and habitat restoration trips. Her classes partnered with The Wildlands Conservancy, a local land conservancy for 25 years, resulting in over $40,000 in scholarships and multiple students working in environmental/conservation related fields. The Wildlands Conservancy is now the largest land conservancy in the western United States – with one of her students serving as executive director, another as a board member, and a third as a preserve manager. She even went to Washington, D.C. with a prior student to lobby for three new Mojave Desert national monuments during the Obama administration.

While not teaching, Cindy spent considerable time advocating for protection of the Mojave Desert, especially for protection of native plants. In 2017, she was recipient of the Minerva Hoyt Award. This award was given in honor of her many years as a desert activist and due to her role teaching and modeling a love for the Mojave Desert to her students. Many, many of her students now work in conservation, land management, and wildlife fields.

Cindy has her Bachelors in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She also earned her Masters in Environmental Education, and holds a specialty certification in gifted education. She is excited to turn her attention to Sinks Canyon with its diverse and beautiful landscape.