SSLT STAFF

Amme has been a resident of Iowa for most of her life. After earning a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Cinema from the University of Iowa, Amme relocated to Idaho in 2020. In 2022, Amme earned a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Management at Idaho State University where her research focused on wolf management and policy in Idaho. During her academic career, Amme enrolled in courses relevant for working at the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust, including Nonprofit Management.

During the summer of 2022, Amme served as the Sagebrush Steppe Land Trust’s Stewardship Intern. During this time, she assisted with conservation easement monitoring and setting up our Landscape database. She is thrilled to return to the land trust as a full-time employee and remains dedicated to helping landowners and members of Southeast Idaho reach their land protection goals!

When Amme is not working, she stays involved in the High Desert Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists and explores trails of Southeast Idaho with her dog, Rio. She also likes to cook, crochet, read, and draw in her free time.

Matthew Coombs grew up in northern Utah helping his dad and grandfather on the family’s small farm and cattle ranch. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from the University of Idaho before moving to South America where he spent 3.5 years working with the Peace Corps to support local communities in sustainable agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resources projects.

Matt met his wife, Casey, just before leaving Ecuador and returned to her home state of New York where they spent several years working with and managing small farms and community supported agriculture programs in New York’s Hudson Valley. Matt became involved with the Orange County Land Trust (OCLT) after hosting one of their events at a farm he was managing and eventually went to work assisting with land stewardship and the development of several community-based conservation projects with both OCLT and Groundwork Hudson Valley.

Matt and Casey returned to Utah in 2011 to attend graduate school at Utah State University where Matt studied landscape architecture and earned a Master’s degree in Bioregional Planning. Matt’s graduate work included a baseline study to support a comprehensive management plan for Utah’s sovereign land resources along the Bear River. He was hired by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands as the Bear River Area Sovereign Lands Coordinator and spent 7 years working on everything from environmental permitting to vegetation management, recreational access and infrastructure projects at Bear Lake, Bear River and the north end of the Great Salt Lake.

Matt and Casey live in Cache Valley where they enjoy sharing the region’s many wonderful outdoor and recreational opportunities with their two children, Claire and Ben. Matt looks forward to working with private landowners and partners throughout the Bear River Watershed to help preserve critical components of the landscape, support the livelihoods of local farmers and ranchers, and maintain our rich quality of life and regional identity for future generations.

Eric Pankau is a local of Southeast Idaho. Born in Idaho Falls and spending most of his childhood exploring Idaho’s mountain areas. Eric completed his bachelors degree in Environmental Studies at Boise State University, focusing on natural resources management and Geographic Information Systems. While working on his undergraduate degree Eric worked a unique series of jobs including salmon supplementation and post release monitoring, vineyard surveying, sage grouse diet analysis and pack rat nest aging. After this, Eric and his wife Caitlin moved to Alaska to live and work on a remote island facility focusing on large scale salmon production.

Following this foray in the Pacific Northwest, Eric and family moved back to southeast Idaho working for IDFG in the public fish hatchery system, until switching gears to work as a high school ecology and natural resources teacher. Eric is a former teacher at Pocatello High School. They have a lovely 9 year old daughter named Isobel. Most recently Eric completed a masters degree in Education from Idaho State University and has been rounding out his range and forestry science/management skills working with agency and industry professionals to develop a dynamic curriculum for local high schoolers. He is an avid big game hunter and fisherman and loves pretty much anything outdoors. He looks forward to helping the SSLT meet their growing stewardship program needs.

Lily grew up in south central Idaho spending her youth outdoors cultivating her love for snowmelt fed rivers, steep, sagebrush blanketed hillsides, valley bottom hay meadows, and all the magnificent wildlife that call that landscape home. Her love of the land led her to a B.S. in Biology from Principia College where she gained a greater understanding of how intertwined environmental conservation is with social and economical issues. After some hands-on wildlife research experiences with Leatherback Sea Turtles and Sea Otters, she found her way to the imperativeness of land conservation and management in wildlife population health and longevity.

After working as a veterinary technician for 4 years in her hometown she moved to Gunnison, Colorado where she received her Master’s of Environmental Land Management. During her time in Gunnison, she gained experience working with the agricultural community, public land agencies, and other private land holding organizations. She is happy to be back in her home state doing work to conserve and regenerate the land and communities she loves the most. 

Matt Martens grew up on a 3rd generation grain farm in the Oklahoma panhandle and went on to study Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University. A lifelong outdoorsman, Matt spent his weekends training birddogs, guiding hunters for quail and pheasant, and taking trips across the west where he developed a deep passion for wild places and untrammeled landscapes.

In 2013, Matt began teaching fly-fishing on the Cimarron River in New Mexico, and in 2014 he moved to Idaho Falls where he continued guiding fly-fishing and hunting in many areas across Idaho, Montana, and Texas. In the following years, Matt served as Director of Recreation for a 30,000-acre working cattle ranch in West Texas and a 1,200 acre 5-star lodge in Paradise Valley, Montana where he launched fly-fishing programs on the Yellowstone River, Wildlife Educational Tours inside Yellowstone National Park, and a myriad of responsible land-use programs including big-game hunting, trap/long-range shooting, ATV/hiking/cycling trails, archery courses, and more.

For the last two years, Matt has served as a licensed real estate agent and Land Specialist in southeast Idaho for Whitetail Properties, a brokerage which specializes in farm, ranch, and outdoor recreational properties. Matt lives with his three amazing daughters who continually remind him why the future of our natural resources and responsible land management is so important, and he is passionate about connecting with landowners to help them achieve their conservation, legacy, and stewardship goals.