Luckiamute Watershed Council Board of Directors
Board Officers
Patrick Melendy - President of the Luckiamute Watershed Council
Pat is an enrolled member of the Hupa Tribe and grew up in the Redwood Creek and Trinity River watersheds in Northern CA. Since 1962, he has resided within and explored the Luckiamute Watershed, seeing many changes from logging practices to citizen use and impact. Patrick retired in 1999 and now lives with his wife on the remaining seven acres of her grandparents' 40-acre farm established in 1929. The once clear farmland that surrounded their property has been dramatically developed over the last 20 years and he and his wife have experienced first-hand the development impact on the lower watershed. Patrick’s work history includes civil rights activism, community organizing, program development, CAP administration, national union president and director of organizing for a major state educational union. Patrick hopes to use his professional background to support the goals, objectives and activities of the LWC.
Pat is an enrolled member of the Hupa Tribe and grew up in the Redwood Creek and Trinity River watersheds in Northern CA. Since 1962, he has resided within and explored the Luckiamute Watershed, seeing many changes from logging practices to citizen use and impact. Patrick retired in 1999 and now lives with his wife on the remaining seven acres of her grandparents' 40-acre farm established in 1929. The once clear farmland that surrounded their property has been dramatically developed over the last 20 years and he and his wife have experienced first-hand the development impact on the lower watershed. Patrick’s work history includes civil rights activism, community organizing, program development, CAP administration, national union president and director of organizing for a major state educational union. Patrick hopes to use his professional background to support the goals, objectives and activities of the LWC.
Kathy Farnworth - Secretary
Kathy is an Oregon native, born and raised in the Willamette Valley. She has camped all over Oregon with her family and backpacked with her husband. Her roots here go deep; she still attends an annual reunion of the descendants of the pioneers who settled in Eastern Oregon. She studied botany, and graduated with a BA in History and a BS in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University, and later achieved a Masters in Civil Engineering. While working full time she supported LWC as a volunteer in road cleanup, 4th of July parade, planting events, and fundraisers. Now mostly retired, she joins her husband Dan on the LWC Board, with a commitment to the conservation of resources and a healthy environment for all.
Kathy is an Oregon native, born and raised in the Willamette Valley. She has camped all over Oregon with her family and backpacked with her husband. Her roots here go deep; she still attends an annual reunion of the descendants of the pioneers who settled in Eastern Oregon. She studied botany, and graduated with a BA in History and a BS in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University, and later achieved a Masters in Civil Engineering. While working full time she supported LWC as a volunteer in road cleanup, 4th of July parade, planting events, and fundraisers. Now mostly retired, she joins her husband Dan on the LWC Board, with a commitment to the conservation of resources and a healthy environment for all.
Dan Farnworth – Treasurer
Dan lives in Monmouth by Ash Creek. He came to the Luckiamute Watershed Council in 2012, via the Friends of Ash Creek and the Ash Creek Water Control District, and now serves on the LWC Board as Treasurer and also on the Finance Committee. As a long-time camper, backpacker, hiker and fisherman, he’s seen a lot of changes in the outdoors in the last 60 years – some good, some not so much. Dan likes the local flavor of watershed councils, how councils can leverage national, state and regional resources to help individuals improve the not-so-good and make the good better in their own neighborhoods.
Dan lives in Monmouth by Ash Creek. He came to the Luckiamute Watershed Council in 2012, via the Friends of Ash Creek and the Ash Creek Water Control District, and now serves on the LWC Board as Treasurer and also on the Finance Committee. As a long-time camper, backpacker, hiker and fisherman, he’s seen a lot of changes in the outdoors in the last 60 years – some good, some not so much. Dan likes the local flavor of watershed councils, how councils can leverage national, state and regional resources to help individuals improve the not-so-good and make the good better in their own neighborhoods.
Gail Oberst – Immediate Past President
Gail is a writer, reporter, editor and publisher. She lives in the Ash Creek watershed with her family. She is a fifth-generation Oregonian who has been on various local and regional non-profit boards including the Ash Creek Water Control District and Polk Soil and Water Conservation District. Gail joined the Council unofficially in 2002 as a writer and reporter, then began volunteering and officially joined a few years later. Currently, Gail serves as the Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee. She helped publish the “Writing Our Watershed” book, a collection of local personal stories from people living in the area. Gail is a fan of all things watery.
Gail is a writer, reporter, editor and publisher. She lives in the Ash Creek watershed with her family. She is a fifth-generation Oregonian who has been on various local and regional non-profit boards including the Ash Creek Water Control District and Polk Soil and Water Conservation District. Gail joined the Council unofficially in 2002 as a writer and reporter, then began volunteering and officially joined a few years later. Currently, Gail serves as the Chair of the Education and Outreach Committee. She helped publish the “Writing Our Watershed” book, a collection of local personal stories from people living in the area. Gail is a fan of all things watery.
Board Members
Karin Stutzman
Karin has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years. Her current home is along the Little Luckiamute River with her husband, and she enjoys swimming and playing there with her dog. Living here inspires her dedication to restoring and maintaining healthy watersheds and managing natural resources. Karin has been on the Council Board for over 4 years, and is currently serving on the Outreach and Education Committee. In the past she has served on the Project Review Committee and as a member of the Steering Committee. She volunteers for other Council projects as often as possible, including the Adopt-a-Road clean-up along Buena Vista Road, and the fundraising events at Burgerville in Monmouth. Being on the Board has helped Karin to expand and grow her knowledge base surrounding what makes an effective team, and learn first-hand that it is an enormous task to carry out on-the-ground conservation work.
Karin has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years. Her current home is along the Little Luckiamute River with her husband, and she enjoys swimming and playing there with her dog. Living here inspires her dedication to restoring and maintaining healthy watersheds and managing natural resources. Karin has been on the Council Board for over 4 years, and is currently serving on the Outreach and Education Committee. In the past she has served on the Project Review Committee and as a member of the Steering Committee. She volunteers for other Council projects as often as possible, including the Adopt-a-Road clean-up along Buena Vista Road, and the fundraising events at Burgerville in Monmouth. Being on the Board has helped Karin to expand and grow her knowledge base surrounding what makes an effective team, and learn first-hand that it is an enormous task to carry out on-the-ground conservation work.
David Ehlers has owned and managed a small property in the upper Luckiamute watershed for over 15 years, improving timber resources, as well as oak, riparian, upland and wetland habitats. A retired physician, he and his wife recently settled in the Luckiamute watershed, enjoying rural life and woodland management. David joined the LWC Board in March 2016. David recently completed the Benton County Master Gardener program and is on the Benton County Small Woodlands Association Board.
Mark Hazelton helped found Kings Valley Charter School in 2000 and worked for 11 years as its Executive Director, so he brings invaluable experience in both non-profit management and public education to the Council. Having earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from OSU, Mark is also a process engineering consultant with M and E Company. Currently, most of his time is spent helping on the farm raising yaks, pigs and caring for goats.
Wendy Hudson is a retired "career environmentalist." Before moving to Oregon in 1988 from Washington DC, where she was born and raised, Wendy worked for a marine biology non-profit and briefly for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In Oregon, she worked 12 years for Defenders of Wildlife, another non-profit, and 15 years for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. She joined the Luckiamute Watershed Council Board in 2018 and currently serves on the Council's Project Review Committee. Wendy is an avid bird watcher and finds many opportunities to do so throughout the watershed.
Other Council Volunteers
Scott Snedaker has been working in the Pacific Northwest in fisheries habitat management for 20 years, primarily working for the Bureau of Land Management. Scott received a BS degree in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University in 1994, and has completed short course work in restoration including Rosgen’s Applied Fluvial Geomorphology and Restoration of Aquatic Species Passage Using Stream Simulation. Scott has been advising the Luckiamute Watershed Council on aquatic issues since 2005. Within the Luckiamute watershed, Scott has completed work on two large wood projects, improved fish passage at six culvert crossings, and removed 1 mile of road impairing stream function.
Robert Burns, MPM, PMP, has experience as a fisheries biologist with the USGS in the Columbia River Basin and is excited to be a new landowner just off the Luckiamute with his family. His wife Erin has been participating in watershed activities as well. Her background is in business & education. Their first year here, they have both participated in the road clean up project and the LSNA tour, with the council.
Other affiliated volunteers include Dr. John Westall of Oregon State University's Department of Chemistry, and Phil Larsen, aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Luckiamute Watershed Council Staff
Kristen Larson -- Executive Director
Kristen has been the Executive Director of the Luckiamute Watershed Council since September 2012. Shortly after starting the job, she and her husband became Ash Creek watershed residents, moving from Corvallis to Independence. Kristen has a bachelor's degree with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science from the College of William and Mary. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she met her Oregonian husband who was also in the Peace Corps, and moved to Oregon in 2003. Kristen has worked in science communications, outreach, and management, and after teaching English in Thailand, returned to Oregon to complete a Professional Science Master's degree in Environmental Science with a focus on water resources at Oregon State University.
Kristen has been the Executive Director of the Luckiamute Watershed Council since September 2012. Shortly after starting the job, she and her husband became Ash Creek watershed residents, moving from Corvallis to Independence. Kristen has a bachelor's degree with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science from the College of William and Mary. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, where she met her Oregonian husband who was also in the Peace Corps, and moved to Oregon in 2003. Kristen has worked in science communications, outreach, and management, and after teaching English in Thailand, returned to Oregon to complete a Professional Science Master's degree in Environmental Science with a focus on water resources at Oregon State University.
Suzanne Teller -- Outreach Coordinator
Suzanne became the Outreach Coordinator for the Luckiamute Watershed Council in December 2013. She is the former coordinator of the Izaak Walton League’s Protect Our Wetlands program and continues to be a guest writer for their Outdoor America magazine. Suzanne has a BS in Environmental Science with a focus on wildlife ecology from Western Washington University, and a Dual MA in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from American University. Her passion for community-based conservation has taken her all over the world, including West Africa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Washington DC and – most recently – the Pacific NW. She is thrilled to have found a beautiful place to put down roots with her husband, Jay, and two boys, Jayson and Oliver.
Suzanne became the Outreach Coordinator for the Luckiamute Watershed Council in December 2013. She is the former coordinator of the Izaak Walton League’s Protect Our Wetlands program and continues to be a guest writer for their Outdoor America magazine. Suzanne has a BS in Environmental Science with a focus on wildlife ecology from Western Washington University, and a Dual MA in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from American University. Her passion for community-based conservation has taken her all over the world, including West Africa, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Washington DC and – most recently – the Pacific NW. She is thrilled to have found a beautiful place to put down roots with her husband, Jay, and two boys, Jayson and Oliver.
Caleb Price -- Monitoring Coordinator
Caleb joined the Luckiamute Watershed Council as Monitoring Coordinator in April 2018. He is a long time resident of the Pacific Northwest, and moved to Oregon to pursue a MS degree in Marine Resource Management with a Certificate of Fisheries Management from Oregon State University, where he graduated in 2011. His past experiences include conducting backcountry snorkel surveys in the Idaho wilderness, controlling invasive species on a wildlife refuge in the remote Pacific Islands, and assisting with a USAID-funded program for international development in fisheries and aquaculture. Recently, Caleb has been involved with several acoustic and radio telemetry projects evaluating juvenile salmonid migration and survival in Oregon and Washington on the Snake, South Santiam, and Middle Fork Willamette Rivers. Caleb enjoys hiking and fishing across the Western US, and currently resides in Corvallis with his wife and son.
Caleb joined the Luckiamute Watershed Council as Monitoring Coordinator in April 2018. He is a long time resident of the Pacific Northwest, and moved to Oregon to pursue a MS degree in Marine Resource Management with a Certificate of Fisheries Management from Oregon State University, where he graduated in 2011. His past experiences include conducting backcountry snorkel surveys in the Idaho wilderness, controlling invasive species on a wildlife refuge in the remote Pacific Islands, and assisting with a USAID-funded program for international development in fisheries and aquaculture. Recently, Caleb has been involved with several acoustic and radio telemetry projects evaluating juvenile salmonid migration and survival in Oregon and Washington on the Snake, South Santiam, and Middle Fork Willamette Rivers. Caleb enjoys hiking and fishing across the Western US, and currently resides in Corvallis with his wife and son.
Luckiamute Watershed Council Project Manager
Jean-Paul Zagarola
Jean-Paul is an ecologist with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and has been managing projects for the Council since 2013. He earned a BS at Portland State University where he first became interested in community-based watershed management and restoration. He later earned his MS as a Fulbright Scholar studying adaptive ecosystem management strategies in southern Patagonia. Beyond his research experience, Jean-Paul has built a broad social-ecological skill set through his project management experience in the Luckiamute, Middle Fork Willamette and Siuslaw Watersheds and his more recent experience managing Willamette-wide restoration efforts for BEF. Jean-Paul regularly enjoys the bounty the Willamette basin has to offer whether it be through hiking, biking, paddling or foraging ingredients for his next home brewed batch of beer or mead. Cheers!
Jean-Paul is an ecologist with Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) and has been managing projects for the Council since 2013. He earned a BS at Portland State University where he first became interested in community-based watershed management and restoration. He later earned his MS as a Fulbright Scholar studying adaptive ecosystem management strategies in southern Patagonia. Beyond his research experience, Jean-Paul has built a broad social-ecological skill set through his project management experience in the Luckiamute, Middle Fork Willamette and Siuslaw Watersheds and his more recent experience managing Willamette-wide restoration efforts for BEF. Jean-Paul regularly enjoys the bounty the Willamette basin has to offer whether it be through hiking, biking, paddling or foraging ingredients for his next home brewed batch of beer or mead. Cheers!
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