Our Team

   The Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust  

MIKE HUBBARTT serves as our current Board President. He came to California as a weather observer at Beale AFB in 1971. He has lived on the north side of the Sutter Buttes for 45 years and he has been accessing the Buttes since 1980. He became involved in our non-profit organization as a hike guide in the mid 1990’s when it was the Middle Mountain Foundation, and he immediately joined the board of directors. That experience enabled him to become a California State Park Interpreter at Lake Oroville for 16 years, before recently retiring. He has promoted our organization by conducting public presentations as he has assembled a display of the Buttes to inform the public about its unique history to preserve its heritage. He also published a photo history book about the Sutter Buttes.

BEN CHANDLER serves as Board Secretary and is a Board Director for SBRLT. He grew up in Oregon, with meaningful summers in the Sierra Nevada lakes and forests, and farmlands of California’s Central Valley. Open spaces and farmland have been the source of his grounding and joy, in California and around the world. After working in the greater Bay Area and overseas, he relocated to Butte County in 2018 and works for the State of California. Ben continues to enjoy spending time outdoors, and especially being active with ranch activities in the Sutter Buttes.

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DR. EMMA BLACKTHORNE serves as Treasurer and is a Board Director for SBRLT. Dr. Blackthorne is the Senior Dean of Research and Planning at Contra Costa Community College District and a professor of Anthropology at Yuba College. Her diverse career spans anthropology, social work, instruction, and criminal justice. Dr. Blackthorne’s advocacy for education and social justice is notable, as she has been honored as the Literacy Advocate of the Year by Wisconsin Literacy, Inc. for her efforts in bringing educational programs to Native communities. Additionally, she serves on the board of the Sierra Native Alliance, ensuring indigenous voices are heard in environmental conservation and mental health services in Northern California.

With academic credentials from the University of Wisconsin, Rutgers University, and Capella University, Dr. Blackthorne combines her expertise in anthropology and education to make a significant impact. She continues to teach anthropology in the Yuba-Sutter community and holds leadership roles in various nonprofit organizations, including the North Central Adult Education Consortium and the Marysville Youth and Community Center. Dr. Blackthorne’s dedication to education and community empowerment resonates through her multifaceted career and advocacy efforts.

MARGIT SANDS serves as a Board Director for SBRLT. She hails from a family whose history is closely tied to the region. Her family has owned a ranch in the heart of the Sutter Buttes since 1898, and Margit considers herself fortunate to have grown up working cattle on the ranch and finds that her appreciation for the Sutter Buttes grows with each passing year. She has retired from her lifelong career of teaching elementary school, primarily at Manzanita School in Gridley. Now she devotes more time to the cattle operation with some side interests of playing her flute and sewing.

JOE REUSSER is a Board of Directors for SBRLT and former Board President 2017 to 2022. He is a Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes guide and docent. He has a BA Degree from California State University-Sacramento and is an accomplished photographer. His hobbies include a love of the outdoors, hiking and backpacking and travel photography, although not necessarily in that order. Retired from a career in agricultural equipment repair and maintenance, he lives in Yuba City with his wife, Julie.

RACHEL REIN serves as a Board Director for SBRLT. She is a citizen scientist, educator, and artist. Her passion is analyzing data from genealogical DNA tests. She volunteers with California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP), the non-profit of the Nisenan Tribe. She created LandEmpty, which helps consumers find reusable alternatives to disposable products

JULIE STARK is a Board Director for SBRLT. She worked at the Museum for 18 years where she was the Director/Curator until her retirement and continues to volunteer. A prominent focus of the museum is the history of the Sutter Buttes. Julie received her BA degree from CSUC and has a background in library work and teaching. She is a native of Chico and enjoys her leisure time gardening and reading.

BABS COTTER serves as a Board Director for SBRLT. Until her retirement in 2002, she taught elementary school for 38 years. Growing up in Chico, Babs spent summers at the family’s cabin in the Sierra, developing a love for the outdoors, and a strong desire to preserve our natural landscape. Babs also serves on the Board of the Sutter County Museum and is an active member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She enjoys the outdoors, gardening, being in the mountains and kayaking. She especially enjoys spending time with her one-year-old great grandson.

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ALYSSA LINDMAN serves as our Executive Director, and is a previous Board Director and Back-up Guide for our sister organization, Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes. Alyssa is also currently serving on the Yuba County Planning Commission for District 1. Alyssa graduated UC Davis with a B.S. in Landscape Architecture and minor in Landscape Restoration. Since graduating she has worked in the field of landscape architecture designing everything from public and residential landscapes to creek restoration and mitigation projects. Alyssa has also worked as on-site supervisor for several mitigation and restoration projects, which included project construction oversight, invertebrate and hydromonitoring, as well as land surveys. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, art, and family.

L. OLIVIA MOORE  – Olivia comes to us with over 30 years of administrative management, including previous non-profit organizations. Olivia also runs her own jewelry and massage businesses. Olivia is a lover a nature including hiking and her most favorite, kayaking in California lakes. 

Increase awareness through supporting education, and conservation programs.

Build partnerships to balance conservation with economic growth, flood protection & agriculture

Provide the resources to create extraordinary opportunities and preserve the Sutter Buttes legacy.

Property is more than just real estate. It is a legacy, a part of family heritage.

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