What are Watershed Councils?

You can spot our beautiful office at 810 S Main Street in Milton-Freewater, OR, 97862

Stop in any time, call 541-938-2170, or email info@wwbwc.org to get in touch with us.

Head to our MEETING DOCUMENTS page for agendas, minutes, and recordings of our monthly board meetings.

The Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council is governed by a volunteer board.

	Term End 12/31/2024	Term End 12/31/2025	Term End 12/31/2026
Council Chairman			John Zerba
Community		Jack Ferrise
CTUIR	Jerimiah Bonifer
Dryland Agriculture			Ray Williams
Ecology		Caty Clifton
Economy			Ed Chesnut
Fisheries		Kevin Scribner
Forestry	Ralph Perkins
Industry	Vern Rodighiero
Irrigated Agriculture		Malcolm Millar
Milton-Freewater City Council	Steve Irving
Range			Joel Huesby
Recreation			Nathan Viavant
Upriver Agriculture	Clark Lampson
Vineyard Irrigation & Industry			James Baker
Wildlife		[OPEN]
Youth & Community			Sara Harris

APPLICATION

Troy Baker
Executive Director
Troy has lived and worked in Eastern Oregon and Eastern Washington for the past 28 years and started working for the watershed council in 2005. Prior to his current position as the Executive Director, he led the watershed council’s surface and groundwater monitoring and GIS programs. Troy graduated from Western Oregon University with a B.S. in Natural Science and has continued his training with various ESRI and Northwest Environmental Training Center courses focusing on applying GIS to natural science. Troy enjoys hiking, climbing, photography, triathlon, and spends most of his free time exploring the wild areas of the Pacific Northwest.

Eric Hoverson
Restoration Specialist
Eric hails from the vicinity of Wisconsin’s “Driftless Area”, famous for having the highest concentration of trout streams in the world. Equipped with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology with Fisheries emphasis, a minor in Water Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, and 30 years of professional experience in the discipline of identifying and rectifying habitat deficiencies to enhance salmonid populations. I developed the initial curriculum and taught Watershed Restoration 220 at the college level for 3 years as well as serving as the President-elect for Trout Unlimited Chapter 551. I am incredibly passionate about fish & wildlife management, which is my meaning of my life, therefore I practice this both on and off work by creating sustainable ecosystems for a wide variety of species. I enjoy building and installing birdhouses with help from my Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.

Wendy Harris
Operations Manager
Wendy Harris came to work for WWBWC in April 2008. As Operations Manager, Wendy oversees all WWBWC fiscal activities, provides project management for the council's many grants, and oversees office operations and human resources. If you have questions regarding funding, any of our many projects, or available job openings, Wendy is the person to call. Wendy has been a member of the Milton-Freewater community for the majority of her life. In 1990 she graduated from McLoughlin High School and in 1992 received a diploma in accounting from Western Business College in Portland, OR. While working for WWBWC, Wendy earned her bachelor's degree at Eastern Oregon University. Prior to her tenure at WWBWC, she worked as Fiscal Technician for both Walla Walla Department of Human Services and Walla Walla Housing Authority.

Graham Banks
Science Educator
Graham joined the WWBWC in May 2012 as an education outreach and STELLAR program coordinator. The program offerings include K-12 age-appropriate lessons with an emphasis on hands-on and outdoor learning activities. The curriculum being utilized heavily reflects local watershed information, conservation efforts, and background materials to facilitate the understanding of natural systems. Graham intends to provide school age students, as well as adults, with volunteer opportunities for participation in community enhancement projects involving the local watershed. The program will also provide opportunities for interested members of the community to become acquainted with WWBWC projects. Graham lives in Milton-Freewater with his wife Jill and two daughters. He operates two family farms on Couse Creek south of town. Graham received his BS in Biology from Oregon State University in 2006. Anyone who is interested in program activities is encouraged to contact Graham.

Tara Patten
Project Manager
Tara joined the WWBWC in November, 2013. She helps manage assessment, monitoring, and restoration projects. She previously worked for the Tri-State Steelheaders in Walla Walla doing urban stream restoration to improve water quality. Tara received a MS in Biology from Walla Walla University in 2008. She enjoys hiking, music, cooking, and road trips.

Luke Adams
Monitoring Program Manager
Luke joined the WWBWC in June 2016. He conducts the data collection and data processing for the surface water and groundwater networks. In addition, Luke helps with many of the other WWBWC monitoring activities including water quality sampling, seepage runs, and other projects. Luke was raised in Walla Walla, WA, and graduated from Walla Walla Community College in 2017 with a two year degree in Watershed Ecology. Luke enjoys camping, hiking, fishing, rafting, playing guitar, and going to concerts.

Brandyn Chaney
Field Technician
Brandyn was born and raised in the Walla Walla Valley and grew up running around the Blue Mountains. He joined the team in the summer of ’22 after graduating from Eastern Washington University with a BA in Fisheries Biology. Brandyn is currently a Watershed Technician striving to expand his knowledge of habitat restoration and floodplain connection. He is currently a co-lead on a low-tech process-based habitat project. If he isn’t working, he is spending time out in nature. Some of his favorite hobbies include hiking, skiing, fishing, or just about anything that has to do with the mountains or water.

Emily Tilden
Outreach + Media Specialist
This Montana girl has lived in our basin since 2014 and brings a lot of varied experience to the group. Though she started secondary education at Montana State University, she moved before finishing and entered retail management for several years before returning to her studies. Emily joined the team in the summer of ’22 after receiving Associates degrees in both science and biology from WWCC. She’s currently filling the role of Outreach and Media Specialist, which is doing a great job at putting all of her different capabilities to work. Additionally, she loves helping her teammates with work in the field when she’s able to. When she’s not working, you’re likely to find her on nearby trails with her trusty pup, Boone, during most of the year or up at Bluewood in the winter.