related CONSULTING work 

Great Outdoors Colorado Inspire Initiative / Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement: Larissa facilitated the stakeholder and steering committee process for Great Outdoors Colorado Inspire Initiative grant recipients in Eagle County from 2015 to 2017, and facilitated an update to the project in 2019. The Eagle Valley Outdoor Movement connects youth in under-served communities to environmental and outdoor programs and natural areas. Project partners include Walking Mountains Science Center (lead), Eagle County Public Health, SOS Outreach, Eagle County Public Schools, and numerous other local partners.

Aspen Valley Land Trust: Larissa facilitated community meetings and providing strategic planning for the Aspen Valley Land Trust during their conservation planning and community outreach efforts.

Vail Symposium / Eagle River Watershed Council: Larissa organized and moderated a panel including guests from the Environmental Protection Agency, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and Minturn Town Council to discuss “The History and Future of the Eagle Mine.”

SE Group: Larissa worked as a Senior Associate for SE Group in Frisco, Colorado from 2016 to 2018. During that time, Larissa was invited to serve on the planning team for the Boulder County Government Resiliency Coordination Plan. Other project management included Vail Resorts Golden Peak Improvements Project and McGaffey Forest and Watershed Restoration Project.

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway: Larissa worked with park staff and partners at Saint Croix Riverway in Wisconsin as they explored opportunities for visitor use at Fairy Falls, and the development of a trail connection in the park. Larissa wrote NEPA and other required federal documentation for the project, and provided general planning support for the process.

Aspen Chapel Next 50: Larissa developed the community engagement process for Aspen Chapel’s “Together the Chapel” project, which will determine priorities for programs and facilities at the Chapel for the next fifty years.

Watershed Biodiversity Initiative: Larissa provided strategic planning and facilitation guidance to the Watershed Biodiversity Initiative based in the Roaring Fork Valley. She also served as panel host for WBI’s session at the April 2019 Colorado Parks and Wildlife Partners in the Outdoors Conference.

Eagle River Water and Sanitation District: Larissa facilitated the Employee Housing Master Plan process in 2016, as part of a larger project to create new District employee housing in Eagle County.

Vail Centre for Sustainability: In 2015 and 2016, Larissa served as the director of the Vail Centre for Sustainability, a non-profit destination learning center. The Vail Centre brought mid-career, higher education opportunities to adult learners via university certificates and local educational programming. 

PRIOR WORK

While working as a project manager and ecologist at the National Park Service, Larissa served as co-facilitator of the NPS System Plan, a plan that looks at the future of the entire National Park Service. Larissa also led the Canaveral National Seashore GMP / EIS, the Denali Park Road Vehicle Management Plan / EIS, and numerous park unit Foundation Documents. Larissa served as the liaison between the NPS Denver Service Center - Planning Division and the NPS Climate Change Response Program on national efforts to provide consistency in how climate change adaptation is incorporated into NPS planning efforts.

While working as a natural resource planner for Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Larissa served as the lead planner for three-party land trade with the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, and as the lead planner for the Boulder County - US Forest Service Hessie Trailhead project. She was a project co-lead for an Army Corps of Engineers Section 206 stream restoration project, in which she served as the liaison with the Corps of Engineers and Colorado Congressional delegation. Larissa served as the lead planner and liaison with the Denver Water Board for the Gross Dam Reservoir Expansion Project. She also developed and began implementing policies to link the Boulder County Comprehensive Plan to open space management plans, which represented a new planning approach for the department.