Taylor Evans, Chair
Associate Director in Advancement at the University of Oregon
Taylor Evans originates from Minnesota and was brought to Oregon in 2018 through the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) AmeriCorps Program. She served with the City of Monroe as their Community Development Director before moving on to getting her Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM) at the University of Oregon.
During her time with the City, Taylor worked on the 5-Year Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan regarding stormwater management and through various projects with the Long Tom Watershed Council, updating the City’s 20-year Comprehensive Plan, and launching the Safe Routes to School project.
Taylor has served on the LTWC board for over four years, and volunteers with a few other organizations in Lane County. Outside of work and volunteering, Taylor is an avid boulderer, hiker and reader.
Dr. Paulina Whitehat, Vice-Chair
Diné, Researcher, PhD in Special Education
Yá’át’ééh (Hello). Dr. Paulina Whitehat is Diné and is originally from Diné bikéyah (Navajo land) in northern Arizona. She learned the importance of water and about water issues during her childhood since access to clean water was limited due to inequities and the arid environment. She relocated to the local area with her family to earn a doctorate degree in special education at the University of Oregon. She has been an educator in diverse and rural communities for most of her life. Paulina became a water steward through Arizona Project WET by way of the University of Arizona and implemented water curriculum to grow water-literate stewards. Her work in Tribal communities sparked her interest in countering the effects of colonialism and adversity with the use of language, culture, and environmental stewardship as protective factors to heal and cope. Wellness for Indigenous populations includes revitalizing and practicing resilience by using Indigenous lifeways, knowledge, and languages to heal. It is crucial for Indigenous people to have a connection to the land, water, and nature to achieve balance, increase wellness, and thrive. Paulina’s interested in working alongside and supporting collaborators like the Long Tom Watershed Council who are reclaiming and restoring water ways, the environment, and native species to their natural habitat.
Paulina enjoys spending time with her partner and family. She supports her mother and Indigenous communities by listening, learning knowledge and wisdom, and taking action. She speaks Diné bizaad (language) fluently and enjoys listening to stories about history, cultural lifeways, and Indigenous knowledge/wisdom during conversations with her mother, elders, and others who have important knowledge to exchange. Paulina likes to hike, camp, explore the coast and the outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, and participate in land and water restoration work.
Kurt Koehler, Treasurer
Retired CFO of Enli Health Intelligence Corp.
Kurt retired as CFO of Enli Health Intelligence Corporation, a company he cofounded in 2002 and sold in Dec 2020. Prior to Enli, Kurt held a variety of leadership positions during 20 years at Intel including those in finance, product marketing, general manager, plant manager, and director of internal software application development, where he received two Intel Achievement awards for his contributions.
Kurt has served as a Board Member and President of 1000 Friends of Oregon, Board Member and Executive Committee Member of the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and Founding Board Member and President of Hillsboro Schools Foundation. He received CFO of the Year award from the Portland Business Journal and Philanthropy Leadership award from the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.
Kurt is a 5th generation Oregonian. He graduated from Jesuit High School, received a BA from Stanford and an MBA from Wharton. Kurt and his wife Mary own Star Farms, a 116 acre forest at the headwaters of Owens Creek where the LTWC did a fish passage project in 2009.
Connie Peabody, Secretary
Retired environmental educator
My husband and I live on and own 80 acres near Fern Ridge Reservoir, which includes part of the south fork of Coyote Creek. The property has an intriguing mix of forest, prairie/fields, creeks and wetlands. Our mission for our land is to preserve and restore the native flora & fauna in order to create habitat and build back the plant diversity that was lost over many decades. In the last 15 years, we have worked on creek restoration, planted pollinator gardens, native hedge rows, native oaks, Douglas fir, ponderosa pines, big leaf maples, willows, cedars, dogwood, just to name a few. My husband and I have observed and celebrated the return of wildlife to the property: kestrel, meadowlarks, cackling geese, blackbirds, lazuli buntings, blue birds, Great blue herons, bald eagles, (over 60 bird species), deer, coyote, beaver, fox but an abundance of gophers!
I am a retired public school teacher (Spanish/Art/Environmental Science). I have a devotion to teaching youth how they can make a difference in the natural world by empowering them through action. I also have a deep understanding and appreciation of other cultures having grown up in Mexico, where I became fluent in Spanish and made many lifelong friends. Beginning in college, I developed a passion for environmental issues and have spent my life working to improve and protect our ecosystems. I have participated in many volunteer projects including as a bilingual teacher and docent at The Nature Conservancy Fairfield Osborn preserve, as well as a board member for Petaluma Wetlands Alliance. I have collaborated with multiple groups promoting riparian and native oak restoration plantings with Petaluma Wetlands Alliance, Urban Forests and Project Acorn (a native oak tree planting restoration project which I designed and created) just to name a few.
I am also a trained artist and have used my art to; raise awareness of the environment, create logos, posters and flyers to promote community involvement. I am passionate about our watershed, healthy habitats, and am concerned about the impacts of global climate change.
As a board member I pledge to bring my talents, love of nature and enthusiasm, to work with the LTWC community in a common goal to restore our lands for the betterment of us all.
Shelly Miller
Ecological Service and GIS team Supervisor at City of Eugene Parks and Open Spaces
Shelly Miller has worked in fish and wildlife conservation and management for over 20 years. During her career, she has worked for fish and wildlife agencies in West Virginia, Virginia, and Oregon. She has also worked for The Nature Conservancy. Currently, Shelly works for the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division as the Natural Areas Planning supervisor. She has lived in the Eugene/Springfield area since 2005 and loves it. Shelly and her family enjoy the outdoors, exploring cultural opportunities in the area, and traveling.
Dr. Patricia McDowell
Retired Geomorphologist and professor at Univeristy of Oregon
Dr. Patricia McDowell of the University of Oregon Geography department focuses primarily on river systems and recently oversaw the work of a graduate student (Christina Appleby) to map historic side-channels of the Long Tom using LIDAR and other remote sensing techniques. She has been a long-term supporter of the council as a donor, and has served on our technical team for many years as well. She brings an extensive knowledge of rivers, river systems and the agency and regulatory framework within which rivers are managed and funded. She has done extensive work in the greater John Day watershed monitoring river system change with various restoration interventions. She has been teaching about watershed councils and their work since their inception in the late 90’s, and is emphatic that LTWC is the best in the state!
Jabrila Via
Retired Farmer at Winter Green Farms | Current Farm & Food Educator at Winter Green
Jabrila is the former owner of the farming operations at Winter Green Farm, a 171-acre organic farm in the Upper Long Tom sub-basin near Noti. While she sold the farm business, she still owns the property, lives there, and continues to conduct food and farm education activities there. She enjoys connecting the community to its local food and is interested in food justice and security issues. Jabrila shares: “I am interested in working with the community. We all come from different walks of life, and I want to be learning and sharing together to help keep the Long Tom Watershed healthy, to educate, and include the public in taking care of our environment.” Jabrila also loves being in the wild – backpacking, climbing, paddling, and bringing her grandkids along. At LTWC, she has been deeply involved as a volunteer for the Team TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) Youth Education Program.
John Deck
Agricultural Landowner
John Deck is co-owner of Deck Family Farm with his wife Christine as well as owner of Biocode, LLC. Deck Family Farm is a working diversified farm situated on Owen’s Creek. Deck Family Farm is committed to protecting its 3 creeks and 320 acres through planting riparian buffers and managing soil fertility and landscapes using regenerative practices. Much of our work in the last 20 years on our property has been undertaken with the aid of the LTWC, including replacing an undersized culvert with a bridge, high-density tree planting, and donating timber for a bridge replacement. As a staff researcher for the University of California, Berkeley and owner of Biocode, LLC, John has 30 years of experience in tracking and managing information related to biodiversity, population genetics, and conservation projects.
Ian Goodwin
Forester – mid-year appointment to fill an open position
(Photo and Bio to come)