Board & Staff — Bear Paw

Meet the Staff

Krystal Balanoff (she/they)

Executive Director
Krystal envisions a world where healthy forests are conserved by the communities who love them, farmers are empowered and abundant, and everyone can form a strong connection to the land. Krystal holds a Stormwater Management Certification as well as a degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in watershed management from the University of New Hampshire and has been a New Hampshire Natural Resource Steward since 2012. Krystal's personal passions include botany, walking in the woods, exploring swamps, cooking and foraging, and stewarding a 20-acre forested homestead in Northwood with her husband.
Reach out to Krystal at k.balanoff@bear-paw.org
Juli Tyson (she/they)

Stewardship Coordinator
Juli implements Bear Paw’s stewardship program and oversees basic land management activities, her passion for wildlife, particularly birds, inspires her to support the mission of Bear-Paw. Juli pursued Environmental Studies and Natural Resources at UVM and served in AmeriCorps for Winooski Valley Park District out of Burlington, VT. She has served on multiple boards since 2019 and currently serves the Seacoast Chapter of NH Audubon and Newmarket’s Conservation Commission. If she’s not volunteering, you will find Juli deep in the woods, birding or riding one of her two horses. She also enjoys keeping a small vegetable garden, attending local music shows, and spending time on her little farm in Newmarket with her partner and their seven animals. .

Reach out to Juli at j.tyson@bear-paw.org
Chloe Schoppmeyer (she/her)

Membership and Development Coordinator
Chloe comes to Bear Paw after she most recently served as the Membership Manager at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, driving community engagement and membership initiatives. Chloe has spent her decade-long career in museums working to preserve history and conserve spaces where the stories of the past can live on to serve future generations. A versatile artist, Chloe's primary medium is photography. She holds the position of Vice President on the Board at Mosaic Arts Collective, a small community gallery in Manchester, where she also has a studio space as a resident artist. In pursuit of a more tranquil lifestyle, Chloe relocated from the hustle and bustle of Manchester to the Loudon Ridge this year. Now, she spends her time gardening and enjoying the company of her three dogs, finding peace and happiness in nature.

Reach out to Chloe at c.schoppmeyer@bear-paw.org

Bear-Paw has a wonderful, all-volunteer Board of Directors that sets policy and works to see organizational goals become completed projects. Several of our board members also serve on local Conservation Commissions or work with other organizations involved in natural resource protection. We aim to have representatives from each of our member towns serving on the board.
The Bear-Paw Board meets once a month, and is supported by the following committees:

Lands Committee
Outreach Committee
Development Committee
Finance Committee
Governance Committee

If you're interested in serving on the board or a committee, contact the office or one of our board members!

In addition to the Board and Committee members, Bear-Paw has a dedicated team of volunteers who help us complete our mission through work both in the office and in the field.