March 2015
Chris Foito
Filmmaker
Chris is a filmmaker and outdoor educator. His work as a freelance cinematographer has been used by outlets such as, National Geographic, Cornell University, Ithaca College and the Chicagoist’s “Music Video of The Day”. Chris is interested in exploring how visual mediums work to engage non-environmentally conscience viewers to learn about a new perspective as well as exploring how to incorporate at least a little humor into each project. When Chris is not working on a film he is on his bicycle, climbing, or leading an outdoor recreation program. Check him out here.
Mark Whitmore
Entomologist
Mark is a Forest Entomologist at Cornell University. Mark has been studying Adelgids for over 30 years starting in the Pacific Northwest and now in the east. He an expert in the battle against the hemlock woolly adelgid. He loves the outdoors in both summer and winter and is really pissed off that there is a bug that could kill all the hemlocks so he is giving the effort to save these magnificent and important trees everything he can.
Yula
Narrator
Yula Kapetanakos happily considers herself a conservation biologist, although she plans to spend the rest of her life trying to put herself out of a job. She started her career at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center working with the Whooping Crane recovery program in the early 1990’s and has focused on wildlife issues ever since. She has a M.S. in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University where she worked on critically endangered Asian vultures. A passion for nature and an appreciation for the power of visual media drove Yula to later work as an Associate Producer for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Multimedia Unit where she helped produce documentaries on globally threatened birds. She is now working on International wildlife issues in Washington DC as a science and technology policy Fellow. She’s a big fan of fighting for the underdog and of locally sustainable initiatives such as small-scale organic agriculture. She strongly believes it will take creative solutions to change how humans impact our world and that it’s worth fighting to make that change happen.
Sean Callahan
Climbing Advisor
Sean Callahan is a tree climbing instructor and canopy researcher from Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in forest ecology at the University of Washington in Seattle Washington and has a B.S. in Natural Resources from Cornell University. He has worked with forest insect pests in New York, Arizona, and New Mexico, and hopes to continue studying and protecting the trees he loves so much.
Kimberly Bunker
Additional Writing
Kimberly Bunker is an award-winning fiction writer whose stories have been seen in Glimmer Train, Portable Magic, PANK Magazine, Used Furniture Review, Storychord, and others. She currently lives in Rochester, NY, where she teaches creative writing at SUNY Geneseo and Writers & Books. She earned her MFA from St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, NY in 2015. When she’s not writing, she’s learning a new vegan recipe or practicing aerial silks.
Rebecca Sibner
Herself/Production Assistant
Becky is the FORCES Program Specialist for the Finger Lakes Region. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Ithaca College, and first became involved with NYS OPRHP during the summer of 2013, as a Forest Health Specialist at Watkins Glen State Park. She continued to work with invasive species control through Cornell University’s Department of Natural Resources as a research assistant, focusing on Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Emerald Ash Borer. She joined the FORCES team in October 2014. She is originally from Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts and now lives in Ithaca.
Dana Billings
Composer
Dana Billings has been a professional music provider for over 10 years. He is an independent Recording Engineer/Producer based in New York. He currently plays keyboards for Big Mean Sound Machine, and plays Drums for The Great Bear Trio.
