Meet the Staff
Plumas Corporation has served as the fiscal agent for the Plumas County Fire Safe Council (PCFSC) since 2002. All project contracting and staff support for PCFSC work is provided through Plumas Corporation.
Staff
Hannah Hepner, Plumas County Fire Safe Council Coordinator
Hannah was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council via Plumas Corp in July 2016. She received her Bachelors of Science in Forestry and Natural Resources from UC Berkeley (2006), where she focused her Honors research on Fire Ecology. Subsequently Hannah gained experience with fuels assessment and prescribed burning with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia. She then turned her focus to sustainable agriculture and food security, acquiring a Certificate in Landscape Design and completing the Sierra Intensive Farmer Training program. Currently Hannah coordinates the activities of the Fire Safe Council, including grant writing and administration, outreach, and project development.
email Hannah
Matthew West, Project Manager
Matt was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in April of 2019. Matt received his Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in ecology from San Francisco State University. Prior to the Fire Safe Council, he worked for the Forest Service for 5 seasons as a Wildlife Bio Tech where he has helped oversee hazardous fuels reductions in over 1800 acres of our forest. He is also a Captain on Quincy Volunteer Fire Department and has been on several OES calls providing structure protection during wildland fire events. Currently, Matt oversees the preparation, implementation, and inspections of Fire Safe Council hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands throughout Plumas County.
email Matt
Bethany Rouse, Outreach Assistant
Bethany joined Plumas Corporation in the Fall of 2020. She has experience as a plant ecology research assistant, spent time with the public as an interpretive naturalist and has worked in outdoor education. She grew up in Quincy, CA and has a strong connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains as a home, source of inspiration and endless opportunities for recreation. She has varied experience from working with rural communities in Wisconsin, working on a permaculture farm in Hawaii to marine education at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She enjoys connecting with the public to gain a better understanding of natural resource management from a landowner and stakeholder’s perspective. Bethany holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Education and Interpretation from Humboldt State University. She plans on returning to school to gain a Master of Science in Ecology in the Human Dimension. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, going on hikes with her dog, watercolor painting, backpacking as well as film and digital photography.
email Bethany
Mike McCourt, Senior/Disabled Defensible Space Program Coordinator
Mike joined Plumas Corporation and the Plumas Fire Safe Council in May 2014. He came to this position with over 30 years of experience from the U.S. Forest Service on various National Forests in Northern California. Starting his career on the Klamath National Forest in 1976 as a temporary firefighter and finishing his career as a District Assistant Fire Management Officer on the Plumas National Forest in 2006. During this time he held positions as a firefighter, Hotshot Foreman, Fire Prevention Technician, Fire Engine Captain, and Fuels Management Officer. After retiring from the Forest Service he contracted with the Forest Service to provide oversight on prescribed burning. He also worked during fire emergencies for the Forest Service doing District dispatching during lightning storms and worked as District Duty Officer during periods of high fire danger. For the last six years he has volunteered with Achieve Tahoe as a ski instructor working with people with disabilities to enable them to enjoy independence through winter sport activities.
email Mike
Gary Parque, Community Chipping Program Coordinator
Gary is a recent employee of the PC FSC - hired to establish an ongoing chipping program. He has been involved with forestry, firefighting, fuels, and been a wrangler and cook for outfitters, and an artist since 1972.
email Gary
Jim Wilcox, Executive Director & Geomorphic Restoration Specialist
Jim Wilcox has 24 years of direct experience in all phases of watershed analysis and geomorphic restoration. He is currently a watershed restoration specialist with Plumas Corporation where he serves as senior geomorphic restoration project manager. Jim is responsible for design specifications and construction supervision. He has been responsible for the implementation and effectiveness monitoring of over 45 restoration projects in the Feather River as well as other Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds encompassing more than 51 miles of stream channel and 4,500+ acres of associated riparian areas in a wide variety of channel types and settings. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous short course seminars and co-instructor of the ‘Geomorphic Restoration and Watershed Assessment’ course through San Francisco State University as well as presentations at numerous fisheries, ecological and restoration society conferences. In 2010, Jim received the National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration.
Teresa Arrate, Administrative Assistant and Grant Administrator
email Teresa
Staff
Hannah Hepner, Plumas County Fire Safe Council Coordinator
Hannah was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council via Plumas Corp in July 2016. She received her Bachelors of Science in Forestry and Natural Resources from UC Berkeley (2006), where she focused her Honors research on Fire Ecology. Subsequently Hannah gained experience with fuels assessment and prescribed burning with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia. She then turned her focus to sustainable agriculture and food security, acquiring a Certificate in Landscape Design and completing the Sierra Intensive Farmer Training program. Currently Hannah coordinates the activities of the Fire Safe Council, including grant writing and administration, outreach, and project development.
email Hannah
Matthew West, Project Manager
Matt was hired by the Plumas County Fire Safe Council in April of 2019. Matt received his Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in ecology from San Francisco State University. Prior to the Fire Safe Council, he worked for the Forest Service for 5 seasons as a Wildlife Bio Tech where he has helped oversee hazardous fuels reductions in over 1800 acres of our forest. He is also a Captain on Quincy Volunteer Fire Department and has been on several OES calls providing structure protection during wildland fire events. Currently, Matt oversees the preparation, implementation, and inspections of Fire Safe Council hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands throughout Plumas County.
email Matt
Bethany Rouse, Outreach Assistant
Bethany joined Plumas Corporation in the Fall of 2020. She has experience as a plant ecology research assistant, spent time with the public as an interpretive naturalist and has worked in outdoor education. She grew up in Quincy, CA and has a strong connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains as a home, source of inspiration and endless opportunities for recreation. She has varied experience from working with rural communities in Wisconsin, working on a permaculture farm in Hawaii to marine education at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She enjoys connecting with the public to gain a better understanding of natural resource management from a landowner and stakeholder’s perspective. Bethany holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management with an emphasis in Education and Interpretation from Humboldt State University. She plans on returning to school to gain a Master of Science in Ecology in the Human Dimension. In her free time she enjoys rock climbing, going on hikes with her dog, watercolor painting, backpacking as well as film and digital photography.
email Bethany
Mike McCourt, Senior/Disabled Defensible Space Program Coordinator
Mike joined Plumas Corporation and the Plumas Fire Safe Council in May 2014. He came to this position with over 30 years of experience from the U.S. Forest Service on various National Forests in Northern California. Starting his career on the Klamath National Forest in 1976 as a temporary firefighter and finishing his career as a District Assistant Fire Management Officer on the Plumas National Forest in 2006. During this time he held positions as a firefighter, Hotshot Foreman, Fire Prevention Technician, Fire Engine Captain, and Fuels Management Officer. After retiring from the Forest Service he contracted with the Forest Service to provide oversight on prescribed burning. He also worked during fire emergencies for the Forest Service doing District dispatching during lightning storms and worked as District Duty Officer during periods of high fire danger. For the last six years he has volunteered with Achieve Tahoe as a ski instructor working with people with disabilities to enable them to enjoy independence through winter sport activities.
email Mike
Gary Parque, Community Chipping Program Coordinator
Gary is a recent employee of the PC FSC - hired to establish an ongoing chipping program. He has been involved with forestry, firefighting, fuels, and been a wrangler and cook for outfitters, and an artist since 1972.
email Gary
Jim Wilcox, Executive Director & Geomorphic Restoration Specialist
Jim Wilcox has 24 years of direct experience in all phases of watershed analysis and geomorphic restoration. He is currently a watershed restoration specialist with Plumas Corporation where he serves as senior geomorphic restoration project manager. Jim is responsible for design specifications and construction supervision. He has been responsible for the implementation and effectiveness monitoring of over 45 restoration projects in the Feather River as well as other Sierra Nevada and Cascade watersheds encompassing more than 51 miles of stream channel and 4,500+ acres of associated riparian areas in a wide variety of channel types and settings. He has been a guest lecturer at numerous short course seminars and co-instructor of the ‘Geomorphic Restoration and Watershed Assessment’ course through San Francisco State University as well as presentations at numerous fisheries, ecological and restoration society conferences. In 2010, Jim received the National Wetlands Award for Conservation and Restoration.
Teresa Arrate, Administrative Assistant and Grant Administrator
email Teresa