Governing Board Stakeholder Groups
The PRWC is governed by a Governing Board. The PRWC will strive to include stakeholder groups representing a broad cross section of geographic area and the demographic composition of the watershed. Interests within the watershed will be represented by a board that includes the following stakeholder representatives.
Anna Rankin
Co-Executive Director
Anna began working for the PRWC in 2014. Her extended family has lived in the watershed for over sixty years. She has both technical skills from her years working as a genetics research technician and leadership skills from her years teaching wellness. Her favorite locations to show visitors in the watershed are Wilhoit Springs Park and the Mount Angel Abbey. She loves her role as the director of the Council because she believes in the value of local, voluntary, collective citizen action. Her vision for the Pudding River Watershed is a combination of healthy streams, productive farms, and strong communities.
Kurt Berning
Co-Executive Director
Kurt grew up in Mt. Angel and worked in finance and accounting before joining PRWC as Co-Executive Director. His background in business operations, finance, and fundraising bolster give us the opportunity to grow and take advantage of the many project opportunities in our watershed. Kurt manages part of his parent’s farm in Mount Angel and has set aside five acres along Zollner Creek for stream restoration and a white oak habitat restoration. His vision for the Pudding River Watershed Council includes growth to 5+ staff members managing an exciting portfolio of projects in the watershed.
Ray Eder
Board Chair, K J Farms, Mt. Angel
Ray grew up in the Mt. Angel area and has been a full-time farmer since 1978. Additionally, Ray volunteers at local schools and has served on the Mt. Angel City Council for twelve years. In 2015, Ray Eder received the Distinguished Service Award (from the Mt. Angel Chamber of Commerce) for his extensive volunteer work. On the PRWC Board, Ray is happy to be involved in restoration efforts and is particularly concerned with streambanks eroding. He is currently fostering trees that will help reforest the watershed to provide habitat for wildlife and keep soil in place. When Ray is not lending a hand in the community, he can be found spending time with his children and grandchildren on the farm. Everyday, Ray connects with nature through farming activities and views nature as a gift handed to us to be maintained or even improved.
Bob Qualey
Citizens-at-large Representative
For several decades, Bob has been practicing sustainable logging, planting about 100 Douglas fir trees for every one that he cuts. Bob realizes that to keep our planet healthy, there needs to be an abundance of young trees that are producing clean oxygen. Bob has been on the board for three years. Long before his involvement at the PRWC, his work focused on reforestation and the betterment of streams. Bob believes in improving stream ecosystems by keeping pesticides and pollutants out of the water. As an outdoorsman, Bob relaxes by fishing and spending time in the woods. He is fond of working with the other board members and talking to the community at large.
Beverlee Koutny
Education Representative
Beverlee has been a wife, mother, educator, community leader, and activist for her entire adult life. A nature enthusiast, Beverlee’s passion for protecting rivers and wildlife brought her to join the PRWC. In order to build strong community relationships, Beverlee feels that it is important to foster a shared understanding of what is needed for healthy watersheds. Today, she feels very proud to be part of the PRWC and concrete actions taken to improve the Pudding River. Beverlee hopes that the beautiful natural environments of Oregon can be preserved for future generations.
Jeff Butsch
Agriculture, 4B Farms, Mt. Angel
Coming from a family that has farmed for many generations, Jeff Butsch believes in water conservation and respecting nature. Jeff’s family grows hazelnuts, hops, grasses, and other seed crops. He hopes that his grandchildren will be able to benefit from a healthy watershed and continue farming. This mindset inspires Jeff to brainstorm and initiate projects; one aspect of the Watershed Council’s work that is particularly important to Jeff is monitoring pollution. Our chairman, Jeff, enjoys hunting and fly fishing in his spare time and also loves interacting with fellow board members at the Pudding River Watershed Council.
Caitlin Oxley
Citizen-at-Large Representative, Woodburn
Caitlin moved to Oregon in 2014 to pursue a career protecting and restoring the environment. She has more than a decade of fundraising experience and currently works at the nonprofit, WildEarth Guardians, as Membership Manager. Caitlin grew up in a small midwestern town and you could often find her outdoors, whether that was climbing trees, catching crawdads, or swimming in a pool. Her passion for riparian restoration brought Caitlin to PRWC and she believes we all benefit from a healthy watershed. Caitlin connects with nature through kayaking, volunteering with Friends of Trees, hikes with her dogs, and camping.
Cole Grube
Local Government, City of Woodburn
Born and raised in Oregon, Cole loves spending time outdoors with friends and family, especially if it involves a trout stream.
Sarah McArthur
Education, Chemeketa Community College
Sarah grew up on a farm within the Pudding River Watershed and those experiences created the foundation of her career in agriculture and education. Throughout her teaching career, Sarah seeks to inspire students to look at the challenges facing our environment and food systems and to find ways to improve them. Sarah and her husband are owner/operators of their own hazelnut farm where their passion for sustainability and the environment continually challenge them to improve their farming practices. She is especially proud of their commitment to keeping cover crop between their orchard rows, a practice not widely implemented in the industry. Joining the Pudding River Watershed Council is just an extension of her work to improve soil, water, people and communities.