Blue Sky Meadow
L.A. County Outdoor Science School
RT Hawke
Lead Naturalist Instructor
Kathleen Mitchell
Outdoor School Principal
This will be Kathleen’s 27th year as the Principal of the Outdoor Science School. After earning a BA in psychology at UC Davis, she worked for three years as a naturalist for an Outdoor Education Program in Texas. Back in California, Kathleen worked for both the state and national park system and earned a teaching credential from CSU Sacramento. Kathleen also has a master’s degree in Environmental Education from CSUSB. In addition to her degrees and credential, she has extensive course work in various sciences, is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and recently attended (and encourages others to attend!) a session with the Forestry Institute for Teachers.
RT Hawke keeps track of our plants and animals here at Blue Sky Meadow, along with being the Preserve Manager and Lead Naturalist Instructor. He graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Natural History. RT has taught for the L.A. County Outdoor Science School for 26 years. He migrated to Blue Sky Meadow from the LACOSS Wrightwood site, where he spent 15 years. He has also taught for programs in Santa Clara and Monterey counties, National Audubon’s Camp in the Rockies, and Victor Valley College. RT loves plants, birds, rocks, traveling and playing bridge
Max Duggins grew up in Southern Illinois, on the Ohio River in the heart of the Shawnee National Forest. He earned his B.S. degree in Biological Science from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. There he performed original research in Material Science and Nanotechnology. He completed the Outdoor Science Instructor internship at the Malibu Outdoor Science School in June 2011. While not working indoors, he enjoys rock climbing, boating, wakeboarding, and soaking up as much sun as he can. Blue Sky Meadow Outdoor Science School provides opportunities for all of his passions and he is happy as a bivalve (clam) to be here.
Juliann (Juice) Schamel grew up in Alaska at the edge of the Arctic Ocean. She had the chance to thaw out at Stanford University, where she earned a degree in ecology and creative writing. After studying arctic shorebirds and foxes in Alaska and Finland and parrots and flying foxes in Australia, she recognized the value of getting children excited about science and outdoors and came to Blue Sky Meadow to share her love of the mountains and forest with kids. She enjoys dancing, animals of all shapes and sizes, baking pastries and croissants, reading, and riding her scooter.
Max Duggins
Naturalist Instructor
Juliann Schamel
Naturalist Instructor
Meet Our Staff!
The staff of Blue Sky Meadow Outdoor Science School come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but we all have (at least!) one thing in common - we all love to share our excitement for the outdoors with visitors. Blue Sky Meadow is an incredible place to live and work, and our community looks forward to welcoming you to our mountain home.
Francisco Palmer
Naturalist Instructor
Natacha Walters
Natrualist Instructor
Jeffrey Klakovich
Naturalist Instructor
Shaun Hawke
Site Manager
Natacha (Tacha) Walters fondest memories from her childhood, back in central Illinois, involve riding four-wheelers, hiking, and spending quality time with her family on their farm. She grew up playing sports and loves being part of the team here at Blue Sky Meadow. Tacha attended the University of Illinois at Springfield, where she majored in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Elementary Education, and she received her K-8 teaching license. Starting at Blue Sky Meadow as an intern naturalist in the spring of 2013, she quickly fell in love with environmental education! In her spare time, she loves playing in the ocean, horseback riding, reading, and jamming out to country music.
Francisco (Cisco) Palmer has always loved the outdoors. He grew up in Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley and attended Virginia Tech, where he earned a B.S. in Biology. After college, Cisco worked at two private schools before moving into a teaching position at a public school. His love for outdoor education began when he went to Massachusetts and worked a season with Nature’s Classroom. He moved to California nine years ago, and worked for Orange County Outdoor Science School for six great years. In his free time Cisco is a bird nerd that enjoys traveling around the world and exploring local fields, woodlots, creeks and ponds in search of anything nature has to offer.
Shaun Hawke loves working at beautiful Blue Sky Meadow. She is in charge of the facility and Foundation programming. Shaun grew up in west Los Angeles, but earned her Bachelor's degree, as well as a graduate certificate in education, from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She also has training as an Emergency Medical Technician. She taught for Santa Clara County's outdoor science program and for National Audubon’s Camp in the Rockies. She was with L.A. County Outdoor Science Schools for 21 years. Shaun likes riddles, looking at the stars and kids who remember to be kind to others.
Jeff grew up in Duarte and Yosemite National Park. After graduating with a degree in Environmental and Earth Sciences from UC Santa Cruz, he went on to work as a Naturalist guide in the heart of Denali National Park, Alaska. Jeff is excited to spend his winters close to his hometown, sharing his excitement about the outdoors with 5th and 6th graders, and everyone who visits Blue Sky Meadow.
Gus Rodriguez
Maintenance Rockstar
Gus Rodriguez grew up in Guatemala City and enjoyed traveling throughout the Central American and South Mexican rain forests. After earning a degree at Mexico State University, he moved back to Central America to work for Schlumberger Oil Exploration, participating in several oil engineering projects. Then, he moved to Southern California to work for several building maintenance companies. For the past five years, Gus has been working for Blue Sky Meadow as the most wonderful maintenance man ever! He keeps the site running by using his abilities – that surpass most – in regard to generators, snow plows, water pumps and much more. When away from Blue Sky Meadow, Gus enjoys spending time with his family, playing soccer and racquetball, and listening to music. If you see Gus around campus, make sure to give him a huge “thank you” for all of his hard work.