OWNER, MANAGER AND WETLANDS SCIENTIST

M.S. Land Rehabilitation

Montana State University

B.S. in Wildlife Biology

University of Vermont

Jeff has twenty years of experience in wetland habitat mitigation, restoration and enhancement, bio-engineered erosion control and the restoration of native plant communities. Most recently he has focused on restoration and creation of water bird habitats for sensitive species and the establishment and maintenance of dry land plant communities for upland nesting waterfowl, passerine songbirds and upland game. Jeff has designed over 30 wildlife habitat projects throughout the west.

OWNER, GENERAL MANAGER

B.A. Business Management

Idaho State University

Ty Blacker has been with North Fork Native Plants for 21 years, starting in 2004. Since then, he has taken our small startup nursery and expanded it to what it is today. Originally from Wyoming, Ty moved to the Idaho Falls area back in 1996. He has a wife and 3 daughters, enjoys the outdoors and stays busy with multiple projects at the same time. Ty manages all aspects of the company as well as day to day activities of North Fork Native Plants.

OWNER, CFO

B.A. Economics

Denison University

Tim joined NFNP in 2006 after moving his family to eastern Idaho from the Midwest.  He has a background in investment banking and small business ownership.  Tim’s role at NFNP has evolved in recent years as he has backed away from day-to-day oversight responsibilities and focuses primarily on financial oversight and strategic decision making for the company.

HEAD GROWER

B.S. Agronomy

The Pennsylvania State University

Jeff joined North Fork Native Plants in 2011, bringing with him over a decade of experience as a Crop Advisor in multiple agricultural and horticultural production systems in the Mid-Atlantic, Upper Midwest, and Intermountain West. Jeff oversees successful grows every season with North Fork Native Plants, producing riparian and upland native plant species across many grow formats. He is responsible for native propagule procurement, collection, and preparation. Jeff designs and implements growing methods for our production systems, including nutrient and protective inputs. 

SALES AND MARKETING

B.S. Plant and Wildlife Ecology

Brigham Young University - Idaho

Rebecca started with North Fork Native Plants in 2016, helping manage the Greenhouse workers while finishing school at BYU-Idaho. Shortly after completing her internship with Idaho Fish and Game, she moved into our Sales and Marketing position. She communicates with customers and our staff regarding orders and deliveries of our plants, as well as manages our website and social media marketing. In her free time she enjoys hiking, camping, dirt biking, and traveling.

BOOKKEEPER/ASSISTANT GROWER

B.S. Family and Consumer Science

Brigham Young University - Idaho

Witneigh started with North Fork Native Plants in 2018 helping work with the Greenhouse Crew, which then lead to helping manage the Greeenhouse Crew. In 2024 she moved into the part time bookkeeping position while still maintaining an assistant position for our Grower. She enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking.

HABITAT RESTORATION MANAGER

B.S. Plant and Wildlife Ecology

Brigham Young University – Idaho

Tanner started with North Fork Native Plants in 2019, working with the wetland sod crews to helping maintain the ponds. In 2023, he moved into the habitat restoration side of the business and now manages our installation projects for wetland, riparian, and upland ecosystems. He enjoys hiking, hunting, fly fishing, and video games.

ASSISTANT NURSERY MANAGER

Luke started with North Fork Native Plants in 2024 helping produce Wetland Sod Mats and maintain the ponds. Now he is working to help manage production and work on keeping production on pace with demands. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, and riding dirt bikes.

SENIOR FIELD SCIENTIST

B.S. Botany

Miami University

Derek has over 3 decades of experience in field data collection, plant ecology, and project management for a wide range of resource management and restoration entities including federal, non-profit, and consulting. Derek serves North Fork Native Plants as Senior Field Scientist while maintaining his Project Manager role at Intermountain Aquatics, Inc. As a mapping specialist, he informs and monitors projects with spatial data analysis using QGIS and Google Earth. Derek has a wetland delineation certificate from Utah State University and is licensed to operate Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems from the FAA. Derek is excited to bring his diversity of experience to help clients achieve their goals while enhancing the abundant wildlife habitat of Western landscapes.