Morgan is a graduate student at CU Boulder pursuing a Master’s of the Environment degree with a specialization in Sustainable Food Systems. She is originally from Napa Valley, California, but spent the last five years in the Pacific Northwest where she completed her bachelor’s degree and worked for Beyond Toxics, an environmental nonprofit. Through her experience with Beyond Toxics she gained essential knowledge on how grassroots nonprofit organizations function and how to collaborate with communities and respond to their needs. With an academic background in interdisciplinary social sciences and professional experience as a Membership and Events Manager, she is excited to bring both social and scientific perspectives together in her work at Dharma’s Garden. Over the next year, Morgan is looking forward to getting to know, and working with, the community during workdays and at farmer’s markets. She is also excited to participate in hands-on work on the land and conduct research to contribute to building this year’s iteration of the Stewardship Plan. Outside of food and community, her interests include exploring the outdoors and spending quality time with friends and family.

Claire is a CU Boulder Masters of the Environment student, specializing in Sustainable Food Systems. She is a multimedia storyteller who enjoys writing with words, sound and images. Most recently, she worked as a Denver-based freelance writer, covering the environment, agriculture, food, music, the arts and other subjects. She’s been interested in food systems and agriculture for over a decade. In her early twenties, she worked in a large urban farmers market in Philadelphia. And she’s been a volunteer farmworker, or WWOOFer, through Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms in Maine and Washington state and a paid farmhand and designer on a flower farm in North Carolina. She also traveled extensively as a folk singer, meeting and learning from urban farmers, permaculture homesteaders, fracking opponents and many others. Such interactions have helped shape her writing, inspiring her with stories of the ways individuals and communities are working to create more sustainable visions for the future. Claire is very excited to be working with Dharma’s Garden for her Capstone program. She’s looking forward to helping to create the stewardship plan and enshrining values that will help protect the land, wildlife and agricultural community for years to come.

Tyler is a graduate student at CU Boulder working towards a Master’s of the Environment with a specialization in Sustainable Food Systems. Originally from south-eastern Montana, Tyler moved to the Black Hills of South Dakota to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology and Ecology. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree Tyler worked with the National Park Service as both a field botanist and as a data management technician. In between summer season's Tyler held various different jobs including greenhouse assistant, field GIS tech, and forestry technician for the Forest Service. Through these experiences he came to understand the importance of conservation and land stewardship. Using his existing knowledge of botany and local ecosystems Tyler aims to help farmers, gardeners, and the general community build relationships with the land around them. Tyler is looking forward to working together with Dharma’s Garden to polish and complete their Stewardship Plan, interacting with community members, getting to know the local plants, farm animals, and wildlife, as well as further understanding the practices and farming techniques that make Dharma’s Garden so special.

Beth Swartwood was born in Pueblo, Colorado and locally grown in Boulder. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to Boulder to attend grad school in the fine arts department at CU. Upon graduating from Boulder High, Beth eventually settled in California where she completed her undergraduate work at San Diego State in Liberal Studies for Educators, Linguistics, and Bilingual Education. Her most recent adventure outside of Colorado was in Chiapas, Mexico— living, teaching, learning, and traveling from 2008-2012. Upon returning to the Boulder-Denver area, her interest in plants blossomed. She interned at a local farming program, worked at the Farmers Market, was the proprietor of a small gardening business, volunteered with Ecocycle, joined a local school as the gardening instructor, and entered the Masters of Environment program at CU Boulder with Sustainable Food Systems as her specialization. Beth loves being in community with people of all ages, speaking Spanish, and cooking, eating and sharing. Working outdoors, hiking with her dogs, experiencing art and culture, learning, and living joyfully are her inspiration. Beth thrives on connection, celebration, experience, and curiosity. She is excited and grateful to be working with Dharma's Garden!