Home | Terra Peninsular

WHO WE ARE

Saúl Alarcón Farfán, Executive Director

For five years, Saul was the Wildlands Conservation Program Manager for Wildcoast/Costasalvaje, a binational organization based in San Diego and Ensenada, doing extensive land conservation work in the Baja California Peninsula. Before working with Wildcoast, Saul worked for Jones & Stokes and the Bureau of Land Management in California as a biological consultant. For more than five years, he represented the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture carrying out international commodity inspections as part of international treaties. Saul received his M.S. in Natural Resource Management and a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Michigan. Currently he is pursuing a MBA at the Rady School of Management from the University of California San Diego.

Celia Solis, Director, Administration and Development

Celia has over 15 years of experience in a variety of functional areas including Administration, Operations, Development, Information Technology and Channel Marketing in both the corporate and not for profit sector for fast-growth and start-up organizations. Prior to joining Terra, Celia served on the Senior Management Team at Wildcoast, responsible for the Development Program, Volunteer and Internship Program and Information Technology Services.

Earlier, Celia served as the Director of HR and Administrations for RioPort, responsible for developing the administrative infrastructure for a start-up international Internet company. Celia continues to volunteer her time for various community organizations by developing business plans for start-up companies, applying her knowledge and experience for local non-profit organizations, and has served as the Stewardship Director for SRL. Graduating with distinction and honors, Celia earned her MBA with a concentration in Information Systems Management from KGSM.

Arturo Angeles, Communications and Development Manager

An environmentalist by heart, Arturo is extremely committed to his community. He has a B. S. in Biology with emphasis on Zoology at San Diego State University. For almost four years, Arturo was part of the Chula Vista Nature Center and took care of injured birds of prey and endangered light-footed Clapper Rails. As a Wildlife Conservation Program Assistant at Wildcoast/Costasalvaje, he organized the most memorable beach cleanup ever experienced by Baja California.

Working at Co'Mente A.C. in Tijuana as the Marketing and Volunteer Manager, Arturo created one of the best volunteer programs in the region, has been a Board Member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention San Diego and of the San Diego County Parks Society. Arturo brings a fresh and innovative perspective that is supported by his knowledge of environmental conservation and experience in the non-profit sector.

Vianey Díaz Escarrega, Administrative Coordinator

Vianey is a CPA graduated from the School of Accounting and Administration in Culiacan, Sinaloa. For the past 12 years her work has been developed in civil associations. Vianey has courses of Business Administration, Tax Reforms with updates every year and has taught accounting courses to the Artisan Group of Baja California.

Horacio González Moncada, Sustainable Development Coordinator

Prior to joining Terra's team, Horacio worked as Director of Culture in the Native Cultures Institute of Baja California (CUNA) as well as Director of Community Operations. From 2006 to 2008 he managed the Alliance for Sustainable Development Project in Indigenous Communities in Baja California (ADESU), a Project led by Terra Peninsular and the CUNA Institute, which allowed to lay the foundation for the development of ecotourism projects in the communities of San Antonio Necua and San Jose de la Zorra, B.C. as well as the successful program of the Native Artisans Group of Baja California; which was awarded with the 2010 National Prize of Sciences and Arts in the Art and Popular Tradition category.

He also served as the Operational Coordinator for the Electoral Processes Permanent Seminar at Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF). In 2007, Horacio was presented with the 2007 Environmental Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 9 for his contribution to making it possible for the indigenous communities of San Antonio Necua and San Jose de la Zorra, B.C. to have safe and clean water. Horacio received a Bachelor Degree in History from the University of Baja California..

Jorge Flores Hernández, Community Center and Gallery Coordinator

For one year, Jorge worked on the creation of Environmental Management Units for white-tailed deer in the Puebla Mixteca, in addition to carrying out flora and fauna surveys.

From 2005 to 2011, he worked in the Ethnobotanical Garden at Francisco Pelaez R., A C., serving as Project Manager and Curator of the Entomological-Fauna Project of Puebla's East Central Region, an environmental educator for flora and fauna themes. Jorge was also the Coordinator for Social Services, furthermore, he also served as general manager for 2 years. Jorge is a field biologist, graduated from the Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP).

Sula Vanderplank, Science Advisor

Sula joins Terra to study the unique plants that grow on shell middens left behind by the indigenous peoples of the region.

Her current research is focused around the phytogeography of Baja California, with an emphasis on plant distributions along the Pacific coast of the state of Baja California and the adjacent islands, where the California Floristic Province meets the Vizcaino desert to the south.

Sula feels fortunate to be part of a project to assemble an inventory of all the rare and endemic plants of the California Floristic Province portion of Baja California in collaboration with Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, San Diego County Planning, San Diego Natural History Museum, and Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

Sula earned a Batchelor's degree in Botany from the University of Reading (UK) and a Master of Science degree in Botany from Claremont Graduate University at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, California (USA).

Adriana Romero Saavedra, Conservation Coordinator

Prior to joining Terra Peninsular, Adriana worked for the Ensenada Municipal Institute of Research and Planning in themes pertaining to urban environmental planning, sustainable development, coastal resources and land management. Previously, she worked for more than four years in community development projects, conservation, management and protection within natural protected areas for the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). Adriana participated locally in Grupo Promotor Agenda 21 in the municipality of Ensenada, in coordination with Centro de Invetigacion Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) and the Municipal Government of Ensenada. She has extensive experience in field work with terrestrial and marine fauna, and participated in the reintroduction of the California condor in the Baja California Peninsula. Adriana holds a M.S. in Marine Ecology from CICESE, a graduate certificate in Marine Resources Management from the Autonomous University of Baja California and a B.S. in Biology from the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes.

Luis Rodolfo Barragán Díaz, Geographic Information Systems Coordinator

Interested and passionate about integrating geography with conservation, Luis Barragan has been involved in geographic information projects in Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States. Luis has worked as a GIS consultant for environmental consulting entities in San Diego for over three years. He has collaborated with the San Diego Parks Department creating databases of exotic and endemic flora present in canyons of the San Diego region. Luis earned his degree in Biology from San Diego State University.

Alan Hatcher, Cultural Affairs Advisor

Alan Hatcher will serve as a liaison, working across all programs to increase Tribal participation on bi-national issues, oversee program development that address the unique needs of Native and Indigenous communities, and help Terra Peninsular develop coalitions, strategic partnerships, and mutually beneficial support systems with other agencies and institutions.

Having gained the trust and respect of elders, tribal council, and community members, Alan is recognized as an outstanding advocate for Native Americans, raising awareness, advancing respect, and understanding of cultures, traditions, language, history, and teachings of the Native community. As advisor to the Intertribal Resource Protection Council, Alan worked with elected council leaders and was responsible for the dissemination of information, successfully negotiating on a tribal and council level, advocating for collective action. This strategic collaboration led all 14 tribes to stand united in opposition, approving $1.5 million dollars for litigation funding.

Earning his degree in Museum Studies and Liberal Arts, Alan has over ten years of experience as an Inter-Tribal Cultural Resource Monitor. Experienced with policy development and implementation across, and in conjunction with tribal leaders, Alan has served as Tribal liaison on behalf of Tribal Council on Native American initiatives and issues. A Cocopah Tribal Member, Alan is conversant in the Yuman Language and is a bird singer. Currently, Alan serves as advisor to Council Member LaBrake of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.

Federico Gama Barletti, Interinstitutional Relations Coordinator

A Mexico City native, Federico is the co-founder and Director of CAN TE AC, foundation which was awarded the environmental Merit Award in 1995 for its research work, conservation and protection of Mexican cacti, and for creating a Botanical Garden in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato. From 2002 to2009, Federico was the Fundraising Director at CONANP, where he started the land acquisition program using public and private legislation, which included a federal lands conservation program in collaboration with the Secretary of Agrarian Reform. From 2009 to 2011 Federico was in charge of the Federal Lands Conservation Program at the Secretary of Agrarian Reform, achieving the conservation of more than 2 million acres within protected areas all over Mexico. Federico holds a PhD in Sociology from the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques at Paris, a master's degree in Sociology from the Colegio de Mexico and a undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin

Board

Alan Harper, PhD, President, Finance, Executive, Development

Founder and past board vice-president, is a partner in AppMagic, a software development company. He is a conservationist active in California and Baja California. As US Co-chair of pro esteros he helped develop the Baja California Wetlands Inventory and coordinated the successful effort to prevent an American developer from building an environmentally destructive housing development at Bahía San Quintín. He sits on the boards of Audubon California, California League of Conservation Voters, the California Institute for Biodiversity, and Pro Peninsula. He is currently embarking on a project to photograph the matorral costero of Baja California.

Dan Silver, Vice President, Executive Committee, Development Committee

A physician by training, Dan was born in Los Angeles and attended the University of California at Berkeley and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1989, Dan led the effort to preserve the Santa Rosa Plateau in Riverside County. In 1991, after practicing internal medicine for 10 years, he retired to work full time on environmental issues. Dan is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Endangered Habitats League. Since its inception in 1991, Dan saw the organization emerge as a regional leader in conservation and growth management.. In 2004, the American Planning Association California Chapter honored Dan with its Outstanding Distinguished Leadership: Layperson Award.

Horacio de la Cueva, PhD, Secretary, Executive Committee

Founder and past board president, is Investigador Titular at the Ecology Department of the Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) in Ensenada, Baja California, where teaches ecology and evolutionary biology. He also teaches statistics and directs research in a joint masters program in environmental administration with COLEF, a humanities post-graduate institution focused on border issues. He currently directs the national committee for the reintroduction of the California Condor to Mexico; he is a founding member and education chair for the national committee on pinniped conservation; he is the CICESE representative on the Wildlife, bighorn sheep, and Sierra San Pedro Mártir park state committees.

C.P.C. Marco Isaac Navarro Steck, Treasurer, Finance Committee

Marco is a member of Navarro, Estudillo & Associates, SC, associated firm in the city of Ensenada, BC, where he works in the practice of audit and tax. He is a Fellow of the College of Chartered Accountants of Ensenada, BC, where he has been Vice-Chairman and member of the Fiscal Commission. He has been lecturer in several technical training courses in Business Forums, Public Accountants Associations and Universities.

Jerre Ann Stallcup, Board Member, Executive Committee

Jerre has been a respected and instrumental part of the Southern California conservation community for over 20 years, with experience in all aspects of landscape-scale conservation planning, implementation, monitoring, and management of natural resources in the U.S., Europe, and Mexico. She is effective in developing and orchestrating partnerships among the academic community, government agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private landowners to leverage funds and information for achieving conservation goals. Jerre has been with the Conservation Biology Institute for 10 years, working in California and Baja California. Jerre was originally inspired by her biologist parents, themselves both naturalists, and extensive camping trips in the Southwestern United States. Jerre received a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University and a M.A. in Zoology from the University of South Florida.

Roberto Valdes, Board Member

Board president, is a businessman living in Ensenada and specializing in legal structure for real estate, tourism and manufacturing companies in Mexico and Latinamerica. Since 1968 he has been president of the administrative advisory board of Grupo Valcas, a consortium of planning and regional development companies. He was a member of the advisory counsel of the governor of Baja California, and previously was director of public relations for the state government. He is on the board of Fronteras Unidas Pro-Salud, and health services organization and is a member of the San Diego Natural History Museum’s Binational Advisory Committee.

Eduardo Palacios, PhD, Board Member

Founder and board member, is on the faculty of Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE) in La Paz. His doctoral research at the University of California, Davis, examined the relation of nutrition and gender to growth and development of Brown Pelicans in the Sea of Cortez. Previously, he developed the Baja California Wetlands Inventory and associated web site for pro esteros. An avid birder, Eduardo has been advising conservation organizations and surveying the shore birds of Baja California for over 10 years.

Bart O'Brien, Board member

Is Director of Special Projects at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) in Claremont, CA, an educational institution dedicated to research, conservation, and horticulture of California native plants. Bart is also editor of Fremontia, the journal of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). A fifth generation Californian, he is an authority on the native flora of the state and of northern Baja California, Mexico and is an accomplished collector, grower, photographer, lecturer, and author. He is co-author of two books: the award winning California Native Plants for the Garden; and the bilingual Care & Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens – Cuidado y mantenimiento de jardines de plantas nativas del sur de California. O’Brien was listed as one of “The 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California” by the editorial staff of the Los Angeles Times/West Magazine (Aug. 13, 2006). He is currently leading the rare, endangered, and endemic vascular plants of northwestern Baja California, Mexico project.