BEAR RIVER LAND CONSERVANCY - Key Persons
Andy Rasmussen: Andy works in conservation as the Utah Policy Director for Trout Unlimited. Additionally he works in real estate and has been involved in planning and development in Cache County. He believes strongly in smart planning and balanced use of resources to preserve the historical character of the Bear River valley for future generations.
: Barbara has lived and recreated in the Bear River watershed for the past 20 years. She has recently retired from Maywood IP Law as a Patent Agent with a practice focused on medical devices. Prior to that, Barbara was a planner and GIS analysis with the US Forest Service in Oregon. She enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening, weaving, and generally exploring the West with her husband and dog
Carly Lansche: Carly is the Regional Active Transportation and Trail Planner for Cache County, Utah. She has a Bachelor's degree in Urban Ecology from the University of Utah. Conservation efforts have a near and dear place in her heart; her grandparents helped found the Henry's Fork Foundation, an organization dedicated to conservation efforts in Eastern Idaho. She's an avid mountain biker and loves spending time in the outdoors.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director, January 2018 - December 2020
Dirk Baker: Naturalist, pragmatic conservationist, researcher and photographer. Application Scientist at Campbell Scientific, Inc. Experienced in land and invasive plant management, agricultural, ecological and meteorological research, firefighting, carpentry, welding, among other semi-random things. Dirk earned a Bachelor's of Science in wildlife biology and Ph.D. in weed science, both from Colorado State University and has lived and worked in Cache Valley since 2011.
Gabe grew up exploring and adventuring on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. He developed a deep appreciation for watersheds and open spaces while fishing for salmon on the Kenai River and exploring the Chugach Mountains.
After leaving Alaska, Gabe earned a B.S in Environmental Engineering from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona. During his time at NAU, Gabe took a strong interest in water resources and environmental restoration. Upon graduation, he moved to Bozeman, Montana where he accepted a position with Confluence Consulting in the field of stream and wetland restoration. After several years of working on small and large restoration projects in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, he recognized significant opportunities for conservation and restoration exist on private lands.
In an effort to increase and improve restoration efforts on private lands, he moved from Bozeman, Montana to Logan, Utah and accepted the position of Bear River Watershed Coordinator with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. Over the last four years, Gabe has worked with private landowners, conservation districts, government agencies, NGOs, and universities on a wide variety of projects including riparian restoration, weed management, soil health, irrigation, grazing management, and nutrient management planning.
Gabe has enjoyed working with many producers in Cache Valley and hopes to continue supporting agriculture and natural resources in his new role with the Bear River Land Conservancy. When Gabe is not working, you can find him exploring in the mountains of the Bear River Watershed, fishing in alpine lakes and streams, gauging the snowpack on skis, and floating down the Bear River.
Chairman - Glen Busch: Avid outdoorsman. Environmental planner and cartographer at BIO-WEST, Inc in Logan, Utah. Master's Degree from Utah State University in Bioregional Planning. Member of several local nonprofit organizations involved with trails, non-motorized recreation, sustainability, and environmental education. Participates in community visioning processes, agricultural preservation, and open space preservation.
Joel Ferry: Joel was born and raised in Corinne, Box Elder County and has always loved the land and community in Northern Utah. He graduated from Utah State University with degrees in Economics and Finance. He owns and operates a ranch, farm and feedlot in Corinne. He is passionate about improving, restoring and protecting critical wetland habitats in the Bear River Watershed. He is currently serving in the Utah State House of Representatives.
Kelly Bradbury: Originally from the Great Lakes region, Kelly has played in the mountains and watersheds surrounding Cache Valley for over 25 years and feels indebted to the many gifts this landscape provides. She is dedicated to working toward the conservation and restoration of open lands and ecosystems for the health of humans, wildlife, and nature. Kelly has a PhD in Structural Geology and is a Professional Practice Asst. Professor in Geosciences and an affiliated Yoga studies faculty at Utah State University. She enjoys trail running, hiking, biking, yoga, sitting in hotsprings or swimming in lakes, playing with her dogs and cats, and tending to her small garden and orchard.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Economic Development Coordinator for the Bear River Association of Governments
: Lara is an economic development coordinator for the Bear River Association of Governments and project manager for USU. She has a Master's degree in Applied Economics from USU. She loves the outdoors and can't imagine life without access to trails, agricultural production and open space, so she's committed to preserving these things for future generations.
Job Titles:
- Bear River Watershed Conservation Coordinator
Matt grew up in northern Utah helping his dad and grandfather on the family's small farm and cattle ranch. He earned a bachelor's degree in Business and Economics from the University of Idaho before moving to South America where he spent 3.5 years working with the Peace Corps to support local communities in sustainable agriculture, agribusiness, and natural resources projects.
Scott is a fifth generation resident of Cache Valley. His family has been farming in Northern Utah for over 130 years. As a teenager, he had the opportunity to work with his uncles and grandfather on the family dairy farm in Lewiston, Utah. Scott holds a Biology Degree from Utah State University, and Master's Degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota. Upon completion of his education, Scott took a position with Sutter Health in Sacramento, California managing medical groups with a specific focus of rebuilding distressed physician practices.
While in California Scott met his wife Toni. Shortly after they were married, they moved to Smithfield, Utah and Scott took a position with Western Medical to assist in the development of a new hospital and multispecialty physician network. In the summer of 2000, Cache Valley Hospital opened and Scott started a consulting company focused on providing management and development services to physicians and small businesses. In addition to his consulting work, Scott also owns and operates Batteryheads.com, an online business that sells specialty medical batteries and batteries for commercial, government, military, and education applications.
Scott has significant experience in business/organizational development and management. He has helped a number of small and medium-sized businesses improve efficiency, profitability and achieve long-term success.
Scott and Toni continue to reside in Smithfield and have four children. Scott enjoys gardening, yard work, and repairing anything that is broken. Scott is also a member of the Smithfield Planning and Zoning Commission.
: Steve has lived in Cache Valley off and on since 1986. He recently retired from a faculty position at Utah State University. Much of his career focus has been on natural resource policy and decision making, with special attention to rural communities. He has worked as an environmental facilitator, mediator, and trainer primarily for federal agencies.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Engagement, January 2016 - April 2018