Our Team
The People Behind the Boathouse
The Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative is volunteer-led and community-built. Our board brings together local educators, community leaders, Port authorities, and lifelong Tillamook Coast residents who share a deep commitment to this place and its future.
Clair Thomas
Vice President & Education Director
Clair Thomas is an Oregon educator and research biologist with more than four decades of work in science education, natural resource stewardship, and community-based learning. He spent 26 years teaching secondary science across Oregon, then 14 years in Tillamook building a place-based natural resource education program connecting K–12 students with their local environment. As a research biologist, he conducted field research for state and federal agencies, founded the Apprenticeship in Science and Engineering for Southern Oregon, and directed the Chewaucan Biophysical Monitoring Project on the Fremont/Winema National Forest.
He retired from that work in 2021 to focus on the educational programs at GCHI's historic U.S. Coast Guard Boathouse in Garibaldi.
Bruce Cardin
Assistant Education Director
Bruce Cardin spent 33 years teaching in Tillamook, Oregon, primarily 6th grade with a focus on outdoor education and natural resources, before moving into teacher preparation work for the final decade of his career. Since 1986 he has served as a leader with Tillamook County Outdoor School, reflecting a long commitment to getting students outside and connected to the places they live.
Bruce now volunteers as a summer docent with Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad and as an educational leader at GCHI, guiding school and community field trips at the historic boathouse.
Board of Directors
Our Board
Val Schumann - President
Clair Thomas - Vice President & Education Director
Bruce Cardin - Secretary & Assistant Education Director
Rich & Kathy Snyder - Treasurer
Steve Denning - Director of Docents
Our Volunteers
Every Event Runs on People Who Care
Every event, field trip, and open weekend runs on the time and talent of people who care about this place. In a typical season, our volunteers contribute hundreds of hours to the programs, events, and open weekends that make the Boathouse come alive.