Thank you for your interest in the position of director with your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is the elections officer for the SWCD director elections, as per Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 568.520 and 568.530. This packet contains information about the election process, and includes the forms needed to file for the position of SWCD director: 2024 Candidate Packet for SWCD Director Elections.
Interested in becoming an Associate Board Director? It’s a great way to get involved with environmental restoration and conservation work in a leadership position and also to show your passion for the environment and our community. While Associates do not have a vote, they play a vital role in directing the conversation and representing the District’s work to the public.
Potential Associate Directors must attend at least two Board meetings, held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, submit a letter of interest to the Board and seek recommendation from a member of the Board or the UWSWCD staff.
Associate Directors can be appointed to be full Directors an at-large directorship at any time if they are registered to vote within the district. An Associate Director can be appointed to a zone directorship if they meet the regular requirements of being a zone director at any time. In lieu of the 10 acres of owned or managed land within the zone requirement, they can show interest by being an Associate Director (or at large director) for at least one year and have a conservation plan for their land (even if it is an urban lot). They are also required to be a registered voter within the zone they will represent.
Please contact Leslie Owens at [email protected] for more information.
Who are Directors?
A Director of the District is anyone who has been elected or appointed to serve on a conservation district board. To ensure that there is proper representation, each district is divided into legally defined zones. Directors are then elected or appointed for those zones. By statute ORS 568.560, a seven-member board must have five zone director positions and two at-large positions. Each Director is elected by the registered voters of the district to serve a four-year term.
Roles and Responsibilities
Serve as a conservation district spokesperson
Manage projects/committing resources
Actively participate in monthly board meetings
Stay abreast of local conservation issues
Obligate conservation district funds
Promote the conservation district’s work to landowners, its constituency, agencies, and organizations
Promote the conservation district’s work to legislators regarding funding
Help identify local conservation needs, programs, and services
Keep the conservation district’s mission in focus
Develop and implement a long range plan and an annual work plan
Seek new partners in conservation efforts
Work with other Directors to achieve the Vision of the district
Director Terms
Each District has either five (5) or seven (7) Directors; (example: 5 Directors and two at-large Director Positions). Each term of office for each position is four (4) years, and requires election to that office.
Al is a retired geologist, with a BS from the University of Wyoming and MS from Utah State University. He worked for several years in the petroleum industry and spent many years as an educator teaching geology, physics, and chemistry at every level from middle school to university and adult educati… Read more
Al is a retired geologist, with a BS from the University of Wyoming and MS from Utah State University. He worked for several years in the petroleum industry and spent many years as an educator teaching geology, physics, and chemistry at every level from middle school to university and adult education.
He and his wife (a retired biology teacher) discovered the beauty of the Willamette Valley and moved here from Utah. They own a small ranch in the hills west of Junction City, and are currently involved in a rehabilitation project with that. They are thrilled to call Oregon home and enjoy exploring and experiencing all the great things the Beaver State has to offer!
Al believes soil and water are two of our most important resources, and is excited to bring his enthusiasm and experience to UWSWCD. Whether for commercial benefit or conservation, he is interested in working with landowners to enhance the quality of their land and water for the benefit and enjoyment of all. He is a great addition to the Board and district.
Andy Burke’s academic and professional backgrounds are in the sciences. Andy has undergraduate degrees in Biology from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, and Biological and Ecological Engineering from Oregon State University. Andy’s engineering degree emphasized design where the natural wor… Read more
Andy Burke’s academic and professional backgrounds are in the sciences. Andy has undergraduate degrees in Biology from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, and Biological and Ecological Engineering from Oregon State University. Andy’s engineering degree emphasized design where the natural world meets built infrastructure. Andy’s professional work was in water resource engineering performing hydraulic analysis and stormwater design for various transportation related projects throughout the state.
Andy and his wife live on their property southwest of Eugene. Since his retirement in 2020 Andy has had the chance to engage in small scale restoration projects ranging from riparian enhancement to oak savannah establishment. Improving the various habitats on his property is very rewarding and Andy sees the great value provided by the District’s work in assisting other landowners meet their restoration objectives.
Ralph has been with the UWSWCD for over 25 years. He has always been interested in Natural Resources. Ralph quickly learned the UWSWCD’s mission and philosophy aligned with his. He also found that most of the people working in the natural resources field are ‘hard working and nice folks’. He i… Read more
Ralph has been with the UWSWCD for over 25 years. He has always been interested in Natural Resources. Ralph quickly learned the UWSWCD’s mission and philosophy aligned with his. He also found that most of the people working in the natural resources field are ‘hard working and nice folks’. He is active with the McKenzie Watershed Council.
Ralph worked as a high school teacher for 35 years and taught forestry and natural resources for 25 years. He owns and manages an 18-acre property (mostly timberland) and has an assortment of farm animals and pets. Ralph loves fishing and most outdoor activities.
Mary Durfee is Professor Emerita of government at Michigan Technological University, which is on Lake Superior. She was U.S. Co-chair of The Lake Superior Binational Forum, a citizen advisory body that advised the governments of the U.S. and Canada. She has published on Great Lakes water quality. Sh… Read more
Mary Durfee is Professor Emerita of government at Michigan Technological University, which is on Lake Superior. She was U.S. Co-chair of The Lake Superior Binational Forum, a citizen advisory body that advised the governments of the U.S. and Canada. She has published on Great Lakes water quality. She and her husband moved to Eugene because she had good memories of childhood in Oregon.
Chuck grew up working on his uncle’s dairy farm in Dufur, Oregon. He attended Oregon State University, graduating with a BS in Agriculture. After graduating from OSU, he worked in the agricultural irrigation business for 5 years before branching off to specialize in municipal water and wastewater … Read more
Chuck grew up working on his uncle’s dairy farm in Dufur, Oregon. He attended Oregon State University, graduating with a BS in Agriculture. After graduating from OSU, he worked in the agricultural irrigation business for 5 years before branching off to specialize in municipal water and wastewater treatment, pumping and storage.
He lives with his wife on their six-acre homestead that includes fenced pasture and a small woodlot. Farming and water resources have always been his passion. He is excited for this opportunity to be of service in a position benefiting our precious resources in the Willamette Valley.
Karl recently retired from the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) in Eugene, Oregon. Karl was the Watershed Restoration Program Manager for EWEB leading the response and recovery efforts to the devastation of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire on the McKenzie Watershed, Eugene’s sole source of drink… Read more
Karl recently retired from the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) in Eugene, Oregon. Karl was the Watershed Restoration Program Manager for EWEB leading the response and recovery efforts to the devastation of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire on the McKenzie Watershed, Eugene’s sole source of drinking water. He worked for EWEB for over 22 years managing the water quality team and drinking water source protection program.
Prior to EWEB, Karl spent 10 years at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and seven years as an environmental consultant managing high priority cleanups at abandoned hazardous waste sites and responding to hazardous material spills. He received a bachelors degree in geography from the University of Kansas. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the McKenzie Community Land Trust and the Upper Willamette Soil & Water Conservation District.
Craig is currently a professor at Oregon State University in the department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He received a BS in Biochemistry and a PhD in Entomology/Environmental Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been tra… Read more
Craig is currently a professor at Oregon State University in the department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He received a BS in Biochemistry and a PhD in Entomology/Environmental Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been training students and conducting research in the broad field of environmental toxicology for over 40 years and maintains a lifelong interest in maintaining a healthy environment for all citizens and ensuring everyone has safe water to drink, safe air to breath, safe foods to consume, and safe drugs to treat illnesses while sustaining earth systems resources and healthy ecosystems.
Craig relocated to Oregon for his current position at OSU 15 years ago in part to enjoy the beauty of the Willamette Valley and neighboring forests and mountains. He currently maintains residences in Oakridge and Corvallis while working remotely, planning for retirement from OSU, and spending as much time as possible in Oakridge. Craig is also engaging in additional environmental and conservation activities in Oregon, including but limited to serving on the Board of Directors of the Southern Willamette Forest Collaborative as well as UWSWCD.
A fourth generation Oregon native, Abel is well acquainted with the forests and fields of the Pacific Northwest where he has been a farmer and restoration forester for many years. He is the co-owner of Resilience Perm culture Design, a whole systems design and installation firm specializing in farm … Read more
A fourth generation Oregon native, Abel is well acquainted with the forests and fields of the Pacific Northwest where he has been a farmer and restoration forester for many years. He is the co-owner of Resilience Perm culture Design, a whole systems design and installation firm specializing in farm and forestry planning and ecological restoration. Abel is a consulting forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry, and writes comprehensive stewardship plans for landowners seeking to develop and regenerate their properties. Together with his wife, Tao Orion, he established the Perm culture program at Aprovecho and oversees the stewardship of Aprovecho’s 40-acre educational land trust. Abel has a degree in Land Stewardship for Sustainable Communities from Humboldt State University and is currently completing his Master’s degree in Agro forestry from the University of Missouri.
