Meet our Naturalists in Training!
Mark Adair
Mark Adair works as an engineering technician with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality monitoring air quality in the Beaumont/Port Arthur region. He has a degree in wildlife ecology and management from Texas A&M University, and has always enjoyed being outdoors.
Mark spent a summer working as an intern with Texas Parks and Wildlife doing vegetation samples for the resource management department. He’s looking forward to becoming a Texas Master Naturalist and learning more about the ecology of this area, as well as meeting others that enjoy learning about nature.
Mark lives in Beaumont with his wife, Amanda. In his spare time, he enjoys playing disc golf, camping, and hiking.
Best way to contact Mark: madair83@hotmail.com
Melinda Barnes
Melinda Barnes lives in Vidor.She is married and has a wonderful son and daughter in law. She has been a registered nurse for 28 yrs. but is now retired. She has 2 dogs and 7 gold fish living in the backyard.
Best way to contact Melinda: lindy662@gt.rr.com
Kim Cessac
Kim Cessac grew up in Nederland and has been living in Beaumont for the past 5 years. Kim lives in Beaumont with her fiancé Karl and her labrador, Lady. She got her B.S. and M.S. at Lamar University and works at the LNVA Saltwater Barrier as an environmental analyst. She has always been an outdoors girl, and loves to venture outside to see what kinds of flora and fauna can be found. Kim looks forward to networking with other Texas Master Naturalists in the program, and learning everything that the program has to offer.
Best way to contact Kim: kcessac20@aol.com
Glenn DuttonIn what little spare time he has, Glenn listens to, sings, and plays music (trumpet), reads histories, western novels, and writings related to religion and spirituality. He also stays busy caring for his five cats, cleaning and repairing the house and doing yard work. He enjoys traveling everywhere in the continental US and outside to Canada, Alaska, Germany, and England/Scotland.
“I got involved in the Texas Master Naturalist program because I have always enjoyed the informational talks presented by the rangers at our National and State Parks,” Glenn says. “I wanted to develop the knowledge to present similar material wherever I have the opportunity.”
Best way to contact Glenn: gldu@aol.com
Sue Harris Born and raised in Orange County, Sue Harris lives in the Little Cypress area. Growing up in the country, and middle sister of two brothers, she climbed trees, camped, rode horses, played every sport and spent many hours exploring the outdoors… “I can still hear my mother’s favorite words…go play outside.”
Sue worked as a schoolteacher, bookkeeper, and museum educator. Still working part time as the Stark Reading Contest Coordinator for the Stark Foundation and part owner of an old feed store in Orange, she is enjoying her freedom from full time employment.“When I’m not outside with my gardening activities or foraging for mushrooms with the Master Naturalists, I like to knit and paint with watercolors.
“The Texas Master Naturalist class sounded exciting from the first time I heard about it…actually it was several years ago but the class was in Houston and too far to drive. I’ve enjoyed the diversity of our TMN group, all our adventures and training sessions, and look forward to many more escapades with my new Master Naturalists friends.”
Sue is married to Gus and they are parents of two sons, Scott and Lee, and daughter-in-law, Jamia. Two black Labs, Jackson, and Amy, two horses, and two mules complete the Harris entourage.
Tara Janise
Tara Janise is an Environmental Air Technician with INVISTA – Orange where she helps with equipment monitoring and reporting. She is also a mother of two very busy children who also love and enjoy the outdoors.
Tara and her family enjoy offshore fishing, all water activities (whether lake, river, bayou, or beach), camping, hiking, sports, traveling, and animals – especially reptiles. They pretty much enjoy anything outdoors and are open to any opportunities in which to expand their knowledge and experiences!
Tara is very excited about the Texas Master Naturalist Program and the opportunities and acquaintances it brings. She loves working with others especially when making improvements in the natural world. She looks forward to learning more about the native Texas ecology and how she can help to make a difference in our community.
Best way to contact Tara: tara.janise@INVISTA.com
Pam Lewis
Pam is a Program Manager at the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission where she manages several programs, including the South East Texas Coalition for the Homeless and a housing weatherization and energy conservation rehab program. She is on the Coordinating Council for the local chapter of Sierra Club and is also the webmaster for the group.
Pam and her hubby have 5 doggies; a black lab mix named Twinkie, a Jack Russell named PeeWee and three Chihuahuas- Sméagol, Teddy and Sam. She enjoys cooking, gardening, kayaking, camping, movies, traveling and reading among a dozen other hobbies.
Best way to contact Pam: gtsierragroup@aol.com
Sharon OdegarShe is married to David, and they have five children and 3 delightful grandchildren. She loves introducing the grandkids to plants, bugs, birds, animals, shells, stars, etc., as she did with her children. Over the years, they also raised a multitude of pets: dogs, cats, fish, hamsters, turtles, rabbits and horses.
Sharon attended McNeese State University, worked as a secretary in a CPA office, then stayed home and raised children. When the oldest child reached college age, she went to work for Gulf States Utilities, Co. in the Regulatory Affairs Department.
She is active in several organizations like the Native Plant Society of Texas, Beaumont Council of Garden Clubs, and Master Gardeners, and is on the Board of Directors for the Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust. She has been a volunteer at Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center since 2003. She also enjoys giving talks and slide presentations about Native Plants to many different groups.
Now she has completed the Texas Master Naturalist program. “This is a course I have known about for several years, and have talked with people about starting a group in Orange. Now one of my dreams has come true!” she says.
Best way to contact Sharon: odegar@att.net
Carl Ortmann
Carl Ortmann works for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as an Environmental Investigator in the Air Section. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Wildlife Sciences. Carl lives in Lumberton with his wife Blair and their boxer puppy Schroeder, where he enjoys his hobbies of reading, hiking, gardening, and cooking. Carl also considers himself bit of a science nerd and loves music. He was raised on a ranch in south central Texas Carl often disappeared to go play in the brush. This has since developed into a love of the outdoors and nature in general. “I like learning about and knowing how and why things work the way they do in nature.”
Best way to contact Carl: cortmann@tceq.state.tx.us
Royce Pendergast
Royce’s husband says he had to get her out of a tree to marry her. She does not deny this. A retired speech pathologist, Royce now enjoys wearing different hats – daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and owner of goldendoodle, Annie.
Her hobbies include gardening for butterflies and birdwatching. She is a past field editor for Birds and Bloom magazine and writer for the Orange newspaper. Currently she is writing nature articles for houstonexaminer http://www.examiner.com/x-28498-Houston-Nature-Examiner.
Royce loves the Master Naturalist training. It brings all of the joys of childhood back as you scamper around in the out of doors. The instructors challenge you and the other participants become family. What could be more perfect!
Best way to contact Royce: royce@gt.rr.com
Alexie Rutledge
Alexie Rutledge was born and raised in Southeast Texas. She grew up with no neighbors close by, and had only the critters to pay with. The woods were her playground.
Alexie was married at age 18 and focused all of her energy into raising children until the last few years. Now remarried, with more time and opportunity to explore her own passions and interests, she is once again reveling in the outdoors. Alexie and her husband like to go fishing at the beach or in kayaks, but she recently decided to start bringing her sketchbook and binnoculars along. She feels that gives her a little more action on the trips, since she hasn’t actually caught a fish since 2008.
Alexie has always wanted to get invoved in something like this, but never knew it existed. “I’m so thankful to have all the little paths in my life merge together and lead me to the TMN,” Alexie says. “I’ve enjoyed all the varied subjects we’ve delved into and getting to know all the like-minded people. (I) can’t wait to see where this leads…”
Best way to contact Alexie: oleladyintheshoe@yahoo.com
Bruce Walker
Bruce Walker is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a B.S. Degree in Business & Economics. He is the General Manager of Time Warner Cable Media Sales for the Golden Triangle Area and has been in television advertising since 1989. Bruce is a member of the Beaumont Rotary Club.
He currently services as Local Chair of the Golden Triangle Group Sierra Club. He has attended several Sierra Club leadership training seminars in San Francisco and at the Clair Tappaan Lodge in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He attended a Wilderness Protection seminar in Phoenix. Bruce served as a Citizen Lobbyist in Washington D.C. as an advocate for wildlife habitat protection for the National Wildlife Federation.
Bruce is Co-Founder and Co-Chair of Citizens Protecting the Neches River, a coalition of sportsmen, businessmen, conservationists, and other Southeast Texas leaders who would like to see a study of the Neches river as a possible National Wild and Scenic River. Bruce says, “We see the WSR designation as the best way to ensure healthy forest, lakes, estuaries, and bays. In turn, this would mean sustained ecotourism, hunting, and fishing as well as water for our communities and industries.”
Bruce is married to Kathryn Walker, who is currently serving as President of our local Texas Master Naturalist Chapter. They are both active in conservation and environmental issues, as well as civic activities. They are members in other environmental organizations including the Big Thicket Association, Clean Air & Water, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, and Friends of the Neches River.
Bruce says, “I am excited to participate in the Texas Master Naturalist program because it broadens my knowledge of our Texas eco-systems and the need to protect our natural resources and wildlife habitats.”
Bruce and Kathryn love to travel to interesting places around the world, and love to hike anywhere. They are active paddlers in the Southeast Texas Kayak & Canoe Club and also enjoy exploring Texas. They have two grown children Jennifer and Tyler, and they have four grandchildren: Tony 14, Charlie 9, Jack 5, and Annie 2. They live in Beaumont with Sunny the Golden Retriever. Sunny has two cats: Max and Houdini.
Best way to contact Bruce: bwalker@gt.rr.com
Kathryn Walker
Kathryn Walker is originally from Nacogdoches, but has lived in the Beaumont area for about 15 years. She and her husband Bruce have 2 grown children who live in the Dallas area, and 4 amazing grandchildren, plus a golden retriever named Sunny.
Kathryn is employed by the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission running a Money Management Program for low income or disabled people who have been victims of financial exploitation or who are not able to manage their income due to a physical or mental disability. She is retired from the Social Security Administration where she worked for 33 years. She has a BA & MA from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches.
Kathryn enjoys kayaking, reading, hiking, cooking, traveling, and knitting. She likes almost everything about the class, such as visiting special natural places in the surrounding area, as well as the classroom experience. “I am looking forward to some rewarding volunteer experiences, as well as getting to know the people in our class better,” Kathryn says.
Best way to contact Kathryn: kwalker@setrpc.org
