PA Woods and Forests Board Members
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AAron Capouellez
AAron Capouellez grew up in a suburb of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in biology. AAron is currently a graduate student at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the biology department. He specializes in herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians). AAron’s favorite target species are American toads, wood frogs, eastern gray tree frogs, pickerel frogs, purple pitcher plants, and American giant millipedes. He created a conservation project in 2019 focused on frogs and toads centered around the target counties of PA Woods and Forests. In his free time, AAron enjoys caring for his pets (Especially his toad Ace and tree frog Max), spending time with his girlfriend, friends, and family, and working on his media brand
“Woods and Forests Media.”
Malcolm Crittenden
Malcolm Crittenden has lived in the Allegheny region for 44 years and received a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Vermont. His career as a PA State Watershed Manager gave him a further education in the effects of coal mining on our Pennsylvania water resources. Malcolm's favorite target species is the nocturnal firefly which covers our night landscape like the stars cover the heavens.
Maria Manon
Maria Manon is from Johnstown, PA, and an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She has a bachelor's degree in communications, specializing in public relations and marketing. Her favorite PA Woods and Forests species is, by far, the Gray Tree frog. Maria says she is "attracted to their different shades of brown and olive greens, small bodies, and rapid trills." Maria's best-loved PA Woods and Forest memories are going out on road rescues and being with Aaron when he discovered the Gray Tree frog in Cambria County.
Ben Long
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Ben grew up in rural Blair County, where he enjoyed hiking and camping with his friends and family. After earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry from St. Francis University, he taught science for four years. Ben's career path took a turn after that. He became a pastor and eventually moved to the Johnstown area in 2012. Hiking, fishing and learning about nature are some of Ben's favorite hobbies and what led him to get connected with PA Woods and Forests.
Darren Julius
Darren Julius, from Erie, Pennsylvania. He is a herpetologist who worked primarily in a zoological setting but also loves field herping. He mainly specializes in native turtles and snakes. His favorite native species is the Blandings turtle. Darren mostly enjoys the educational aspect of his job.
Dakota Ahlborn
Dakota Ahlborn grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Dakota has taken an interest in all aspects of the environment from a young age. She is currently an Indiana University of Pennsylvania student studying Ecology, Conservation, and Environmental Biology. After graduating, she plans to work with endangered mammalian species. Her favorite native species are the grey wolf and the monarch butterfly.
Amy Harris
Amy Harris grew up in Punxsutawney, PA, but now resides in Johnstown, PA. She is an alumna of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. Her favorite PA Woods and Forests species would have to be Brown Bats, or the Spotted Salamander. Amy says she loves and appreciates how special Brown Bats are to our ecosystem, while Spotted Salamander's remind her of being a kid and realizing how important conservation is. Amy enjoys spending her free time going on hikes, kayaking, candle making, and finding ways to give back to her community.
Ian Chick
Ian Chick grew up in the Village of Yellow Springs, Ohio. He graduated from Allegheny College with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Educational Studies, with a focus on curriculum building using problem-based learning and citizen science toward Environmental Education. Ian has experience working for The Ohio State University’s Biodiversity Conservation Partnership, surveying Blanding’s Turtles in the Lake Erie Watershed, as well as breeding many exotic tree frog species for Josh’s Frogs. Currently, Ian works for The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Laboratory Animal Resources. His favorite native species include The American Bullfrog, Snapping Turtle, and Tiger Salamander. In his free time, Ian enjoys fishing, morel mushroom hunting, herping, breeding reptiles and frogs at home, and spending his free time with his Panther Chameleon, Pop, and Cat, Boomer
