Bill is a retired environmental lawyer. He and his spouse, Diana, moved to Corvallis full-time in 2017. Diana is from Corvallis and Bill has been a regular visitor since the 1980s. Bill’s professional career experience includes stints in the Environmental Control Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office in Chicago and the U.S. EPA’s Regional Counsel’s Office in Seattle. Bill spent the majority of his career as a Senior Deputy in the Civil Division of the King County Prosecutor’s Office in Seattle, where he headed up the Natural Resources Section for several years. His work included providing legal advice and representation on such matters as Clean Water Act compliance, hazardous waste cleanup, solid waste disposal, and various municipal law issues.

Bill also brings the small woodlands owner’s perspective – Diana and her family own a tree farm near Philomath, through which Rock Creek runs. The family has practiced sustainable forest management practices for decades, and the farm has been selected as the 2019 Benton County nominee for Oregon Tree Farmer of The Year.

Merrilee Buchanan is a 5th generation Willamette Valley farmer on her family farm in South Corvallis, specializing in growing wine grapes and hazelnuts and making Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer wines as the 2nd generation winemaker for her family winery. Merrilee grew up raising sheep on the family farm and today much of the land is preserved in native woodlands, wetlands and riparian habitat. Merrilee hiked many river miles throughout the state as a member of Oregon Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Inventories project and spent time working with beneficial insects, school gardens, and on farm conservation projects with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers and UC Extension on the central coast of California. Merrilee has lived and farmed in the Marys River Watershed for over 30 years .

Peter received his PhD in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University and subsequently spent 31 years as a professor in Environmental Engineering at Oregon State University, retiring in 2006. His research interests varied from remediation of heavy metals contamination in water and soils, nutrient loading and water quality assessment in lakes and rivers, and stabilization of hazardous solid waste materials in highway construction applications. He has participated in water quality studies in several national parks, including Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier, Great Basin, and Yosemite. Peter is an avid outdoorsman and especially enjoys fly fishing, kayaking, biking, and cross-country skiing. Although his environmental conservation interests across the Marys River Watershed are broad, Peter’s focus is on water quality issues in the more urbanized sub-basins of the watershed.

After graduating with her masters from Oregon State University in Water Resources Engineering, where she studied the geomorphic response of rivers to reservoir drawdown and dam removal, Tessa began working as a Restoration Engineer with ICF. She grew up in the dairy farms of western New York, before going to the University of New Hampshire for a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering. Her previous experience spans from invasive species education, drinking water treatment research, civil engineering, and stream restoration projects. It’s her goal to strengthen the relationship between MRWC, the university, and the community so that people are able to cherish Marys River for generations to come.

Lisa retired from Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) in 2020 after working there for 28 years. Most of her career there was spent working in the Water Division with her last regular status position being one of 3 Pump & Reservoir Tech’s that operated Eugene’s distribution water system. Above and beyond her regular job duties at EWEB, Lisa helped stand up EWEB’s first Diversity Team and then Chair it for 6 years. She led an educational film series for over 10 years where which all employees were welcome to come view while eating lunch. Lisa also helped to stand up and execute an all EWEB hands on Career Fair for high school students and a 3-month internship for recent high school graduates.

Lisa’s first career was working in the Timber Industry at a veneer mill where she did everything from pulling green chain to a heavy equipment operator.

Lisa’s community service while in Eugene involved being on the organizational committee for the Women in the Trades Career Fair (Portland) and the Utility and Construction Career Fair (Lane County), regularly volunteering with the Veterans Housing Project, the Oregon Tradeswomen, the National Association of Women in Construction and sitting on a panel once a term for Women in Transition at LCC and was the Vice President of the Eugene/Springfield NAACP Chapter for a term.

Lisa is also a co-owner of a small farm that participated in one of the MRWC restoration projects on Shot Pouch Creek which is one of the tributaries of the Marys River Watershed.

Molly is a native Oregonian, starting her life in Corvallis and returning to attend Oregon State University, she has spent much of her life exploring the great outdoors. Having previously worked as a wildlife biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, she joined the board in hopes of bridging new connections in the community to its natural resources. She now works part time for a water resource consulting firm as well as the Institute for Applied Ecology’s environmental education program. Molly is a volunteer team leader for the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Natural Areas Action Team, as well as at her daughter’s school, working to build backyard, schoolyard and pollinator habitats throughout Benton County.

Matt resides in Philomath, Oregon, and is an independent filmmaker, sound designer, musician, and environmental conservation enthusiast with a background in Wildlife Biology and Music Engineering Technology. He grew up in Carmel, Indiana, where he followed his passion for sound recording, music, and the outdoors. Matt spent his college years getting field experience conducting wildlife surveys on threatened and endangered species, such as the Cerulean Warbler, Indiana Bat, and a multitude of salamander species out in the Southeastern U.S. He moved to Corvallis, Oregon, with his wife in 2008, where he started working with Freshwaters Illustrated, a non-profit organization dedicated to freshwater conservation and education through documentary film and photography resources. Matt continues his work with Freshwaters Illustrated to date, and has recently completed a “virtual field trip” film all about Marys Peak and its rich cultural and biological importance to this area.

Henry was born and raised on the banks of the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he earned his B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Alabama. He is a second-year Masters student in Water Resources Policy and Management program. His research focuses on environmental peacebuilding efforts around water management in the Chewaucan basin in south-central Oregon. In his free time, he enjoys trail running, producing bad crafts, and listening to an absurd amount of music.

Dean was born and raised on the eastern plains of Colorado but has called Sitka, Alaska home for the last 6 years. He obtained a B.S. in Watershed Science and a minor in Geology from Colorado State University and has since worked as a hydrologist on the Tongass National Forest. Dean is a second-year Masters student in Water Resources Science. His research focuses on identifying climate induced changes to the hydrologic and thermal regimes of Alaskan coastal watersheds. In his spare time, Dean loves drinking coffee with his fiancé Kari, roaming with his dog Napali, working with ceramics, and spending time recreating and subsisting in the woods.