Wild Rivers Land Trust May, 2025 Newsletter
The year 2025 marks an exciting milestone for the Wild Rivers Land Trust.
We are celebrating 25-years of working together to keep the irreplaceable lands and waters of the Southern Oregon Coast wild and abundant. We will have a variety of ways to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, including hosting a River Party at our Bagley Creek property on July 12.
The year has been off to a whirlwind start. We are excited bring on our new Executive Director Amy Knapp Pettit. We have made great progress on several of our projects, including gearing up to start our environmental cleanup and habitat restoration project at Bagley Creek. We are also looking to fill a few vacant board positions.
Continue reading to find out more about these and other important developments at Wild Rivers Land Trust. And, as always, thank you for your support!
A message from our new Executive Director Amy Knapp Pettit
Amy Knapp Pettit (center) with her daughters Abby (left) and Lila (right)
A warm hello and thank you to all who have supported Wild Rivers Land Trust. I am so thrilled to be here as your Executive Director. I grew up here in Curry County, graduated from Pacific High School, and have held this area dear to my heart for the past 25+ years that I’ve lived in other zip codes.
After high school I attended college at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Oregon State University in Agricultural Business Management. Right out of college I was offered a position as an Agricultural Statistician with the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service in their Topeka, Kansas field office. Having grown up on the ocean with the coastal range always in sight – that landlocked, and FLAT geography was a big adjustment. I loved the work though. There were over 40,000 farm operations in the state at the time and so much to experience and learn.
In 2005, I moved to Alaska and started a family. I quickly secured a full-time position on the State of Alaska, Division of Agriculture’s Marketing & Development Team and loved working with farmers, ranchers and small business entrepreneurs on professional development, branding and industry networking.
In 2015, I became the Executive Director of the Alaska Farmland Trust. It is an organization very similar to Wild Rivers Land Trust with its sole focus being the permanent protection of agricultural and working lands. The Executive Director of a sister Land Trust once described the work as “Real, Good & Forever.” That description really resonated with me. Some jobs are task oriented, and your impact is measured by deliverables and dollar signs. When you drive around a community and see “Farmland Forever” signs – it simply hits different. I’m very proud of the work I did while leading Alaska Farmland Trust.
Amy Knapp Pettit and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski during an event with the Alaska Farmland Trust
In 2022 I had the opportunity to be a part of the Biden-Harris Administration as a Presidential Appointee. I can tell you with confidence that I had never imagined that would be part of my story! As the State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency in Alaska I worked hard to expand awareness about the many programs available to Alaskan producers through USDA, to increase participation in our programs by Alaska Native and Indigenous producers, and to fully staff our offices – something that hadn’t been accomplished in over five years. While Alaska’s agriculture industry ranks as one of the smallest in the country – it also is leading the nation in growth in the number of farms and in direct farm to consumer sales per capita. Those producers deserved just as much attention and access as anyone else.
My time with the USDA ended on inauguration day and I honestly wasn’t sure where I would head next. I haven't been unemployed since I was a teenager. With one daughter off in college and another needing a budget for competitive soccer travel, I was hopeful to find a job that would both challenge and fulfill me in this second half of my career.
When I saw the recruitment for a new Executive Director at Wild Rivers Land Trust, I literally said out loud, “No Way.” What are the odds that a job I am uniquely qualified for would open in my hometown right as I was looking for work? The Universe works in surprising ways!
I am inspired to work in the world of conservation for many reasons. In the Matanuska Susitna Valley of Alaska, where I have lived since 2005, the population has grown by 40,000 people in the past 20 years, and it is predicted to grow by the same increment over the next 20. This has had a profound impact on our roads, services, schools and especially on our farmlands. Development pressure is real. Land values are skyrocketing.
The service area of Wild Rivers Land Trust is ripe for change too. We have all already been witness to the rapid increase in home and land values. How do we continue to protect the habitat, watersheds and working lands that make our area special? How do we embrace visitors and help them spend their money in our local businesses? There is a balance in there somewhere. This is a symbiosis that I look forward to pursuing with our incredible Board of Directors, staff and all of you who care about our Wild Rivers Land Trust mission.
If you have questions, comments or ideas about the next chapter here at WLRT, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at Amy@wildriverslandtrust.org or give me a call at (907) 355-2706.
Wild Rivers Land Trust Breaking New Ground
The Wild Rivers Land Trust is making a bold move in the field of habitat restoration.
Land Trusts specialize in protecting valuable natural resources and pristine wilderness. They don’t often interact with areas in need of environmental cleanup.
However, a rare opportunity arose for the Wild Rivers Land Trust to spearhead an environmental cleanup that will not only remove hazardous chemicals from a key stretch of the Elk River Watershed, they will also lead a restoration effort to return Coho Salmon and other native fish to an area they have been cut off from for more than half a century.
WRLT’s Max Beeken and Ann Schmierer with habitat restoration leader Matt Swanson at the Bagley Creek project site
Save the Date
You are invited to our River Party on Saturday, July 12 from 1 to 4 pm.
This event presents an opportunity to celebrate our 25th Anniversary, and to tour the Middle Elk Reserve site before cleanup and restoration work begins.
The celebration will be at the WRLT office headquarters, which is adjacent to the project site. Those who attend the event can enjoy a “before” look at the area before work commences.
There will also be live music, drinks and light refreshments, and a raffle for a an original custom framed James Sampsel painting of the Elk River.
Thank you Jan Hodder for a decade of service
Wild Rivers Land Trust is grateful to Jan Hodder for devoting the past ten years to our organization serving on our board of directors –half of which she served as board president.
Hodder is stepping down from her position this month to focus her time on other conservation endeavors, including her work with The Elakha Alliance.
While we are sad to see her go, we are thankful for Jan’s long-term commitment to the Wild Rivers Land Trust, as well as the effort and energy she spent moving our organization forward.
“The Southern Oregon coastal region is a unique place. It still has incredible natural habitats. It doesn't have a lot of housing, and it has nice little communities,” Hodder said. “Being part of the Land Trust and being able to help to preserve the wildness and the rural nature of this place has been important to me.”
Hodder helped Wild Rivers Land Trust evolve in a variety of ways during her time on the Board of Directors. During her tenure, Hodder saw the service area of the organization expand to span across 2.3 million acres, from the California border north to Reedsport, Oregon.
She said a high point of her time with the Land Trust was when the Raven Ridge project came to fruition.
“It's such a fantastic place with incredible biodiversity and beautiful forests. It was certainly a highlight to add that to the portfolio,” Hodder said.
Hodder also helped us gain national accreditation.
“I think this is the most important thing we've done since I've been on the board. We put the procedures in place to uphold the standards of a national accreditation,” Hodder said. “So landowners can count on us to do the right job and the good job.”
Hodder said with her outside commitments, and a new executive director coming on board, she decided to step aside to allow someone to come on who can dedicate themselves fully to the organization.
We wish her well in all of her endeavors!
We are also saying goodbye to board Secretary Dennis Triglia
Triglia served four years on the WRLT Board as Secretary.
His accomplishments included an extensive review and updating of our Bylaws and doing his part to help WRLT achieve re-accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission.
Triglia also wrote or co-wrote many Board Resolutions for intermediate and final approval of specific projects, completed financial authorizations and other tasks needed for day-to-day operations.
Triglia first joined The Wild Rivers Land Trust’s Board of Directors because he has always been concerned about land and wildlife conservation, especially since he became active with the Sierra Club decades ago.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve on this wonderful Board of Directors who are among the best, hard-working, motivated groups with whom I have had the pleasure of working,” Triglia said.
Triglia said his focus for the future will be serving as the President of the Brookings Oregon Monarch Advocates.
Thank you Dennis for your hard work and dedication to the Wild Rivers Land Trust.
We are looking to fill vacant spots on our board of directors
With the departure of Jan Hodder and Dennis Triglia, we are now welcoming new volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors.
Outgoing Board secretary Triglia said the Board of Directors is always on the lookout for like-minded conservationists who are not afraid to get involved in one or more internal committees - like our Conservation Committee, Finance Committee or Outreach Committee.
Triglia and outgoing Board President Hodder said those with skillsets that complement our mission are especially needed.
“I think a good fit would be someone who is interested in land preservation. Someone who has some skill to offer, say, in finances, fundraising or in conservation management, and someone who is passionate about the outdoors and the natural environment,” said Hodder.
Both Triglia and Hodder said they enjoyed their time serving on the Wild Rivers Land Trust Board of Directors.
“The current board members are a really congenial group. Everyone has fun, gets along and respects each other,” Hodder said.
The longtime WRLT board member said that many times, people decide to volunteer their time to an organization’s board of directors because they are asked. But anyone who is curious about joining is encouraged to reach out to find out more and see if it could be a good fit.
