Read More for Board Candidates & Voting Information
All members of the Long Tom Watershed Council—that is any adult who supports the purpose and mission of the Council and is connected to the watershed community—may sign in during the Annual Meeting and Celebration and vote to elect our slate of volunteer board members and approve any bylaws updates.
2023 Board Election
Each year, the Council recruits and recommends a slate of Board of Directors candidates for election at the Annual Meeting & Celebration that balances the diversity of perspectives and geographic and land use representation in the watershed. Anyone who attends the November 2nd Annual Celebration and signs in will be able to vote to affirm the board candidates listed below.
This year we are affirming three positions that the board has filled on a protem basis and your vote confirms them for the remainder of their current protem terms.
John Deck
Agricultural Landowner – (Mid-year appointment to fill a vacant position)
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.
Connie Peabody
Retired public school teacher (Mid-year appointment to fill a vacant position)
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.
Dr. Paulina Whitehat – (Mid-year appointment to fill a vacant position)
Diné, Researcher
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.
The full list of board member bios is also available on our website here. Feel free to reach out to Steve (coordinator at longtom dot org) for questions or more information.