Board Member CV - Phil Caterino

EDUCATION

Masters of Arts,
California State University, Sacramento
With Honors, 1975 to 1976

Bachelor of Arts,
California State University, Sacramento
With Honors, 1973 to 1975

Associate in Arts,
American River College,
With Highest Honors, Alpha Gamma Sigma, 1972-1973

California Community College Teaching Credential
Fine & Applied Arts and Related Technologies

California Community College Teaching Credential
Health & Physical Care Services and Related Technologies

CONTINUING EDUCATION

University of California, Davis
Environmental Planning and Management Division

University of California, Davis
School of Medicine

University of Nevada Reno
Environmental Science

University of Nevada Reno
School of Mines

University of France
Universite de Pau
Developpement Territorial

WORK EXPERIENCE

Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society, 1999 - 2002
Executive Director

As Executive Director, I was responsible for a $10 Million Dollar facility located on 140 acres along the East Shore of Lake Tahoe. My duties were to promote the charitable and educational purposes of preserving and protecting the Thunderbird Lodge as a historical site and to promote public appreciation of art with regard to the architectural structure, design, and cultural significance of the site. I assisted in the scientific research committed to the preservation of Lake Tahoe. The staff, following my direction promoted and freely disseminated scientific research concerning fresh water to the public and aided in the scientific education of college and university students both in the United States and abroad.

American Land Conservancy, 1997-1999
Sierra Nevada Project Manager

As Project Manager for ALC I have worked to preserve land and water in the Sierra Nevada as an enduring public resource and to protect and enhance the Sierra Nevada’s natural, ecological, historical, recreational, and scenic heritage. Since my involvement in preservation in the Sierra, I have worked on projects that transferred over thirty, 590-acres of sensitive lands from Alpine County, California to Elko County, Nevada. Since 1997, I have closed projects totaling hundreds of acres and miles of shoreline and river frontage, with a fair market value exceeding $54 Million Dollars. This includes the largest single, privately owned parcel of land with lake frontage in the Tahoe Basin.

Alpengroup, 1981-1997
President

I founded Alpengroup as an innovative environmental planning, design and engineering firm specializing in alpine development, natural resources management and related disciplines. I utilized the consortium approach, similar to that utilized by universities, that allowed me to maintain consistently high level of capabilities in the numerous specialized technical areas which are required to meet the complex environmental and planning requirements embraced in most planning and project assignments. We specialized in Resource Evaluation, Modernization Planning, Mountain hydrology, Reconnaissance Studies, Feasibility Studies, construction Management, Operations Studies, and Environmental Assessments. We pioneered a trademarked mapping technique that was precursor to the GIS used by many agencies today. We took our concept of Design and Planning for Alpine Environments to Utah, Montana, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Alaska, France, California, Spain, Russia, and Pennsylvania.

Center for Marine Conservation, 1992-1997
Nevada State Coordinator
National Freshwater Resource Advisor

I started the first program, within the coastal cleanup program, that addressed the freshwater resources in North America. This lead the NOAA funded program to include all inland states into the program. When the project was expanded to become an International Program, the freshwater element of the program was also added into the international program and many countries incorporated the framework I designed to bring much needed attention to the freshwater resources of their country.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 1989-1997
Primary Contractor
Community Plans/EIS/EIR/EA/Special Projects
Advisory Planning Commission Member

As primary contractor for TRPA’s Community Plans, I coordinated community plans for the Tahoe Region. This involved working with the State of California, the State of Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, Douglas, Washoe, Carson City, City of South Lake Tahoe and the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada. Also community involvement of over 60 groups made up of various stakeholders.

Lake Tahoe Community College, 1976-1986
Instructor

Began the Wilderness Program at LTCC and taught classes for a decade which involved over 5% of the enrollment of the college into these programs. I involved the rural areas surrounding the college into the system

Tahoe Sierra Institute, 1979-1981
Director

I started TSI through a grant from the Dreyfus Foundation that would have an outreach to the education of youth in the rural community that involved environmental education.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 1977-1978
Planner

As a planner for TRPA my duties included review of shorezone projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin, review of environmental documents, coordination with six counties, two states, and two cities that have jurisdiction within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

United States Forest Service, 1975-1976
Supervisor

Supervision of the wilderness trail construction crew for Desolation Wilderness. The groups that were under my supervision and training included permanent trail crew, fire crews, Young Adult Conservation Corp (YACC), Youth Conservation Corp (YCC). In this role, I was also the trainer for the EMS system in the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin.

NONPROFIT RELATED EXPERIENCE

Tahoe Baikal Institute
Board Member

TBI’s major effort is a summer exchange program for university level students. This is a program conducted each summer in which students from the United States and Russia spend ten weeks working and studying together at Lake Baikal and Lake Tahoe. A second endeavor that was started in 1998 and separately funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, was the creation of a forum for environmental policy makers from Russia and the United States.

American Red Cross
Instructor & Rural Coordinator

Help to start an outreach program to those communities in rural, remote, and alpine settings that are not serviced by urban areas. The program gives guidance for training materials, grant writing and material procurement for self-help and volunteers in these communities.

TRAINING CONSULTANT

El Dorado County California Sheriffs Office Search & Rescue Team 1979 to 1989; Kirkwood Meadows California, Professional Ski Patrol, Rural Clinic Staff, & Volunteer Fire Department 1976 to 1997; United States Air Force 42nd Rescue Team McCellan Air Force Base, California 1978 to 1990; United States Air Force 129th Special Operations Moffett Field, California 1996 to 1998; and United States Navy Search & Research Operations, Fallon Naval Air Station, Nevada 1979 to 1987.

LAND TRANSACTIONS

Big Indian - 160 Acres in Alpine County to the El Dorado National Forest. On the edge of the Mokelumne Wilderness Area, one of California’s least know and most pristine backcountry areas, this high alpine meadow is a popular recreation sport for campers, hikers, and fishing enthusiasts.

Clover Valley - 40 Acres in Alpine County to the El Dorado National Forest. Just south of Blue Lake and adjacent to the Mokelumne Wilderness Areas, this vast meadow, crossed by a year around flowing creek is a popular spot for recreationists.

Dressler Mine Lot - 20 acres in Alpine County to the California Wildlife Conservation Board. Located in the southeastern Hope Valley, this land will be added to the Hope Valley Wildlife Area, which is managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. The property’s forested slopes and seasonal creeks enhance the regions wildlife habitat.

Faith Valley - 712 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. One of the premiere properties in the Hope Valley Program, this scenic stretch of meadowland is ideal for hiking and cross-country skiing. With over a mile of West Fork Carson River frontage, a vast wet meadow system supports an abundance of wildlife, including an endangered bird, the willow flycatcher.

Grover Hot Springs - 279 acres in Alpine County, 186 acres to the Toiyabe National Forest and 93 acres to the California Grover Hot Springs State Park. After a long day, hikers and skiers can soak tired muscles at the Grover Hot Springs, a naturally heated pool, open year around. The US Forest Service acquired spectacular grassy meadows, including West Fork of the Carson River frontage, in exchange for property adjacent to the thermal retreat, which was transferred to the California State Parks as an addition to an existing recreation area.

Hope Valley - 1,564 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. Trekkers who undertake the 9,000-ft. Armstrong Pass lookout are rewarded with spectacular views of the valley floor filled with Aspen groves, expansive meadows, and serene lakes. This valley is the last undeveloped alpine valley left in the Sierra Nevada.

Poison Flat - 720 acres in Alpine County to the California Wildlife Conservation Board. Home to the endangered Lahontan cutthroat trout, Poison Flat is within the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness Area, popular with backcountry hikers and important wildlife habitat.

Sawmill Creek - 240 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National forest. One of the last private holdings in the Mokelumne Wilderness Area, this property is at the headwaters of Sawmill Creek and is canopied with aspen stands and conifer forest. The land is among California’s most pristine. Hikers enjoy spectacular views of 9, 417-ft. Markleeville Peak.

Vaquero Camp - 484 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. The East Fork of the Carson River runs through the flat expanses of these meadows. Historically used for cattle gazing as part of the Dangberg Ranch in Vaquero Cow Camp, this land, with its carpet of wildflowers, is enjoyed by hikers, campers, and skiers.

Von Schmidt - 108 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. This strip of alpine country lies on the California/Nevada border near Topaz Lake. Poison Creek runs along the western edge of the property, while the southern stretch, covered with aspen groves, boasts outstanding view of Leviathan Peak.

Darling - 5 acres in Douglas County to the Toiyabe National Forest. On the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, five miles from Lake Tahoe. This forested property is an addition to the popular recreation land in the Toyiabe National Forest.

Genoa Peak - 466 acres in Douglas County, Nevada to the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service. This high alpine ridge acquired in two phases offers a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe. Public ownership will preserve the natural beauty of the Tahoe Rim Trail.
Lamoille Canyon - 5,589 acres in Elko County, Nevada to the Humboldt National Forest. This extraordinary 12 mile glacial canyon in the Ruby Mountains of northeastern Nevada hosts seventy thousand annual visitors to free-flowing streams and groves of aspen.

Laxalt - 80 acres in Carson City County, Nevada to the Toiyabe National Forest. This forest of mixed conifers overlooks Carson City’s downtown area. This is the second of a three-phase project to protect forested lands within Nevada’s Capital City area.

Secret Harbor - 32 acres in Carson City Rural Area, Nevada. To the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service. Isolated sandy beaches stretch along Lake Tahoe’s Eastern Shore, offering residents and visitors a myriad of recreational opportunities. This transaction is one of a long line of collaborative effort with the U.S. Forest Service to bring environmentally significant recreational lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin into public ownership.

Ticor - One building parcel in Washoe County, Nevada, Lake Tahoe. To the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service. This small parcel lies within the Lake Tahoe Basin and like other small developable parcels in the basin, it is vital to protecting Lake Tahoe watershed.

Monitor Pass - 660 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. Panoramic views of the Eastern Sierra. Sweeping meadows and shimmering Aspen groves are a few of the features of the alpine property. Located near the California-Nevada border, Monitor Pass is a popular wilderness area for hikers, campers, and wildlife watchers.

Red Lake Creek - 1, 032 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. The dazzling view of Hope valley along Highway 88 is a favorite for travelers as they descend through this property from Carson Pass. Formerly ranchland. This property includes over two miles of frontage on Redlake Creek, a popular fishing stream that meanders through lush, open meadows before meeting the West Fork of the Carson River.

East Walker River - 1,367 acres in Mono County to the California Wildlife Conservation Board. Recently restored to it status as one of California’s best trout fishing rivers, the river and surrounding canyon host Canada geese, bald eagles, beavers, mountains lions, river otters, and minks. It provides recreational opportunities for naturalists, birdwatchers, fishermen and hikers.

Castle Peak - 964 acres in Nevada County, California to the Tahoe National Forest. Castle Peak, a well known landmark north of Donner Pass, preserves a scenic recreation area traversed by one of the most popular and easily accessible segments of the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches from Mexico to Canada. This final purchase caps a six year 6,000 acre preservation program for the area.

Bagley Valley - 2,360 acres in Alpine County to the Toiyabe National Forest. This expansive valley of grassy meadows, rocky slopes, and pine forests offers exceptional hiking, fishing, and camping opportunities. Bagley Valley’s creeks and rivers support a blue-ribbon trout fishery, and its meadows provide habitat for mule deer and other wildlife. This project nearly completes the Hope Valley Preservation Program, a long tern effort to protect the High Sierra.
Fallen Leak Lake - 2 acres in El Dorado County, California to the Fallen Leaf Lake Community Services District. The local community worked for five years to protect this popular lakeside resort near Lake Tahoe from further development. A general store. A marina and a footpath along the shoreline service residents and vacationers in one of the most visited hiking and backpacking regions of the High Sierra.

Mount Rose - 13,706 acres of Fiberboard Lands in Washoe County, Nevada and Placer County, California to the Toiyabe National Forest. With the help of the Nevada Congressional Delegation the Carson Range Acquisition Project helped preserve the area surrounding Mount Rose, both in California and Nevada. Making the Mount Rose Wilderness Area a reality for all those outdoor enthusiast that enjoy the area in the summer or in the winter with backcountry snow sports that this area affords.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARDS

Center for Marine Conservation
Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service

Walter B. Jones Memorial Award
For Excellence in Coastal Zone management

National Geographic World
Recognized Inland Water Management
20th Anniversary Issue

COMMUNITY AWARDS

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Service

American Red Cross
20 Year Outstanding Service Award

Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada
Friend of the Land

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