Year-Round Staff
	Misha Golfman, Founding Director MISHA GOLFMAN, M.Ed. co-founded Kroka Expeditions in 1996. He graduated from the Soviet National Outdoor Leadership School and earned degrees from Leningrad Politechnical and Pedagogical Universities, Plymouth State College and M.Ed. from Antioch, NE Graduate School. As a child he spent every summer expeditioning on long Russian waterways with his mother, while foraging and fishing. Misha participated and led many expeditions including several in the Russian and Canadian Arctic. He founded several initiatives, including the Russian American Outdoor Educators Exchange, Adventures in Russia and Piermont Outdoor Program. Misha was a guide for Mahoosuc Guide Service for 15 years and Outward Bound for 3 years. He also was a public school and college teacher for 10 years.
	Lisl Hofer, Semester School Director LISL, M.Ed. was born and raised in a small village in the Austrian Alps in the family of a forest ranger and teacher. She climbed, backcountry skied and hiked extensively in the Alps. Lisl has been a teacher all of her adult life, having taught elementary as well as high school grades. After moving to the United States in 1985 she studied at the Rudolf Steiner College in California. For 13 years she taught at the Kimberton Waldorf School in Pennsylvania, where she carried the Movement and Outdoor Education Department. Lisl devoted many years at Kimberton to develop an age appropriate outdoor curriculum. The Kimberton Waldorf High School now successfully offers at least one weeklong trip in connection to a Main block for each grade. Her son Stefan is an alumnus of VSP ’04 and both of her children have taught at Kroka.
	Nathan Lyczak, Chief Cartographer NATHAN LYCZAK is Kroka’s managing director and chief cartographer. He is responsible for financial management and organizational systems development as well as providing administrative support and training for all of the staff. He brings to Kroka 15 years experience in non-profit management, and youth development and holds a masters degree in Education from Harvard University. While not at Kroka, Nathan lives in Keene with his two children Meg and Rye, and spends his time enjoying music, dancing, gardening, and having people over for dinner.
	Lynne Boudreau, Farm Educator LYNNE, M.Ed. graduated from UMass, Amherst and Leslie College with degrees in Education and Creative Arts. Prior to founding Kroka, Lynne taught as a Special Education Teacher, Public School Classroom teacher and Waldorf Nursery Kindergarten teacher. Lynne also worked as a ski guide at Mahoosuc Guide Service. Lynne brings to Kroka a wealth of teaching and life experience combined with a deep understanding of child development and an unsurpassed compassion for all beings. Besides running Kroka and raising a family Lynne manages Kroka’s “Happy Hens” Chicken Farm.
	Linda Fuerderer, Office Manager LINDA FUERDERER is our amazing Office Manager/Administrator and she always steps up to do many other tasks. Until the sale in 2007, she worked along side her family in the family business, Jack’s True Value Hardware in Keene, New Hampshire. While working in the family business, she received a Bachelor’s Degree at Keene State College. Here she deepened her passion for archaeology. Linda has participated on many digs and regularly volunteers with the New Hampshire SCRAP program (State Conservation and Rescue Archaeology Program). She is a resident of Marlow and sits on the conservation commission as well as ARLAC (Ashuelot River Local Advisory Commission).
	Lu Neuse, M. Ed. NH-VT Semester Teacher LU loves living and working with young people, both indoors and out of doors. She has helped to found a free camp for disadvantaged chldren through the Dream Program, Inc and guided wilderness adventure trips for teens with Adventure Treks. She has also worked in public elementary schools in Burlington, VT and Roxbury, MA. Lu holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology from Dartmouth College and an MEd. in Elementary Education from Antioch University. When she is not teaching, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and running marathons.
Seasonal Staff
	Michael Dammer, NH-Ecuador Semester Coordinator MICHAEL coordinates the semester program in Ecuador. He completed four years of Industrial Engineering at the University of Quito and two years of Adventure Guiding School in Canada. He is a certified CAA Avalanche Technician, WFR, BC Canada rafting guide, and part of the BC Search and Rescue Team. Michael is an excellent mountain biker and a well-known climbing and mountaineering guide in Ecuador. Michael was one of the co leaders of the first Kroka Ecuador Semester in 07 and it is his eighth year as a teacher at Kroka. Born in the Andes, Michael and his brothers Thomas and Mathias grew up on horseback, helping their parents on the family farm. During their childhood their father, Francisco transformed a traditional hacienda into a progressive and profitable farm that has since supported a village of indigenous peoples. They co-founded Nahual – Kroka’s partner school in Ecuador.
	Mathias Dammer, Senior Lead Teacher MATHIAS was born and raised at Palugo, a small permaculture farm in the core of the Andes mountains, where he learn to love nature and the outdoors. As an adult, he went to Canada and completed several outdoor education and guiding programs, achieving several certification as a WFR, Rafting guide, CAA avalanche Technician and in Search and Rescue. Mathias loves the mountain and became a very passionate climber and mountaineer and works at home as a mountain guide. He joined Kroka many years ago, working as a lead teacher in summer programs and Ecuador NH Semester and he is back for his eighth year this summer. He and his brothers cofounded Nahual Expediciones which is now Kroka's partner school in Ecuador.
	Thomas Dammer, Senior Lead Teacher THOMAS was born and raised in Palugo, Ecuador. He grew up on the family farm and has always had a strong conection with animals and nature. Since an early age he developed great ability and understanding of animals, he has been taming horses since he was a teenager, learning perseverance and dedication. Thomas has an independent personality and has a great talent for different sports, he is a passionate climber and paddler. After finishing high school he ventured to Canada to learn English and work on a horse farm, before heading back to Ecuador,he hitch-hiked accros the country. He graduated from university as an agronomist and has dedicated lots of his life to be outdoors, guiding and working with young people and nature. Construction is another of Thomas's passions, he just finished hand building his beautifull all wood and adobe house. We are happy to have him back for his eight year this summer , he and Marcea will be teaching the New Hampshire-Ecuador 2011 Semester.
	Marcela Restrepo, Ecuador School Program Coordinator MARCELA, was born in Colombia and raised in Ecuador. From a young age, Marcela has always been a lover of the natural and creative world around her. These interests have led her to work as a natural history guide in different reserves around Ecuador, including the Amazon and Galápagos Islands. She has a B.A. from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand where she started her work with children and theatre. In 2006 she assisted her first group of Kroka students in Ecuador along with other Nahual staff. From then on she has been both a Nahual and Kroka teacher. She taught the NH-Ecuador Semester in 2008 and led seasonal trips for Kroka. In Ecuador she is part of Palugo farm, a sustainable farm dedicated to outdoor education and organic farming. She is a certified WAFA and has a certificate in Waldorf Education with the Fursewale Ass., the Anthroposophical Association in Ecuador.
	Lily Frey, Lead Teacher LILY is a Kroka Vermont Semester Alumni and an accomplished trip leader. Lily grew up in California on her family’s Vineyard, living joyously on the land, helping on the farm and playing music with her brothers. Lily completed a year at Fosen Folk School in Northern Norway sailing Viking ships and learning traditional wilderness and folk crafts. A confident leader and experienced outdoors woman, Lily shares with students her love of all living things, her special musical talent and her passion for farming. In 2009, in addition to teaching at Kroka, Lily managed Kroka’s gardening program.
	Miron Golfman, Part-Time White-Water Specialist MIRON has been a Kroka paddler from birth. He joins us again this summer in his 3rd year as a White Water Specialist. Miron has been a participant of paddler's Up North for as long as we can remember, as wellas many family paddling expeditions. He has a multitude of challenging rivers under his belt. Miron's skill and passion for paddling combine with sound judgement to make him an exceptional and fun-loving teacher. He also loves to share his passion for performing and singing with the students. This summer Miron graduated from Tara Performing Arts School in Boulder, CO. Congratulations Miron!!!
	Laurel Iselin, Lead Teacher LAUREL ISELIN first came to Kroka for her 8th grade class trip. She has since participated in many advanced expeditions, including those in Canada and Ecuador. For her senior class project Laurel studied about traditional lodge building with Cree Natives in Canada and then guided Kroka students in the process of building our Cree lodge alongside Grandfather Ray Reitze. Laurel attended Waldorf School through grade twelve. She completed a year of study at Fosen Folk School in Norway and spent another year traveling by bicycle in South America. Laurel is currently completing a foundation year in painting at Harlemville Free Columbia School in New York where she is building yet another Cree lodge. She is an incredible fiddle player who also enjoys circus arts and horses. Last year, while teaching at Kroka she was responsible for the care and training of Brita, our workhorse.
	Marcea MacInnis MARCEA is a native Vermonter. Growing up immersed in nature, she developed an understanding of the beauty, forms and cycles of nature. Marcea has pursued to perfection the expressions of nature’s messages through crafts, music and art. She is in her fifth year of study and practice of medicinal plants. For Marcea, both Ecuador and Saxtons River, Vermont are home. This is her sixth year working at Kroka both as a summer and New Hampshire-Ecuador Semester teacher.
	Nicole Marchan NICOLE MARCHAN joins us from Ecuador as part of an ongoing teacher exchange between Kroka and our sister school Nahual. Nicole is an accomplished climber and has been able to combine her science and outdoor education degrees as a guide for Ecuadorian companies leading groups in the Galapagos and around Ecuador. Currently she lives on Palugo farm working with the Dammer family as they are creating and sharing a healthy community with a sustainable and simple way of living. She is also an amazing yoga teacher. Her well-grounded style, and calming and peaceful presence make her a valuable asset to Kroka’s climbing team.
	Hans Mayer, Lead Teacher HANS MAYER is an alumni of the Semester Program and has been part of the Kroka family for many years. Hans is from Starksboro, Vermont. He spent his youth immersed in the natural world -- tracking, hunting, fishing, wilderness camping and organic farming -- and has a great reverence for nature and love of outdoor pursuits. Hans is traveling and studying in New Zealand for the 2011-2012 school year. We hope he will return to Kroka afterwards!
	Andrew Rasmus, Lead Teacher ANDREW RASMUS is a new Kroka teacher who brings a wealth of experience in rock-climbing, caving, hiking, and paddling. Andrew grew up crawling around in caves with his father and going on adventures with the boy scouts. He graduated from Northland College of northern Wisconsin with a degree in Outdoor Education and has been spending his summers working at summer camps across the Midwest. Andrew shares a passion for learning and curiosity to explore our natural world. We are excited to welcome him to Kroka!
	Tom Rosenberg, Lead Teacher TOM ROSENBERG is a Kroka Alumni in his fifth year of teaching at Kroka. Tom grew up in Portland, Maine and attended Kroka camp for many years. He has been on many advanced programs, including expeditions to Ecuador and Canada. Tom was a participant in the 2006 Vermont Semester and returned as a teacher assistant on the 2008 Vermont Semester. He is in his second winter of working at Mahoosuc Guide Service in Maine. Tom is also a student at Marlboro College. A young man who has already dedicated many years to study of wilderness, Tom has developed a strong teaching style and the amazing hands of a skilled craftsman.
	Anna Soltys Morse ANNA SOLTYS MORSE was born and raised in Cambridge, MA, where she went to a Montessori school for at an early age. She is old to Kroka ways, she came with her school and went on many trips as a student before becoming a staff member and completing the NH-VT semester. This is her third summer living and working at Kroka.
	Paul Lang
	Daniela DeGuzman DANIELA was born and raised in northern California, where she developed a strong connection to the beautiful state. She was a student at Kroka for many years, and graduated from the 2009 New Hampshire-Vermont Semester before coming back to teach here. Daniela has a passion for music, food, and friction fire, and has spent many years perfecting and exploring these interests. This past year she has spent her time apprenticing at Koviashuvik, a local living school with strong connections to Kroka, and traveling and farming in South America.
	Lauren Farnsworth LAUREN, grew up in Vermont, hiking, paddling and gardening with her family, influenced by her mother's art and her father's music. During high school her love of language led her to spend a year learning French in the Alps. Lauren also attended the government Climate Change Conference, Youth Environmental Summit,and started a composting system for her Elementary and High School, and was a student on the 2009 Vermont-New Hampshire Semester. Lauren is now a student at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, where she is studying Geology along with Chinese, Spanish, and Art.She spent the fall in China learning about Traditional Medicine and hopes to continue to study this in South America.
	Raina Gardner RAINA has spent most of her life in Vermont and New Hampshire. Her first experience at Kroka was at the age of 13. She has since participated in many Kroka programs including the New Hampshire/Ecuador Semester. She has studied jewelry and metal smithing, as well as other forms of art. Raina will be attending Southern Vermont College in the fall, where she plans to study nursing. Raina is excited to return for her third summer as Kroka staff, and share her love of nature, crafts, and outdoor adventure with children of all ages.
	Constanza Carrasco Zuffi CONSTANZA was born in Ecuador. Since she was a little girl she loved nature, and all outdoors activities. These love for nature and will to conserve it, led her to work on different conservation projects, living and working with different communities in Ecuador such as in the Highlands, Coast, Galapagos, Amazon, as well as visiting other countries like Mexico and Costa Rica. She studied ecology and photography, so she has a lot of experience on different research and conservation projects, like working with marine turtles in the Galapagos Islands and humpback whales in the coastal region of Ecuador. She had the opportunity to work with students of different ages in ISV, International Student Volunteer where she lead a conservation and community development project in the coast of Ecuador. Since she was little, she attended and participated like a guide in "Aire Libre" an Ecuadorian summer camp, after this she worked for 5 years on Outward Bound-Ecuador where she learned a lot of experiential education. She is a certified WAFA.
	Elisa Schine, Lead Teacher ELISA is new to Kroka but not to the joys of outdoor living. She has spent most of the summers of her life at Darrow Camp in Maine, paddling and camping in the wilderness of Maine, Quebec and Labrador. After leaving her hometown of Middlebury, Vermont, Elisa studied German and Italian while traveling in Europe and received a bachelor's degree in English literature at Wesleyan University. More recently, she has been baking pies in San Francisco and learning wood-canvas canoe repair at Northwoods Canoe in Maine and Skywoods Canoe in Vermont. Her free time is spent with music, friends, hikes or a good book.
	Serene Summerfield, Food Manager SERENE spent her childhood years in Vancouver, Canada, where she enjoyed playing in the garden and exploring at the beach. At age 10 she and her family moved to Boulder, Co, where she currently lives. Serene graduated from Tara Performing Arts School where she enjoyed singing in musicals; and began studying french and social studies at Univrsity of Colorado. upon being introduced to Kroka through Misha's family, Serene chose to participate in Expedition Pre Columbus, and returned inspired by this new way of life. Last winter she participated in the New Hamphire Vermont Semester and she hasn't left; she is now Kroka's food manager for the summer.
Rosa DeJong, Food Manager ROSA spent the first four years of her life living in a Camphill Community in England. From there, she and her family moved to Copake, NY, where she spent her time working and playing on the farms and gardens in Camphill Village. Rosa has traveled with her family in South America and Europe, and has also spent four months India when she was fifteen, working with people with special needs. Rosa attended the 2011 Vermont, New Hampshire Semester, and is now working as a food manager at Kroka.
Seasonal Apprentice
	Nico Hayward-Lara NICO is a young Kroka advocate from Wooster, Ohio. He has been comming to Kroka since age 10, doing several summer trips whenever possible. Last year he participated in our apprentice development program, we are happy to have him as one of our summer apprentices this year.
	Sophia Grogan SOPHIA grew up in Boston, MA. While a little child she discovered her love for nature during the weekend short camping trips her family took her on. Since then she has continued to pursue the outdoors in her life through her school and Kroka, she is an old timer Kroka student, she has participated in several summer programs during the years. Sophia loves art and music bringing these assets into her work. She is looking forward to hike the Appalachian trail and learn to speak Spanish fluently in the near future.
	Eliot Witten ELIOT is 18 years old and has lived in an intentional cohousing community in Amherst MA for his entire life. His family are avid hikers, and recently finished climbing all of the 4000+ foot mountains in New Hampshire. He attended the 2010 New Hampshire Vermont Semester, and first heard about Kroka from Evan Brill, a neighbor and semester alum. Eliot especially enjoys fishing, camping, singing and canoing.
	Ayere-Katherine McAlice AYERE was born in Switzerland where she lived until she was 4 years old, hiking through the Alps during the summer. After living in California for 7 years, they moved and settled in New York state where they live in a small farm with a beautiful garden that produces all their vegetables needs. Ayere has 2 sister and 3 brothers. Ayere connected to Kroka one year ago while she participated in a winter camp as well as the apprentice development summer program of 2010. This summer we have her as an apprentice and she has impress all out with her endless energy and strength in all that she does.
	Trina Powers, Senior Apprentice TRINA hails from Keene, New Hampshire, where her education at the Monadnock Waldorf School and the Putney School awoke in her a deep passion for many mediums of art. After experiencing the New Hampshire-Ecuador Semester as a student in 2009, Trina decided to come back to teach at Kroka in the summers. Trina’s love of exploration and adventure has led her on many journeys, most recently to Ireland, where she spent four months traveling the coast by bicycle. Trina plans to attend the Rode Island School of Design in the fall.
Guest Teachers
	Chris Knapp, Senior Lead Teacher - NH/VT Semester CHRIS KNAPP has been with Kroka since 1999. He spent many years as a student of Ray Reitze, and as a teacher at Earthways School of Wilderness Living. He has a wealth of wilderness knowledge and experience to share. Chris and his wife Ashirah have been an integral part of Kroka’s development, designing and creating curriculum, as well as teaching the Vermont Semester in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Chris and Ashirah have recently started a family—Owen is now 1½ years old!—as well as “Koviashuvik Local Living School.” Based on their homestead in Temple Maine, Koviashuvik teaches a blend of folk arts, wilderness crafts, permaculture, and sustainable technologies.
	Mike Kohout, Guest Teacher, Wild Crafts for Boys Master Craftsman MICHAEL KOHOUT lives with his wife, Jessie, and children Owen and Natasha on the banks of the West River in Dummerston, Vermont. He teaches crafts and outdoor skills at the Greenwood School in Putney, Vermont. Soon after receiving his first jackknife at age six, Michael made his first bow and fishing rod, and armed with these, began a lifelong prowl through the woods of New England. Michael has shared knife making, birch bark canoe building, bow making and fishing with Kroka students since 2003.
	Jason Brueck, Senior Guest Teacher JASON BRUECK is an environmental educator, research biologist, and trip leader, living in Vermont’s rural Northeast Kingdom. Jason and his wife, Annie, are the founders of the educational non-profit, Siskin Ecological Adventures through which they strive to pass on the knowledge, lessons, and examples shared with them by Iowa farm families, research scientists, Australian sheep ranchers, Guatemalan biologists, and the countless students who have touched their lives. Jason’s and Annie’s lives have also been blessed by their three young children – Corbin, Cooper, and Sabine. This is Jason’s fifth year of teaching at Kroka.
	Polly Mahoney, Guest Teacher, School Groups, NH-VT Semester POLLY MAHONEY and KEVIN SLATER are the proprietors of Mahoosuc Guide Service, a small family run business with over twenty years of experience. Polly and Kevin are professional year round guides, equally comfortable poling a canoe up the Allagash or driving a dog team across the sea ice of Hudson Bay. Mahoosuc is unique in that they make much of the equipment they use on their guided trips, such as cedar canvas canoes, ash dog sleds and maple paddles. They have traveled extensively in the north with the Cree and Inuit and many of the techniques they use for northwoods and tundra travel were developed by them.
	Brian Kunz
	Lindsay Putnam
	Jamie Coulter Jamie grew up in Minneapolis, MN and spent much of his youth involved in the performing arts. After spending his twenties in NYC, going to school and managing restaurants, he moved to Vermont to become involved in organic agriculture, working on small farms and as an inspector for the Northeast Organic Farming Association. During the school year, he worked with 'at risk' youth, mostly in outdoor settings, and began working with Kroka in 1999. For many years he taught yoga as well as capoeira (Afro-Brazilian dance/fight/game). He is now a class teacher at the Great Barrington Rudolf Steiner School, and lives with his wife and two sons in Columbia County, New York.
	Nate Johnson NATE taught the 2010 Vermont Semester and now works with Kroka as the Vermont Semester Teacher and Coordinator. Nate was raised in northern Minnesota and studied Film and Photography at Carleton College. He has since worked on farms around the country and ran his own organic CSA farm. He has worked as a stone mason and a carpenter, and has built super-efficient fireplaces (aka masonry heaters) in Maine. Nate is an engaged student of nature and loves to share his knowledge of plants, wildflowers, trees, tracks, and birds and their songs. He is also a committed craftsman, and has studied with Guatemalan basketmakers, with Ray Reitze and Chris and Ashira Knapp in Maine, and has spent a month living in the stone age in the mountains of Washington State with a small group, having made and wild-gathered everything they needed to live without modern gear. Nate holds a Permaculture Design Certificate.
	Grandfather Ray Reitze, Senior Guest Teacher RAYMOND REITZE Jr. is the founder of Earthways School of Wilderness Living and a Master Maine Guide. As a young boy living on a dairy farm, Ray was an apprentice to Grandfather Joe, a Mic Mac Indian, who guided him on the physical and spiritual path of his people. Later in his life and after returning from Vietnam, Ray had to abandon his work as a farmer and a backhoe operator and followed the call of Grandfather Joe. He became a guide and a teacher. Ray has incredible skills in living on the land. The wisdom of the Earth radiates through him. A teacher to Chris, Ashirah and Misha, Ray will lead students in several projects including vision quests and philosophy classes.
	Hanah LaBarre HANAH teaches middle school science at Leland and Gray school in Townshend VT. She is an accomplished paddler and wilderness guide.
	Kevin Slater, Senior Guest Teacher KEVIN SLATER and POLLY MAHONEY are the proprietors of Mahoosuc Guide Service, a small family run business with over twenty years of experience. Polly and Kevin are professional year round guides, equally comfortable poling a canoe up the Allagash or driving a dog team across the sea ice of Hudson Bay. Mahoosuc is unique in that they make much of the equipment they use on their guided trips, such as cedar canvas canoes, ash dog sleds and maple paddles. They have traveled extensively in the north with the Cree and Inuit and many of the techniques they use for northwoods and tundra travel were developed by them.