Lindsay Magnuson, Executive Director, was born and raised in Humboldt County and has a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges of working to conserve land while preserving the rural culture of this region. Lindsay brings a wealth of leadership experience to NRLT spanning community development and conservation projects in West Africa to acting for five years on the faculty of Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods. Lindsay earned her Bachelor's degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University and a Master's degree in Natural Resources from HSU while focusing on the ecology and conservation of Roloway monkeys in Ghana (2002). Lindsay was given the Koplin award for outstanding Wildlife graduate of the year in 2003.

Ben Morehead, Projects, is a founding board member of the Northcoast Regional Land Trust. He has been working on land conservation projects with several land trusts throughout Humboldt County over the past 11 years. He now manages and facilitates our Six Rivers to the Sea Initiative and donated land and working ranch conservation easement programs. He holds both a B.S. and M.S. in Natural Resources Planning and Management from Humboldt State University.

Ryan Wells, Projects, manages and facilitates our Freshwater Farms Reserve and Property Management/Restoration programs. He holds a B.S. in Natural Resources Planning from Humboldt State University. Ryan has previously worked with the California Conservation Corps, the AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project, the CA Department of Fish and Game, and the Eel River Watershed Improvement Group, conducting stream habitat surveys and fish counts, and has supervised the construction of dozens of salmon habitat enhancement and erosion control projects.

Sarah Pilkington, Outreach and Development, grew up in Sonoma County, California and went to college in San Luis Obispo at Cal Poly, where she received her BA in Elementary Education and a minor in English.  She has worked as a teacher and trainer and has had professional experience in the non-profit sector working for the Northcoast Mentor Program and Redwood Community Action Agency’s AmeriCorps*VISTA program.  Sarah has a background in organizational development, outreach, event coordination, building collaborative partnerships, mediation and fund development. Sarah’s enjoys being outdoors, whether it is river rafting or gardening, and focuses her work and play on her love for the land.

Shayne Green, Planning Consultant, was born and raised in Humboldt County, and holds a B.A. in Natural Resource Management and Geography from the University of California at Santa Barbara and an M.A. in Biological Sciences from Humboldt State University. Since 1995 he has earned his livelihood "traipsing" across the privately and publicly-owned forests of northern California working as a timber cruiser, forest inventory technician, and consulting botanist. Shayne's goal at NRLT is to "strategically design conservation programs and build relationships that enhance the protection of the North Coast's natural landscapes, economies, and quality of life."

Xiaozhen "Ellen" Chen, Administrative Assistant, was born and raised in Southern China. She came to the U.S. with her family in 2002 and moved to Humboldt County to attend Humboldt State University in 2004. She received her B.A.’s in Mathematics and Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accounting in 2009. Ellen has experience in budgeting, financial analysis, database management, tax preparation, event coordination and outreach.  Ellen highly values community-oriented work and has done some volunteer bookkeeping and organizing work with a local non-profit. This is her first professional experience working with a non-profit in this capacity. Ellen enjoys outdoor activities at the beaches and forests on the North Coast.