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Benton County Riparian and Wetlands Project
Advisory Groups

Stakeholder Advisory Group

Current Advisory Group Members – If you are interested in learning more or interested in the specifics of joining the Stakeholder Group, please contact Adam Stebbins, Riparian and Wetlands Project Lead at Adam.Stebbins@co.benton.or.us or call Adam at 541.766.6085

(Advisory Group members will be selected by the Community Development Department of Benton County, with review by the Benton County Board of Commissioners; members represent the diverse areas of the County).

Current Advisory Group Members

Organization	Applicable Persons	Background/Area of Expertise
Benton County	Planning Commission member(s)	Volunteers with county and state land use planning and review experience
Benton County Natural Areas & Parks	Director, with staff serving as alternatives	Management and protection of riparian and wetlands resources in County Parks. Assessment of potential conservation areas
Benton County Public Works	Staff and managers as assigned	Road and roadside maintenance along riparian/wetland areas; culvert restoration program
Watershed Councils	Marys River and Long Tom Watershed Councils staff (upon staff volunteer)	Watershed monitoring and restoration projects
Landowners with stream and wetlands	County resident volunteers	Input on process and development.
Cities	Staff from interested cities; likely planning and development staff	Direct work with Adair, Philomath, and Monroe. Adair and Monroe will be undergoing local wetland inventories during the project period
US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water	Rich Sumner	Wetland and riparian project work management and research
Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife	Karen Hans, fish biologist; possible habitat conservation biologist and grasslands biologist	Fish use areas, habitat buffers to improve riparian areas
Benton Soil & Water Conservation District	Donna Schmitz	Diverse experience in streamside fencing and restoration projects across Benton County
Oregon State University (including students)	Dr. Mary Santelmann, wetlands scientist	Muddy Creek Project involving landowners and K-12 education. Environmental and anthropogenic influences on species composition and species richness in agricultural, urban and wetland ecosystems
Oregon State University	Dr. Paul Adamus (ex. officio), professor and wetland professional	Delineating, monitoring and managing wetlands; author of several books; expert in Oregon and Benton County wetlands
Oregon State University	Court Smith, Emeritus Professor	Conflict, fishery issues, complex environmental problems and analysis; served on Executive Committee of Benton County Water Project
Dept. of State Lands Technical Staff	Janet Morlan	Wetland specialist
US Fish and Wildlife	Jarod Jebousek (ex officio)	Off-refuge voluntary wetland restoration; discrete lands; Muddy Creek wetlands focus
Lane Council of Governments	Denise Kalakay, Water Resources team lead	GIS/LiDAR affiliated staff working on local wetland inventories for Adair and Monroe, 2009-2010

The Advisory Group will meet monthly or as necessary to provide input to County Staff to:

• Finalize scope and objectives of project
• Inform the assessment and detailed mapping of current riparian/wetland conditions (GIS, LiDAR, and other data)
• Determine program elements including land use code through an “options analysis” process to meet comprehensive plan goals
• Determine the scope and goals of ground truthing field assessments
• Identify information gaps of importance for future work to enhance the county riparian/wetlands program
• Inform and review county policy and program details for riparian/wetland planning and protection adoption by Board of Commissioners

See Work Charge (PDF)

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