Meet The Team

Restoration Ecologist & Co-Founder

Mark Mariano

Mark Mariano is a specialist in the fields of native plant revegetation, restoration ecology, and riparian/aquatic ecological monitoring. Mark holds a master’s degree from Montana Technological University with a focus on restoration ecology. He's also taken Waterfowl Ecology and Management at the University of Texas - El Paso. He is affiliate faculty member at Montana Tech where he advises graduate students on waterfowl specific projects. Mark continues to work within Superfund and has begun multiple projects to benefit wildlife habitat in the Upper Clark Valley. Mark is MTWW's sole staff member and also works for a local consultant. He is an enthusiastic and optimistic outdoorsperson.

Biologist & Co-Founder 

Bailey Tasker

Bailey Tasker is a born and raised Butte, MT native. She attended Gonzaga University from 2016 to 2019 where she received degrees in Biology, Environmental Studies, and a concentration in Scientific Research. While at Gonzaga, Bailey's research focused on complex stressors on native amphibians in wetland ecosystems. Bailey ha published her undergraduate work in PLoS One, and Freshwater Science.  Bailey holds a masters degree in ecological restoration from Montana Technological University. She developed a forecast model for light geese in the Pacific Flyway in collaboration with the USGS Western Ecological Research Center. Bailey is an alumni of the Delta Waterfowl Foundation Waterfowl Breeding Ecology Program. She now works for the Montana Departmental Environmental Quality

Biologist

Morgan Byrne

Morgan Byrne was born and raised in Anchorage, AK. She graduated from Gonzaga University
in 2019 and obtained her bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Research Concentration as well as
a minor in Entrepreneurial Leadership. For her undergraduate work, Morgan studied the use of
wood duck eggs from nesting boxes as tools for biomonitoring lead from historical mining waste
near the Bunker Hill Superfund site in the Silver Valley of northern Idaho. Morgan received her masters degree in Natural resources form the University of Nevada, Reno. Her thesis focused on mercury from historical mining waste on wood duck population demographics and implications for human health and water management on the Carson River near Fallon, NV. Most of Morgan’s work has centered around the impact of mining waste on waterfowl
populations. Morgan attended the Delta Waterfowl Foundation Waterfowl Breeding Ecology
Program in the summer of 2022. She now works as a consultant.

Educator

Erin Cleveland

Erin Cleveland is a lover of all things outdoors, and she is a veteran public school teacher at Capital High School in Helena, MT. She teaches senior Sci-Fi/Fantasy English, Creative Writing, and a Peer Mentoring service learning class. She's a fierce advocate for public education, and she's passionate about bringing students new and innovative experiences. This is why she is thrilled to be a part of this important non-profit that gets our youth and community involved in conservation and restoration. She hopes to aid in educational outreach and public relations. And her rescue dog, Willow, is cuter than yours.

Wetland Scientist

Jared Trilling

Jared started his career in natural resources as a wildland firefighter with the Forest Service while obtaining his Resource Conservation degree from the University of Montana. After seven years of firefighting, he pursued an interest in farming, working on two small organic farms and a 1.2 million-acre cattle ranch in Australia. During that time, Jared developed an enthusiasm for plants and put that energy into attaining a master’s degree from Montana Tech, studying plant communities associated with contaminated soils to inform future restoration. Since then, Jared has applied his botanical skills with the Bureau of Land Management as a range monitoring technician and a research technician for the Forest Service, studying plant-insect chemical interactions. Currently, Jared is a wetland scientist and botanist specializing in wetland delineation, monitoring, and restoration at a local consulting firm.

Hydrogeologist

Mary Sutherland

Mary Sutherland is a hydrogeologist for the state of Montana, working primarily in clean water access and availability. She studied geology as an undergraduate in Virginia, then received her M.S. at the University of Montana in hydrogeology. As an avid naturalist with a love for anything from our feathered friends to the creepy crawlies hiding in the basement, she's excited to be a part of Wetlands and Waterfowl! She hopes to bring her enthusiasm for conservation and restoration to the community and help promote Montana’s natural heritage and respect. You will find her hunting, fishing, or snuggling her very own pet Goose in her free time. She has several rescue pets, none of which are as cute as Erin’s.