In 2025, GBCA welcomed three new Board members: Josh Elliott, Matt Hohenstreet and Traci Sylte. We’re excited to have fresh faces and new perspectives to help guide us through the upcoming years. In their own words, our new board members share why they are looking forward to joining the board.
Josh
Josh grew up recreating on public lands in Oregon. His outdoor activity of choice has evolved over time and includes nearly all forms of non-motorized recreation. He spent about six years teaching outdoor education, leading multi-week backpacking, rock climbing, mountaineering, and backcountry skiing courses, primarily in Wyoming and Washington. His love of the outdoors led to him leaving a 12-year engineering career to become an expert in natural resource policy and pursue a life of conservation advocacy. In addition to serving on the GBCA board, Josh also volunteers as a Bowhunter Education instructor for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks where he instills his passion for ethical, fair-chase, backcountry hunting to the next generation. One of his greatest fears is that future generations will not have the same opportunities to seek the solitude and challenge on public lands that he has enjoyed. Helping to protect the values and qualities of the Great Burn is one way he can help ensure places like this remain in perpetuity. Josh now resides in Missoula, MT, where he manages environmental projects for DJ&A and his top outdoor passions are trail running and archery hunting.
Matt
I’m a University of Idaho graduate and co-owner/operator of Lochsa Lodge, which is nestled along the banks of the Lochsa River at the Southern edge of the Great Burn region. With deep Idaho roots and a strong appreciation for the state’s wild landscapes, I am committed to responsible stewardship and conservation efforts that protect the Great Burn’s unique ecosystems. I am passionate about preserving these special places so future generations can experience and enjoy the natural beauty.
Traci
I’m excited to serve on the Board of Directors of the Great Burn Conservation Alliance because the Great Burn represents so much of what I care about — intact wild landscapes, clean water, and the long view of stewardship. As someone who has spent much of my life working at the intersection of science, land, and people, I’m deeply motivated by conservation efforts that are both ecologically rigorous and rooted in community.
The Great Burn is a rare and increasingly threatened place, and GBCA’s commitment to protecting it through collaboration, education, and persistence resonates strongly with me. I’m particularly drawn to work that honors both the science of ecosystems and the human responsibility to protect them for future generations. I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute my perspective, energy, and care to an organization doing such meaningful, place-based work.