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Danielle Crain
Undergraduate research assistant
e-mail: dcrain@ucsc.edu
Danielle Crain is a 3rd year undergraduate at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She is studying ecology and evolution and enjoys exploring her career
options in these areas. She plans on attending graduate school to study animal behavior. In 2007, Danielle was instrumental in helping AWF complete upgrades to our
research vessel, Evolution, and in conducting field research.
Christa Hotz
Amateur photographer and wildlife advocate
e-mail: wordsmith@bluewin.ch
Christa is a trilingual translator specializing in medicine, life sciences and (for purely financial reasons…) legalese. Keenly interested in animals and their behavior from early childhood on,
she supports the Goldau Landscape and Animal Park in her native Switzerland and its breeding programs for the reintroduction of the Bearded Vulture and the European Bison. Rewarding herself for the long years of building her
freelance business with a whale watching trip to Baja California, she met AWF board member and then on-board naturalist Pieter Folkens. He lured her to Alaska, put some earphones on her one cold and rainy morning in Frederick Sound,
and, with the help of a dozen very (ahem…) cooperative heavyweights, put AWF’s efforts to understand and protect the Humpback Whale way up on Christa’s list of causes worthy to support. (Of course, having the time of her life and
getting incredible shots had nothing to do with it.) Donating time as an observer/photographer and cook has been the highlight of many summers since that memorable first season in 1996. Christa made an important donation in 2007 of
money to purchase a new propane stove for the galley on AWF's research vessel, Evolution.
Kathi Koontz
Ocean advocate and passionate conservationist
e-mail: kathikoontz@hotmail.com
Kathi is a project manager in Silicon Valley by day. After-hours and on weekends she dedicates her time to marine conservation. Kathi has volunteered with
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito,
California for over 5 years. Active on the animal care team, Kathi also finds time to work on the The Center's water rescue team. While performing these duties, she came into contact with Pieter
Folkens, co-founder of AWF. Kathi became involved with the SPLASH program, a collaborative effort among scientists working in the Pacific ocean to identify and census great whale populations. One
important contribution Kathi made was the acquisition of a vital in-kind donation for the research vessel Evolution: the Xantrex electrical
inverter that supplies A/C electrical power to the vessel. Through her involvement with the AWF Kathi has become experianced in whale disentanglement. Kathi is also a rescue diver and a volunteer
scientific diver with Reef Check. Kathi is currently
training as a divemaster. In 2007, Kathi generously donated her time help AWF replace the roof on our
research vessel, Evolution,