Olivia Shan, Restoration Coordinator
Olivia grew up exploring the Umpqua Valley, in Western Oregon, fueling a passion for nature. In college, she studied Natural Resource Conservation Science and worked as a Research Technician for the University’s Experimental Forest. It was during this time that Olivia found a new love: wildfire. For the next four years, Olivia worked for Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Forest Service as a Wildland Firefighter and Emergency Medical Technician fighting wildfires around the United States. She lived in a remote bunkhouse on the South Fork of the Salmon River for one fire season, which was where she became interested in Idaho’s declining salmon populations and wild rivers. From that point on, Olivia has been an active member of the Sierra Club and has ignited a fire within herself to help preserve Idaho’s natural resources through restoration work and advocacy. In March 2021, she moved back to Moscow, Idaho after traveling much of the West in her converted van with her partner, Cole and cat, Charlie. They have recently added a rescue dog to the family, Piñon, who is often seen working alongside Olivia at PCEI. Olivia enjoys backpacking, white water rafting, rock climbing, international travel, skiing, tending to her house plants, and mountain biking. Olivia first learned of PCEI through a University of Idaho class that led her to volunteering on trail work, and then by serving an AmeriCorps term on the Restoration Team. Olivia hopes to make a positive impact on the Palouse Region through ecological restoration and community involvement, and eventually move on to pursue a term in the Peace Corps in international environmental work to create a more sustainable world.