Presenter Information

From the Klamath Watershed Conference

Dr. John Ritter

Oregon Institute of Technology  

Dr. Ritter is currently the director of Environmental Sciences program at OIT as well as the director of the OIT GIS Service Center .  In addition to teaching several courses in GIS he has worked for a variety of GIS analysis projects varying from the local to state level.  Prior to his arrival at OIT Dr. Ritter was a Senior Research Scientist with NASA-Langley Research Center .  He has a B.A. from the University of California , Los Angeles , and M.S., Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan .

Dr. Lawrence Powers, Professor of Natural Sciences

Oregon Institute of Technology  

Dr. Powers, Professor of Natural Sciences at OIT since 1993, and teaches general biology, physical anthropology, animal behavior, and physical geography.  His major interests are behavioral ecology and ethology, especially of marine invertebrates.  He has a B.S. in Biology from Wayne State University , a M.A., in Biology from the University of Oregon , and a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Texas .

Dr. Timothy J. Mulligan, Professor of Fisheries Biology

Humboldt State University  

Dr. Milligan has been a Professor of Fisheries Biology at Humboldt State University since 1989.  His current research interests are the ecology of near shore marine and estuarine fishes and the ecology of fishes inhabiting Upper Klamath Lake National Wildlife Refuge Marsh.  He has a B.S. from the University of Vermont , a M.S. from the University of Central Florida , a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and Post-Doctorial work at the University of Washington .

M. Steven West, Klamath County Board of Commissioners  

Mr. West was elected Klamath County Commissioner in 1996 and re-elected in 2000.  He represents Klamath County in the areas of water resources, natural resources and agriculture and works with local, county, state and federal agencies in seeking solutions for Klamath Basin water issues.  He serves on several advisory committees and task forces.  He received his B.A. in Geography with an emphasis on land use planning and natural resource management from Humboldt State University .

Joan Smith, Siskiyou County Supervisor District One – a no show, Marsha Armstrong, Siskiyou County Supervisor District Three appeared instead – no bio  

Joan Smith was elected to the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors in 1997, where she is currently in her second term.  She was the Executive Director of the Klamath Alliance for Resources and Environment for eight years and Executive Director for the Siskiyou County Farm Bureau for five.  She has served 7 years on the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force.  She is the President of the Pacific Rim Region Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils and is on the Executive Board for the National Association of RC&D Councils.  For the past two years she served as Chair for the Ag and Natural Resources Committee of the California State Association of Counties, and currently serves on the Executive Committee.

Jimmy Smith, Humboldt County Supervisor District One  

Mr. Smith has been active in natural resource issues for over 20 years.  He was a Trinity Task Force member, representing commercial fishing, past chair and current member of the California Salmon Stamp Committee (over 12 million in private dollars allocated to restoration and enhancement).  He is a past Harbor Commissioner in Humboldt County and was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2000.  He has worked as a Commercial Fisherman for 35 years.

Chuck Blackburn , Del Norte County Board of Supervisors – a no show  

Mr. Blackburn was elected as supervisor, Del Norte County, in 1998.  He is a member of the Regional Council of Rural Counties, the Klamath River Task Force and the Economic Development Goals Committee.  He is actively engaged in the Forest Schools and Counties Timber Coalition.  He serves as the inter-tribal liaison to the Elk Valley and Smith River Rancheria Projects.  He has been a guide on the Klamath River for 28 years and makes presentations on issues surrounding resource concerns and needs of the Klamath River system.  He received his B.A. and his Masters Degree from Humboldt State University .

Dr. Harry Carlson, Superintendent

University of California , Intermountain Research and Extension Service – did not present  

Dr. Carlson has been actively involved in agricultural research and education for more then 28 years.  He is the Superintendent of the University of California Intermountain Research and Extension Center (IREC); a 140-acre research farm in Tulelake , California .  He is also a Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor covering field and vegetable crops for Modoc and Siskiyou Counties .  His personal research and educational programs are directed at solving critical problems facing agriculture in the Klamath Basin , recently directed at environmental issues including water conservation and use.  Dr. Carlson received three college degrees from the University of California at Davis : a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology; a M.S. in Agronomy and a Ph.D. in Ecology.

Elizabeth Ann Rieke, Area Manager

Lahontan Basin Area Office , U.S. Bureau of Reclamation  

As Area Manager of the Lahontan Basin Area Office, Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) Rieke oversees the management of the Bureau of Reclamation facilities located throughout northern Nevada and eastern California .  She assumed the job in June 1998.  Her responsibilities include management of the Newlands Project, one of the first Reclamation projects.  Her area also manages the Truckee River Storage, Washoe, and Humboldt Projects, focusing on a variety of water resources issues.  She is also chair of a team of federal agencies participating in negotiations to resolve water rights claims in the Walker River basin .  Rieke graduated from Oberlin College , Oberlin , Ohio , and received her J.D. degree from the University of Arizona .

Marion Palmer – Klamath Basin Farmer, Newell , California  

Mr. Palmer arrived in the Klamath Basin in 1932 after his father; a WWI vet drew a homestead lottery in the Klamath Project.  Marion then served in WWII and upon returning in 1949 drew his own homestead.  He raises cattle, hay and grain.  Mr. Palmer and his wife have 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

Mike Connelly, Executive Director

Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation  

Mike Connelly has lived in the Klamath Basin for the last decade, running a registered Hereford herd in the Lost River sub basin.  For the past year Mike has served as the Executive Director of the Klamath Basin Ecosystem Foundation, a collaborative non-profit organization pursuing local, community-based solutions to the Basin’s natural resource challenges.  He is also a published essayist and poet.  

Mike Bryan – Scott Valley California Rancher  

Mike Bryan’s family has been in the Scott Valley since 1852, he is the fourth generation living on the family ranch along with sixth generation grandchildren.  He is past president of the Scott Valley Irrigation District, past president of the Siskiyou Resource Conservation District, former member of the Klamath Basin Fishery Task Force Work Group, former chairman of the Scott  Valley CRMP, and a former member and chairman of the Siskiyou County FSA committee.  He has an outfitter/guide service, Bryan and Sherman Packing, which packs recreationists and hunters into the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area on horses and mules.

Jeff C. Mitchell, Upper Basin Coordinator

Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission  

Jeff Mitchell is the Upper Basin Coordinator for the Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission, a position he has held for the last three years.  Mr. Mitchell has served the Klamath Tribes since 1975, over this time he has held numerous positions including Tribal Council member, Vice Chairman and Tribal Chairman.  He has provided leadership in economic development and cultural and building projects and has served on numerous national, state, and county boards and committees.  Mr. Mitchell is a lifetime resident of Klamath County and lives in Chiloquin with his wife Kathleen and children.

Mr. Keith Wilkinson, Myrtle Point , Oregon  

Mr. Wilkinson is a fisheries consultant with 25 years experience as a licensed river guide and 20 years experience as a full time professional salmon troller.  He was one of the architects of the Salmon Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) and has been active in fisheries issues for more then 20 years.  He has served on the Klamath Management Council, the Klamath River Fisheries Task Force and the Hatfield Working Group/Klamath Water Supply Initiative.  Presently he serves on the OSU Extension Advisory and Citizens Network in Coos County .

Ron Reed, Cultural Biologist

Karuk Fisheries  

Ron Reed is currently serving as Cultural Biologist for Karuk Fisheries.  He has participated in water rights negotiations and coordinates project implementation and staff recruitment for annual Klamath River Biological Flow and Spawning studies.  He is the Tribal representative in Government-to-Government negotiations (USFS, USFWS, BOR, and Other Tribes).  Mr. Reed is a board member of the Klamath River Task Force and Klamath River Inter-Tribal Fish and Water Commission.  He is also a traditional dip-net fisherman.

Donald Snow, Professor of Environmental Humanities

Whitman College , Walla Walla , Washington  

Donald Snow is professor of Environmental Humanities at Whitman College in Walla Walla , Washington .  Don has worked as a farm laborer, a quarryman and stone gatherer, a tobacconist, an environmental activist, and a writer and editor.  In 1984, as executive director of Northern Lights Institute in Missoula , he launched Northern Lights Magazine, a quarterly journal of “arts, politics, and nature in the Rockies .”  The Institute created and sponsored a number of projects in alternative environmental dispute, resolution and collaborative decision-making.  Don is a prolific author whose essays, public addresses and other writings have been widely published in magazines, journals, and anthologies.

Jack Shipley, Rocky Creek Farms, Grants Pass , Oregon  

Jack Shipley owns and operates Rocky Creek Farms in southern Oregon ’s Applegate Valley .  He is a founding member of the Applegate Partnership, which has attracted national attention with its innovative approaches to collaborative management of public and private natural resources.  The Applegate Partnership is a community-based project involving industry, conservation groups, natural resource agencies, and residents cooperating to encourage and facilitate the use of natural resource principles that promote ecosystem health and diversity.  

Geoff Huntington, Executive Director

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board  

Mr. Huntington currently serves as the Executive Director of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB).  Before his appointment to OWEB, Mr. Huntington served as Deputy Director of the Oregon Water Resources Department for four years.  He is a faculty member at Oregon State University , where he teaches courses on Natural Resource Law and Policy for the College of Forestry .  Mr. Huntington has been a trial attorney at both the New Hampshire and Oregon Attorney General’s offices; specializing in natural resource and environmental law issues.  His undergraduate and graduate studies at Michigan State University emphasized Natural Resource Development and Agricultural Economics.  He is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law.  

Jim Villeponteaux, Technical Coordinator

Salmon River Restoration Council  

Jim began work with the Salmon River Restoration Council in 1994 as the Technical and GIS Coordinator.  He has been the project manager on many projects, including restoration, monitoring, and education.  He has worked on several planning projects including co-authoring the Salmon River Sub basin Restoration Strategy with the Forest Service.  Jim is the Facilitator of the Salmon River Fire Safe Council and on the Board of Directors of the Fire Safe Council of Siskiyou County and the Mid Klamath Watershed Council.  He has a B.S. in Forestry from UC Berkeley.  He began a forestry contracting company in 1989 and has completed hundreds of fuels reduction and surveying contracts.

Andrea Rabe, Water for Life  

Andrea Rabe, a Klamath Basin landowner, serves as the project coordinator for the Water for Life Foundation.  The Water for Life Foundation is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to assisting landowners with responsible stewardship of natural resources in the Klamath Basin and surrounding areas.  

Scott Bauer, Fish Habitat Specialist

California Conservation Corps, Del Norte Center  

Scott began working in the field of watershed restoration in 1994, Natural Resource Planning, and shortly thereafter, began his career with the California Conservation Corps.  He has been working as a Fish Habitat Specialist for the CCC Del Norte Center developing, coordinating, and implementing watershed restoration projects on the Klamath, Smith, and Illinois River tributaries.  The mission of the California Conservation Corps is to engage young men and women in meaningful work, public service and educational activities that assist them in becoming more responsible citizens, while protecting and enhancing California ’s environment, human resources and communities.  

Bob Chadwick

Consensus Associates, Terrebonne , Oregon  

Bob Chadwick is internationally recognized for his abilities to bring groups together to communicate and develop common solutions.  He has pioneered the development of consensus building techniques, which foster creative solutions to old conflicts.  Bob has 29 years experience as a professional, manager, executive and internal organizational development consultant in a major Federal Agency, and 16 years as a private consultant.  He has facilitated consensus solutions in over 1,500 situations involving more than 45,000 people, nationally and internationally.  He served as Forest Supervisor for the Winema National Forest in Klamath Falls from 1973 – 1980.