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Commission Members

OAHC is led by a 12-member commission, appointed by OWEB. Members represent different interests from across the state.


City
St. Paul
Representing
Farmer and Rancher
Terms Served
Second term: 2022 - 2026
Profile
Doug Krahmer has been an outspoken advocate for conservation in Oregon and Marion County for many years. He has served the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District since 2001, serving as chair, vice-chair and secretary/treasurer during his service. He is the owner of Berries NW, and has previously served on both the Board of Agriculture and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

City
Portland
Representing
Fish and Wildlife Habitat
Terms Served
Second term: 2021 - 2025
Profile
Bruce Taylor is a Portland-based coordinator for two regional bird habitat conservation partnerships: the Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture and the Intermountain West Joint Venture. A former congressional staffer and newspaper reporter, he began working for the joint ventures in 1992. He also worked for Defenders of Wildlife from 1993 to 2014 as manager of the organization’s Oregon biodiversity program.

City
Pendleton
Representing
Indian Tribal Interests
Terms Served
First term: 2024 - 2026
Profile
Amanda Lowe is the Soil Conservationist in the Department of Natural Resources for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, where she has worked for the last seven years to integrate the protection and sustainability of culturally significant First Foods into the management of working lands. She earned her B.S. in Agricultural Communications from Washington State University, and her M.S. in Agricultural Extension Education from the University of Idaho. Locally, she has been involved in working lands riparian restoration and monitoring projects, as well as Tribal Climate Resiliency research on huckleberry, and outreach to operators and land owners about climate resilient land management activities.

City
Corvallis
Representing
Oregon State University Extension
Terms Served
First term: 2024 - 2028
Profile
Dan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at Oregon State University. His research and extension programs focus on local and regional economic development, with emphasis on issues concerning land use, real estate markets, and natural resource policy. He also teaches and advises students in the Applied Economics Graduate Program. Prior to joining OSU in 2022, he was an Assistant Professor at Montana State University and a Research Economist at USDA’s Economic Research Service. He holds degrees from OSU (PhD, 2015) and University of Massachusetts (BS/MS, 2008/10).

City
Klamath Falls
Representing
Fish & Wildlife Commission
Terms Served
First term: 2023 - 2027
Profile
Ed Contreras coordinates bird habitat conservation for the Intermountain West Joint Venture in Southern Oregon and Northeastern California (SONEC). He has been involved in collaborative private lands habitat conservation for a decade, previously working in Montana and Idaho. Ed works closely with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, USFWS Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, and a multitude of state, local and NGO partners to implement habitat improvements, including conservation easements, on farms and ranches. Ed lives in Klamath Falls with his wife Kara, they can be found outside with their dogs or on their horses and mules in the mountains.

City
Mitchell
Representing
Farmer and Rancher
Terms Served
First term: 2024 - 2028
Profile
James "Jim Bob" Collins serves as the chair for the Wheeler Soil and Water District Board. He is the owner/operator of Table Mountain Cattle Company in Wheeler County. The ranch is about 19,000 acres with range ground, including about 6 miles of steelhead spawning stream habitat in the John Day Watershed. The ranch leases an additional 10,000+/- acres from the National Forest Service for summer grazing. He has lifelong experience as an owner/operator rancher, performing restoration and ag water quality projects with multiple agencies. He also served as a private contractor for restoration projects in Wheeler County.

City
Portland
Representing
Farmer and Rancher
Terms Served
First term: 2023 - 2027
Profile
Laura Masterson has been deeply involved in supporting Oregon agriculture since launching her own farm in 1996. In addition to farming, Laura has served on the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District board since 2007, including five years as its Chair. Laura has also been a member of Oregon State Board of Agriculture and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board where she served on the 2018 technical committee tasked with helping to launch the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program.

City
Salem
Representing
Agricultural Water Quality
Terms Served
Second term: 2021 - 2025
Profile
Lois Loop was raised on a dairy farm in Klamath County and then went to Oregon State University, obtaining a BA. In 1983 she began work for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Polk County, later becoming County Executive Director. In 2003 Lois became a Program Specialist in the Oregon State FSA Office administering federal programs, including conservation. Retiring after 30 years of federal work she is involved with the family farm outside of Salem.

City
Sisters
Representing
Ex officio OWEB Board Member (non-voting)
Terms Served
Member since 2024
Profile
Mark Labhart served as Tillamook County Commissioner for 12 years. Prior to that he worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry for 34 years, including 20 years managing a large portion of the Tillamook State Forest. He was an Incident Commander on an Oregon Fire Team for 11 years. He has served terms on the Fish Restoration & Enhancement Board, the STEP Advisory Committee, the Oregon Hatchery Research Center, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's External Budget Advisory Committee. He chaired a Legislative Task force to find alternate funding sources for ODFW. Mark sits on the OSU Sea Grant Advisory Committee as well as the OSU Extension Statewide Advisory Committee. He was a founding member of the Salmon Super Highway Project, the goal of which was to restore salmon access to tributaries in Tillamook County. He has enjoyed the distinction of being named Tillamook County’s Citizen of the Year and Volunteer of the Year, and Society of American Foresters' Oregon Forester of the Year. Mark's passion is fly fishing in the central Oregon lakes and deer and elk hunting. He and his wife moved to Sisters to be closer to children and grandchildren.

City
Portland
Representing
Coalition of Land Trust
Terms Served
First term: 2022 - 2026
Profile
Nancy Duhnkrack is a long-term volunteer at COLT, managing the pro bono program. She’s a graduate of Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College. In 2014, Nancy retired as Staff Attorney/Law Clerk for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after 20 years in the Court. Nancy is a frequent speaker on conservation easement design and enforcement and provides pro bono legal advice to COLT and its members.

City
Independence
Representing
Natural Resources
Terms Served
First term: 2025-2027
Profile

City
Wallowa
Representing
Farmer and Rancher
Terms Served
Second term: 2021 - 2025
Profile
Woody Wolfe is the fifth generation to farm and ranch his almost 2,000 acres of Wallowa County. He has placed permanent conservation easements on portions of his property in partnership with the Wallowa Land Trust. Woody dedicates his service to the OAH Commission because of his belief that working lands can benefit conservation and help farmers and ranchers meet their bottom lines at the same time.

 Map of OAHP Commissioners


Contact

Please direct questions, comments, or requests to Program Coordinator, Taylor Larson, 971-701-3248.
For questions about Conservation Easement Grants, please contact Robin Meacher, 971-301-1578.