Board of Directors
Professor Luke Danielson is our executive director. He is a faculty member at Western Colorado University, served two terms on the Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Board, and was three times its Chair. He led the multi stakeholder process that developed Colorado’s current Mined Land Reclamation Act. As a faculty member at the University of Chile, he did the first study of the feasibility of mined land legislation for the Chilean Mines Ministry, and has advised the governments of Peru, Mongolia, and Romania on their abandoned mines programs, and was a Trustee of the Colorado Abandoned Mine fund. BA (economics) Antioch College and J.D. University of California at Berkeley.
Dr. John McCray is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. His research focuses on chemical transport in hydrologic systems, and generally utilizes a combination of field, laboratory, and modeling work.
Dr. David Gonzales is a professor of geology at Fort Lewis College. He is an alumnus of Fort Lewis College and holds a PhD in Geology and Isotope Geochemistry from the University of Kansas. His principle research interests are focused on geologic systems of the earth with emphasis on igneous and metamorphic rocks, tectonics, and hydrothermal ore systems.
Andrew Watson is the Head of Planning and Technical at BHP’s Legacy Assets, based in Denver Colorado.
Dr. Justin Pomeranz is a faculty member in the Environmental Sciences department at Colorado Mesa University. His research is primarily focused on the ecological impacts of legacy mining activities to the insect and fish communities living in streams.
Dr. Mark Paschke is a Professor of Restoration Ecology in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship at Colorado State University.
Advisory board members Scott Effner and Dr. Jennie DeMarco supervise the calibration of field water quality equipment by a Western MEM student.
Our Advisory Board
WARM has an Advisory Board of experts in different disciplines both inside and outside Colorado academic institutions who are willing to share their skills to assist in building skills for students, collaborating with faculty, and other tasks supporting WARM’s mission.
Kirstin Brown is a Colorado Department of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety mine safety specialist.
Dr. Peter Butler has been involved in Colorado water issues for 35 years. He currently coordinates the Animas River Stakeholders Group and has also served on the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission, including three years as chair. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics, a master’s degree in economics, and a Ph.D. in natural resource policy.
Dr. Jennie DeMarco is an ecosystem ecologist and professor at Western Colorado University. She incorporates plant ecology and soil biochemistry to understand how land use changes impact carbon and nutrients are cycled in terrestrial ecosystems.
Scott Effner is a Senior Principal Hydrogeologist at Alloy Group. He is a registered Professional Geologist and has 30 years of consulting experience in mining hydrogeology and geochemistry. Scott holds a master’s of Science in Geology from the University of Idaho. He is also an alumnus of Western where he earned his undergraduate.
Dr. Ann Maest is an aqueous geochemist with expertise in the fate and transport of natural and anthropogenic contaminants in groundwater, surface water, and sediment. Her main area of research and practical work is on the water quality effects of mining. Ann works as a consultant at Buka Environmental in Boulder, Colorado, and is Principal Scientist for E-Tech International, a nonprofit organization working with indigenous and local communities in Latin America. She has a PhD from Princeton University in Geochemistry and Water Resources.
Carl Mount has more than 35 years of experience in reclamation and permitting of mining and resource development in the Western United States, Indonesia, and South and Central America. He has a Master of Science in Range Ecology (Mined Land Reclamation) from Colorado State University.
Jason Willis is the Colorado Abandoned Mine Land Program Manager for Trout Unlimited based in Salida, Colorado. He has received a B.S. in Plastics Engineering Technology from Penn State Behrend and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Steve Renner is a contractor working with the Department of Energy who has more than 35 years of mined land reclamation and restoration experience. Steve spent 30 plus years with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety primarily completing reclamation of abandoned mine sites in Colorado. Subsequently, Steve helped develop the US Department of Energy’s Defense Related Uranium Mines inventory and sampling program. Steve, a geologist, incorporates principles of geomorphic restoration into mined land reclamation and restoration projects. Steve is an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences at Colorado Mesa University.
Brian Briggs is a professional mining engineer with over 35 years' experience in the Mining Industry having worked all over Africa, Northern Canada and the Western USA. Brian has been the CEO of Ouray Silver Mines since 2015 and is also the Chief Operating Officer of the parent company, Aurcana Silver. Over the last 6 years Brian has focused on the technical evaluation and restart of the Revenue-Virginius Mine near Ouray, Colorado which is estimated to be back in production by mid-August of 2021 and currently employs 150 personnel. Brian has overseen the rejuvenation of this mine including the mill design, choice of mining method and has personally overseen the Environmental and Social License aspects of the mine. Brian is also a Director of the Colorado Mining Association as well as a Board Member of Honey Badger Silver a public company. His active in numerous other non-profit groups and is a Ouray Ice Park Board member and a Technical Advisor for the Western Association for Restoration Management. He is a 6th generation mining engineer from Ouray, Colorado and is happy to be working back home.
Todd Jesse is an Environmental Specialist with Ouray Silver Mines Inc. where he oversees environmental permitting and water quality compliance. Prior to entering industry, he studied mine reclamation as a graduate student in environmental management at Western Colorado University. He is also an alumnus of the University of Colorado - Boulder where he earned an undergraduate degree in geology. His principle interests include sustainability in the mining industry, social/environmental justice with regards to overseas resource extraction, and improving water quality impacted by historic mining.
David Wykoff Is a geologist and mine manager with Barrick Gold Corporation. He has more than 30 years of experience in environmental and mine reclamation, specializing in radioactive waste clean-up. Dave started out as an exploration geologist for gold before moving into oil and gas exploration. He then worked designing, constructing and operating portable water treatment units in the San Juan Basin. Dave worked for 15 years on the Environmental Restoration Project at Los Alamos National Laboratory before coming on board with Barrick Gold. Dave is an alumnus of Adams State University.