The following is a list of those currently committed to present information at the conference. We feel you will find this broad array of expertise will broaden your perspective and understanding of beavers, their benfits and beaver management issues.

We will update this page as the presenters give us the specific information needed.

Amanda Parrish

Beaver Program Coordinator, The Lands Council, Spokane, WA

Amanda Parrish has worked with The Lands Council (TLC) for the past two years. In 2009 she completed a study on the water storage potential of beaver re-introduction in NE Washington, examining both available stream miles and acre-feet of water stored in beaver ponds throughout the study area. In 2010 TLC staff and she focused on implementing beaver re-introduction. She helped collect baseline data on the before conditions of relocation sites and then live-trapped and relocated 4 families of beaver, 28 animals total. She received her B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of San Francisco, with a focus on water quality analysis. Prior to TLC, she worked in forestry on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. On her time off she enjoys visiting friends around the world.

Donald L. Hey, PhD

The Wetlands Initiative Inc.,Wetlands Research Inc.

Donald L. Hey is co-founder of The Wetlands Initiative, Inc, and serves on its board of directors. He also is executive director of Wetlands Research, Inc., which manages the Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project in Lake County, Illinois, one of the nation's first large-scale wetland restoration projects. He formerly was president of Hey & Associates, an environmental services consulting firm.

He received a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla, an M.S. in water resources engineering from Kansas University, and a PhD. in environmental engineering from Northwestern University. His research interests focus on the restoration of river and wetland systems and the development of low-cost management programs for sustaining natural aquatic ecosystems.

Dr. Hey has served on a number of committees and editorial boards: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board Committee of Integrated Nitrogen (2007-2009); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Assessment Plan; Technical Proposal Evaluation Committee, Everglades National Park, National Park Service; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Science Advisory Board; the International Joint Commission, Levels Reference Study; the National Research Council, Committee on the Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems; the Illinois Department of Conservation, Wetland Advisory Council; Ecological Engineering and Restoration Ecology. He is co-author of A Case for Wetland Restoration (Wiley & Sons, 1999) and numerous articles.

Mike Callahan

Beaver Solutions

Mike Callahan and his wife Ruth first became involved with beavers on a volunteer basis in 1998 shortly after a voter referendum in their home state of Massachusetts severely restricted beaver trapping. Learning from flow device pioneers who preceded them, and through trial and error, they learned what worked and what didn't. In 2000 Mike started a business called Beaver Solutions in order to increase the use of flow devices to manage beaver-related flooding problems while allowing beavers to remain in their habitat. He gave up his career as a Physician Assistant years ago to be able to devote himself full time to this work.

To date Mike has installed over 800 successful flow devices in New England. He will share this wealth of beaver management experience, and discuss the indications, as well as the limitations, of flow devices. In addition, the audience will learn how they can realistically and practically implement these same innovative technologies in their own regions in order to achieve long-term, cost-effective and environmentally friendly solutions to beaver-related flooding issues.

Heidi Perryman PhD

Martinez, CA Urban Beaver Advocate

Heidi is a child psychologist who became an accidental beaver advocate. She began filming the beavers in 2006, served on the subcommittee that addressed beaver management and started the organization "Worth A Dam" to deal with their continued care. She currently maintains the website martinezbeavers.org which follows national beaver news.

PhD Glynnis Hood

Glynnis Hood is an assistant professor in Environmental Science at the University of Alberta's Augustana

Glynnis Hood is an assistant professor in Environmental Science at the University of Alberta's Augustana Campus. Prior to signing on with the university, she worked in various protected areas from the west coast to the subarctic for 24 years. In July 2007, Glynnis left a 19 year career with Parks Canada's warden service and followed her passion for teaching and research. Her research interests include aquatic ecology, beaver management, and human wildlife interactions. Currently she is examining how beavers create wetlands that are not only able to withstand extreme drought, but are also able to support extremely high levels of biodiversity.

PhD Mary O'Brien

Grand Canyon Trust Utah Forests Project Manager

Mary joined Grand Canyon Trust in Fall 2003 to help organize and co-coordinate the Three Forests Coalition's efforts to obtain greater care for native wildlife, vegetation, and ecosystems on southern Utah's Dixie, Fishlake, and Manti-La Sal National Forests. Since earning a B.S. in Sociology, a Masters in Elementary Education, and a PhD in Botany, Mary has worked as a staff scientist for toxics reform, environmental law, and public lands conservation organizations for 28 years. She thinks backpacking and hiking are particularly amazing ways to spend days on Earth

Brock Dolman

California Beaver Working Group

Brock Dolman is a co-founder and co-owner of Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and the Sowing Circle Intentional Community. He is the Director of OAEC's WATER Institute and Permaculture Program. He is a wildlife biologist and permaculture, watershed restoration, roofwater and stormwater harvesting designer, consultant and educator. Brock has presented at numerous conferences such as Bioneers, EcoFarm, GreenPrints, HOPES, Quivira and SolFest. He also has lectured internationally in Costa Rica, Brazil, Canada and China. He has been featured in the award winning films: The 11th Hour by Leonardo DiCaprio; The Call of Life by Species Alliance; and Permaculture: A Quiet Revolution by Vanessa Shultz. In 1992 he completed his BA, graduating with honors from the University of California Santa Cruz with the Biology Department and Environmental Studies Department.

PhD Michael Pollock

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Ecosystem Analyst

As an Ecosystems Analyst, Dr. Pollock has been studying forest, stream and wetland ecosystems for the past 17 years. During this time he has engaged in a diverse suite of scientific studies including: the influence of disturbance and productivity on biodiversity patterns in riparian corridors, the influence of beaver habitat on coho smolt production and ecosystem function, the historical patterns of riparian forest conditions in the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of riparian forests to maintaining stream habitat. Dr. Pollock also provides policy analyses to parties interested in understanding the potential effects of proposed or existing laws, policies, and regulations on our environment. Past analyses include the environmental impact of habitat conservation plans (HCPs), the likely effect of proposed state legislation concerning the protection of salmonid habitat, and the probable environmental impacts of various specific land use proposals. Dr. Pollock holds a B.S. in Biochemistry (California State University, Humboldt, Cum Laude) and a PhD. in Ecosystems Analysis (University of Washington, College of Forest Resources). Prior to joining the Watershed Program in 1999, Dr. Pollock was a partner in a local consulting firm and director of a small, non-profit scientific research institute.

Jim Ruwaldt

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Retired)

Jim Ruwaldt retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2009 after 32 years of Service in South Dakota, Indiana, and Wisconsin. When he retired, he was the Service's Private Lands Coordinator in Wisconsin where he supervised the activities of the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program private lands staff in 9 field stations across the state. He has worked with private land owners across the Midwest restoring wetlands, grasslands, and endangered species habitats.

Joe Cannon

Beaver Program Ecologist

Joe Cannon is originally from Florida, and has been a beaver enthusiast since childhood- insisting that family vacations visit beaver hotspots. He earned a B.S. in botany for the University of Florida, and an M.S. in applied science from Oregon State University. He's been a part of forest ecology and wetland restoration projects in Florida, Idaho, California, Oregon, and now Washington. In his spare time he enjoys cooking vegetarian recipes, playing drums for experimental basement rock outfits, and bonsai gardening.

Sherri Tippie

Colorado Licensed Beaver Translocator, President and Director of Wildlife 2000.

Sherri Tippie, has been live-trapping and relocating beaver since 1985. Through many years of hands on experience she began to see why they were a “Keystone” species. They were also the answer to many of the water and aquatic habitat problems of the arid west.

Today she internationally known for her expertise in live-trapping and relocating beavers. Her organization Wildlife 2000, has effectively addressed a broad range of human/beaver conflicts.

Presentation Topic: The Beaver: Nuisance or Opportunity

In her slide presentation, “Tippie”, as she likes to be called, will discuss beaver, and share some of the techniques that make her one of the most successful beaver live-trappers. She will explain why so many people in recent times are interested in having beaver relocated to their land. Most importantly, she will cover some of the conflict solutions so beaver don't have to be relocated.

Dennis Martinez

Indigenous Peoples Restoration Network

Dennis Martinez, an ecological and biocultural restoration ecologist, ethnoecologist, ethnobotanist, and traditional knowledge practitioner of O'odham-Chicano-Swedish heritage, is Chair of the Indigenous Peoples' Restoration Network (IPRN) of the Society for Ecological Restoration International (SERI) and Steering Committee member of the Indigenous Peoples' Biocultural Climate Change Assessment Initiative (IPCCA). His work has appeared in a range of popular and academic publications, from Sierra to Ecological Restoration to Ecological Applications (of the Ecological Society of America.)

Duncan Halley

Research Ecologist,Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway

Duncan Halley was born and raised in Scotland, and obtained both his BSc in Psychology with Ecology, and PhD in Zoology, at the University of St. Andrews; with a year of research between them at the University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill. Shortly after completing his PhD he moved to Norway for a one year post-doc. 17 years later he is still there, working for the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Trondheim in various branches of applied ecology, including the ecology, management, and reintroduction biology of Eurasian beavers. The social factors in reintroductions and wildlife management are an increasing interest.

PhD DeWaine H. Jackson

Wildlife Research Supervisor – SW Region – Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (1994 – current)

Education: B.S. Iowa State University (1976) M.S. Michigan State University (1979) – thesis on waterfowl ecology PhD. Colorado State University (1984) – thesis on Ecology of Bobcats in Colorado

Job Experience: 1. Contract Biologist – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (1983-84) 2. Forest Wildlife Research Biologist – Iowa Department of Natural Resources (1984–94) 3. Wildlife Research Supervisor – SW Region – Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (1994 – current) Species worked on: 1. coyotes 2. Mallards 3. Mourning Doves 4. Bobcats 5. Eastern White-tailed deer 6. Wild turkey 7. Ruffed grouse 8. Cougar 9. Black-tailed deer 10. Black bear 11. Columbian white–tailed deer 12. Elk 13. Mule deer 14. BEAVER Over 35 Scientific and Popular Articles

Current Ecological Interests: (1) impacts of predation on ungulate population dynamics and (2) evaluation of spatial and temporal scales in determining appropriate wildlife management practices

Leonard Houston

SURCP Director of the Beaver Advocacy Committee

I am a fourth generation Oregonian, my families roots here predate statehood. As a youth hunting, fishing and trapping the forests and streams of the Umpqua Basin, I have seen firsthand the benefits of an active beaver population. My father taught me a deep abiding respect for the beaver and the role they play in our aquatic ecosystems. I have spent most of my life working in forestry related industry, from pre-commercial contracting to helicopter logging. Returning many years later to the forests of my youth, I was shocked to find that gone were the beaver, our pristine river and streams were now radically changed, the spawning beds and rearing ponds created by the beaver were now bedrock and barren rock bars. Millions of dollars were being spent to restore our streams and anadromus fish runs, yet something was still missing, the beaver dams and ponds of my youth.

Having entered into ecological forest restoration the step to streams and beavers was obvious, with my wife at my side I began intensive beaver research and inventorying beaver populations of the Umpqua Basin. In order to facilitate our actions the Beaver Advocacy Committee was formed and several months later we became a official 501 c3 non profit under the umbrella of the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership.

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This page lists the current contributors to and sponsors of this conference: sponsors.html