NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Tuleyome is happy to announce that it recently hired Nathan “Nate” Lillige as its new Home Place Adventures Activities Leader.

Lillige's entire professional career has been spent working with children and young adults in various aspects of outdoor education and conservation.

In addition to his work as a camp counselor and outdoor educator, he was the recycling program manager for the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps. At the Corps, he worked with young adults on conservation efforts throughout the region.

“It is an exciting time to be joining Tuleyome,” Lillige said. “I am looking forward to joining others on the new trails of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. It's a treat to be a short drive from this wonderful natural area.”

Lillige grew up outside of Milwaukee, Wisc., and spent 12 summers as a camper and counselor at a summer camp surrounded by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan.

He received his Bachelor's of Science in natural science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he studied everything from the Point Reyes conglomerate to chemistry to glacial geomorphology.

His adventuring has taken him to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, rafting down the Yukon River, mountain biking in Denali National Park and exploring the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and Yosemite.

When he is not working, Lillige enjoys photography, playing soccer, and spending his time with his wife and their two young children.

With Tuleyome, Lillige is returning to his first passion: getting people out in nature, where they can explore, learn and grow.

“Nature is an incredible classroom,” Lillige said. “It's one thing to look at pictures or videos of plants and animals, however seeing them with your own eyes and seeing how they interact with one another provides a unique learning experience.”

He will be sharing his love and enthusiasm for nature with the general public through Tuleyome’s upcoming events which include:

· Saturday, March 12: Tour the Silver Spur Ranch with Andrew Fulks.

· Saturday, March 19: The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument dedication celebration.

· Saturday, March 26: Trail building with Eric “Bam Bam” Barnett.

· Thursday, April 7: Lecture, the best trails and floats in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument with Andrew Fulks.

· Saturday, April 9: Wildflower auto-tour with Glen Holstein.

· Saturday, April 16: Picnic day restoration work at Stebbins Cold Canyon.

For more details about each event, see Tuleyome’s Meet Up site at http://www.meetup.com/Tuleyome-Home-Place-Adventures/ .

Tuleyome is 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland, Calif.

For more information about Tuleyome and the Home Place Adventures program, visit www.tuleyome.org .