Meet Our Board

Peter Bennett (President)

Peter first went hiking and mountain climbing up Hyalite in the 1970s. He was involved with the Concerned Citizens for Cottonwood which protected land in South Cottonwood Canyon. He has been employed as a computer technician, but now is focusing on jewelry making and playing the fiddle. Peter still hikes and climbs mountains in southwest Montana on a regular basis.

Bob Detrick (Vice President)

Bob grew up in western Pennsylvania and spent most of his professional life in southern New England (Rhode Island and Cape Cod) and Washington, D.C. where he worked as a marine geophysicist and research scientist, a scientific administrator at NSF and NOAA, and CEO of a non-profit university consortium dedicated to supporting research in seismology. Bob has always had a love for mountains fostered at an early age by family trips to the Colorado Rockies. About 8 years ago Bob and his wife began to vacation in Montana and fell in love with this part of the country. We bought a house in Bozeman in 2017 and quickly discovered Hyalite which became one of our favorite places to hike, cross-country ski and bike. Bob retired in 2020 and relocated to Bozeman full-time where he is enjoying the myriad of opportunities for outdoor activities in Hyalite and the surrounding greater Yellowstone area

Angela Davis (Treasurer)

Angela originally hails from northeast Florida, where she received her undergraduate degree in biology and worked as an environmental scientist for a handful of years. She's been in Bozeman since 2015 working with nonprofits in the valley and across the region since 2017 through AmeriCorps programs, event planning, volunteer management, and community outreach. Many of Angela's important firsts happened in Hyalite; her first backpacking trip, first snowshoe adventure, first backcountry ski outing, and more. She still routinely enjoys these and other activities in Hyalite. Needless to say, Hyalite holds a special place in her heart, and she is excited to be a part of Friends of Hyalite's important mission work. 

Mira Brody (Secretary)

A Bay Area native, Mira found herself missing the grandeur that nearby Yosemite offered growing up, but quickly found Hyalite to be an exemplary stand-in. Her favorite season is summer, when she can run high into the mountains and lounge in her kayak on the reservoir. A close second is during the seasonal road closure when the canyon is at its quietest. Mira studied English at California State University, Chico and moved to Bozeman in 2015 to find peace among the mountains. When she’s not working as a professional writer or volunteering time to her favorite local organizations, you can find Mira up in the Bridgers in her running shoes or skis with her cattle dog, Sierra.

Nan Brandenbergerpayne

Kelly Creek Ranger Station on the Montana/Idaho border was Nan’s first home. Her young life was spent recreating in USFS region one - backpacking, hiking and skiing were a way of life. Once graduated from college, Nan married Mark Payne, a forester. They lived and worked in Northwestern MT with their daughter and continued to recreate outdoors. Moves to Maine and North Carolina only changed the venue. While living in TN and Saudi Arabia, they flew home to MT each summer, often spending a day in Hyalite. Nan worked as an educator for 35 years, teaching a variety of grades, from pre-K to college. Now retired, Nan and Mark have a tradition of taking the first canoe paddle of the year up on Hyalite Reservoir.

Abigail Elsmo-Siebert 

Abby is a Wisconsin born adventurist who moved to Bozeman a few years ago for the world class ice climbing. She instantly fell in love with Hyalite Canyon for all it has to offer. Whether she is ice climbing, biking, rock climbing, backpacking or rockhounding you can often find her somewhere in Hyalite!

As an employee at a local outdoor retailer she is able to engage with community members and other local non profits to better understand what Bozeman is seeking from our shared public lands. She is looking forward to new opportunities to work with our growing community.