Heather Swift, Principal Consultant & Owner

Heather (she/her) founded Cohabitats in 2007 to integrate wildlife habitat conservation, restoration, and stewardship education into green building and other land changing projects. Her projects include a four-season site assessment for a 673 acre property and creating of wildlife and forest stewardship plans, creation of a comprehensive wildlife plan for a green cohousing project, pre-development site studies, wildlife plan development for a landowner through King Conservation District’s Upland Wildlife Habitat program, a volunteer wildlife survey for Cascade Land Conservancy (now Forterra) . She assisted the Pearl River County Office of Planning and Development on creating a guide for conservation development. She has participated as a volunteer for Conservation Northwest citizen science.

Heather is on the faculty at Bastyr University where she teaches ethnobotany and has worked as a wilderness skills and environmental educator for eleven years at Alderleaf Wilderness College. She holds a Level II Certification by CyberTracker Conservation International. Prior to founding Cohabitats, she was a marketing professional for fifteen years at Swift Impressions, The Genesis Group, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. She holds an M.S. in Management from Antioch University Seattle and B.A. from Scripps College of The Claremont Colleges. She is a graduate of Wilderness Awareness School and has completed the WSU Extension Forest Stewardship program, holds a Permaculture Design Certificate, has CE training in bird-safe building design, biophilic design and is currently working on certification for Green Roof Professional. Heather currently serves as a trustee for the Francis R. Dewing Foundation which funds innovative youth education programs.

Fil Tkazcyck, Wildlife Biologist & Tracking Specialist

Fil is an experienced naturalist who has extensively studied the ecosystems of Washington state for over fifteen years. He is an instructor at Alderleaf Wilderness College for the past eleven years where he shared his tracking, birding, and naturalist expertise. He is certified as a Track & Sign Specialist, holds a Permaculture Design Certificate, and earned a B.S. in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington. Included in his experiences as a naturalist, he has lead bird walks with Seattle Audubon and taught tracking/outdoors skills to adults and youth for various organizations such as the Wildlife Society.

Filip has also worked with the Olympic National Park conducting bat research, and for the University of Washington, leading an in-depth study on nutria  in the Seattle area. He is also a professional nature photographer who has captured wildlife images around the world. He is the author of Tracks & Sign of   Reptiles & Amphibians through Stackpole Books.

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Chris Byrd, Birding & Tracking Specialist

Chris Byrd has been a naturalist in the Pacific Coast states for the last fifteen years. Chris holds a professional tracker certification through CyberTracker International. He has been trailing animals in the Pacific Northwest intensively for the last six years. Chris has taught tracking and ecology for a number of local organizations including The North Cascades Institute, Wilderness Awareness School, Wild Whatcom, The Cascade Land Conservancy, and Western Washington University.

Chris is an instructor at Alderleaf Wilderness College. He has a post-graduate degree in education from Humboldt State University, and in 2009 completed Wilderness Awareness School’s year-long outdoor skills program. He also currently co-runs the Cascadia Naturalist Association, a community outdoor program for adults based in Bellingham, Washington.

Jason Knight, Wildlife Biologist & Senior Tracker

Jason is a seasoned wildlife biologist and wilderness educator, having worked with conservation organizations, government agencies, and in the private sector. Jason is certified as a Senior Tracker (Track & Sign Specialist and Trailing Specialist) through CyberTracker Conservation International. He received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology & Environmental Education from The Evergreen State College and holds a Permaculture Design Certificate.

Jason has managed cougar studies for the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife and assisted with gray wolf research in central Idaho. He worked on many wildlife projects through Wetland Resources, Inc and consulted as a local  wilderness skills expert for the "Coastal Catastrophe" episode of the Discovery Channel's Dual Survival television program. He contributed  photos to the field guide Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest and conducted fieldwork for the book Tracks  & Sign of Reptiles & Amphibians. Jason is the founder and owner of Alderleaf Wilderness College. also enjoys construction projects   on the farm, spending time with his family, and playing guitar. 

Erik Piikkila, Eco-Forester

Erik is a BC Forester in Training with Ecoforestry experience in BC, Finland, the US Pacific Northwest, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Redwoods of California.  He was trained by the world renowned ecoforester Jerry Franklin. 

At the BC Ministry of Forests, his work involved assisting 10 Major Forest Companies with 30 different operations, BC Timber Sales and Woodlot Licenses implement the BC Forest Practices Code.  Most recently he has been offering a 4Seasons Eco School to K – 12 students, providing eco tours of Wildwood to University students, and is involved with several watershed groups in the Cowichan Valley.