Gulch Team

Dr. Aviva Rossi is an ecologist with over 20 years of work experience in wildlife ecology, vegetation management, and habitat restoration. She has worked within non-profit organizations, government, private companies, and academia. Her general research interests include biogeography, natural history, mammalogy, climate change, conservation, and land regeneration. Dr. Rossi’s recent projects have quantified the natural history of small mammals, including the niche space, resource selection, and modeled distributions to better understand how species are likely to respond to climate change. Her current work is focused on tracking changes to soil and wildlife biodiversity trends during regenerative agriculture transitions.

As an educator, Dr. Rossi emphasizes experiential learning. She has been teaching at the university-level for a decade, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, including designing and leading field courses. She is looking forward to the opportunity to involve local students in Gulch Foundation projects, including those at Rainmaker Farm.

Aviva was born on a small farm and got her hands in the ground early planting and raising food with her family. Her foundational knowledge of ecology started with her understanding of our inextricable ties to the complex food web on earth. As a mother of two children, Aviva feels strongly about working on projects that are making progress towards a sustainable future. At the Gulch she is grateful to be working towards a more stable climate future, thriving natural resources, and happy well-fed human beings.

Recipient of the 2023 Leopold Conservation Award, Marty Williams is a 7th generation Oklahoma farmer with a lifetime of experience in farming and ranching, including his own diverse no-till farming operation centered around conservation of our natural resources. He brings a broad range of agricultural expertise to The Gulch that is crucial for the success of our regenerative agriculture projects. He provides us with valuable advice about soil science and no-till, as well as being an exceptional public speaker about soil science principles at our public events.   

Marty holds a Bachelor of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences from Oklahoma State University. During his formal education, he found his passion for making farms better to pass on to the next generation, he wanted to conserve the soil and to make a difference. He has been successful in doing so, and was recognized by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with the Master Agronomist Award (2015), the most prestigious presented by the Division. It recognizes his active participation in education and public service in soil conservation and other related fields. He was also recognized by The Progressive Farmer as one of America’s Best Young Farmers and Ranchers. Marty is the president of the Noble County Conservation District, the local board that implements federal and state soil and water conservation practices with local producers.

His ambition and love for agriculture keeps him both locally and nationally striving to better the agriculture industry, and he prioritizes quality, conservation, character, relationships, and integrity.

Marty co-manages his own farm with his wife Crystal, and their two children. The Oklahoma Farm Bureau recognized the work of this dedicated family and awarded Marty and Crystal with the Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award.

You can learn more about Marty, his abundant awards and recognitions for both farming and conservation, and his own farm he co-manages with his wife Crystal, at frontierfarmsok.com.