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The WSG is a nonprofit public benefit charity 501(c)(3) recognized by the Internal Revenue Service, making all donations to WSG fully tax deductible. WSG exists solely for the purpose of purchasing and acting as the long-term steward of Westwind. In addition to a deep personal connection and commitment to Westwind, WSG’s directors possess considerable management and substantive expertise in areas relevant to the Westwind Project.
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Anne W. Squier / President
A biologist and lawyer active in numerous environmental organizations, she has served on major Oregon policy boards (water, land use, environmental quality). Her ties to this project or the Westwind site include: Reed College thesis in estuarine biology; founding member of Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition; member of the Advisory Committee that created the Management Plan for the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area in 1975; major role in creation of Oregon’s Coastal goals under which the Salmon River was classified a “natural” estuary; member or YWCA Westwind Committee in the 1980’s. Anne has four adult children who were (variously) YWCA campers, long time counselors, and caretaker of the site. Two grandchildren will be campers this summer. |
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Duncan Berry / Vice President and Co Founder
A native Oregonian who grew up in Portland and the coastal communities of Gearhart and Neskowin, Duncan’s personal memories of Westwind stretch over 35 years. (Where he and his wife Melany met) In the past twenty years he founded and continues to run a highly successful trend, design, and manufacturing business. He has provided his marketing, management, and operations expertise in other nonprofit and environmental contexts, as a former board member of Fern Cove Sanctuary on Puget Sound’s Vashon Island, and founded the Greensource, the first company to market sustainable agriculture products to the mass market, with operations in Pakistan and the United States. As co-founder of the WSG Duncan stays active as a board member in the Stewardship Planning process as well as site and facilities projects and grant writing. |
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Kaye Jones / Secretary
A native Oregonian, Kaye Jones has spent time on the Westwind property since she was two years old, attending summer camp through her teenage years. Kaye has been a staff member of YWCA Camp Westwind over the course of four summers, most recently as assistant camp director in 2003 and 2004. Kaye’s passion is education for sustainability. Kaye earned her Msc in Holistic Science from Schumacher College in Devon, England. Kaye’s professional work is interdisciplinary, ranging from education and organic farming to sustainability consulting. Kaye is currently developing innovative funding mechanisms through for-profit / non-profit partnerships. |
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Peter Samson/Treasurer
Boyhood interests in cartography, travel and the outdoors led Peter to training as a geologist at Princeton University, followed by brief map-making work for Mobil and Conoco oil companies. Over a career concentrated in non-profit management, Peter co-founded and operated The High Country School, a traveling outdoor school; brought the Omnimax Theater and submarine USS Blueback to OMSI; lived three years in Mexico; and worked for decades in finance and strategic planning. He is currently a grant-writer and fundraiser for the state office of Special Olympics. He enjoys hiking and backpacking, cycling, volleyball, trains, astronomy and skywatching, pub trivia, gardening, singing, and playing his beloved guitar. He has been a Certified Financial Planner(tm) since 1997. He adores his partner since 1975, Robin Schauffler, currently a teacher at Oregon Episcopal School and a writer of creative non-fiction.
Peter is a member of a group of 60-80 that has spent 4 days every Thanksgiving since 1973 at Westwind, in a communal holiday tradition that dates back to 1948. In an era when issues of environmental sustainability and social responsibility seem to be resonating with more and more people, he sees his Westwind stewardship as an opportunity to apply broad management experience and a lifelong passion for place to a unique piece of land in exciting and innovative ways. |
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Melany Berry / Steward and Co Founder
A native Oregonian growing up in Neskowin and Portland, Melany attributes the sense of place she found at Westwind with shaping who she is today. Her experience began during summers throughout the 1960’s when at the age of 8 she began learning about human and natural communities at Westwind. In later years she served as camp staff and waterfront director developing leadership skills. Staying involved at Westwind she returned years later to organize and host coordinate several “Great Turning” events on site based on the work of Joanna Macy.
Melany has worked as an environmental educator, art instructor, and chef in addition to maintaining a 30 year career as a professional artist. She has been a founder or director of several organizations in the Pacific Northwest: The Blue Heron Summer Art Camp, Tapestry Artists of Puget Sound, Islewilde and Friends of Fern Cove. Her five year tenure as Fern Cove’s director focused on protecting the Vashon Island estuary and delivering community education and watershed conservation. She runs a catering and event planning business, and has a current interest in sustainable food production which she utilizes in helping staff with their planning and operation of the Westwind kitchen She continues her work in the native plant monitoring program on site as well the Stewardship Planning process. |
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Saskia Dresler/ Steward
Saskia’s connection with Westwind began as a youth camper, developed as she served on the summer camp staff, and further deepened as a member of the YWCA Technical Advisory Committee during the Camp Westwind capital campaign. Saskia was a founding board member of The City Repair Project in Portland, OR, served as Board President from 2001 to 2005, and project manager for the Earth Day Celebration of Localization 2003 & 2004. Professionally, Saskia is Instructional Coordinator at Cedaroak Park Primary School in West Linn. Her passion for authentic, placed based educational programs at Westwind inspires her work with the WSG. |
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Dave Hatch/Steward
Dave Hatch is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz with strong ties to Oregon coastal geography of importance to Native Americans. He is a Project Engineer for the City of Portland, with a Masters degree from OSU. Dave played a strong role in creating the Elakha Alliance for restoration of the Sea Otter, and has worked with OMSI in creating and leading the Salmon Camp program for middle and high school students. He has served on the Siletz Tribal Council and was a finalist for the 2001 Buffet Award for Indigenous Leadership. |
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Kris Olson / Steward
Kris Olson served as a federal prosecutor from 1974-1984; Associate Dean and Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark from 1984-1994; Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Commissioner (1987-1994); United States Attorney for the District of Oregon from 1994 - 2001; and Senior Counsel to Congressman Earl Blumenauer from 2001-2003. Kris just completed a biography of a tribal leader whose life puts a face on the suffering caused by 20th Century federal Indian policy, Standing Tall, published by University of Washington / Oregon Historical Society presses (October 2005). |
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Steph Dozono/Steward/YWCA Liaison
Steph Dozono is the YWCA Board’s liaison to WSG. Steph has Westwind experience as staff at the YWCA summer camp and is a database manager in Portland. |
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Dave Martin / Executive Director
The Westwind Stewardship Group Board and Staff are delighted to announce that Dave Martin will be joining us as our new Executive Director on February 2nd 2009. Read more |
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The Westwind Advisory Board
The WSG board has established an interdisciplinary Site Conservation Advisory Group comprised of government and nonprofit conservation professionals. The Advisory Group has three primary functions: 1) to oversee development of a conservation plan to guide near and long-term management of the property, 2) to identify and design collaborative initiatives that will help integrate the property into the management and monitoring objectives of other entities in the lower watershed and the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area 3) to advise (over time) on Westwind property management decisions and restoration activities.
The first charge of this group is to over time complete work on the conservation plan and form the basis for compiling baseline documentation of ecological attributes and other information needed to more actively manage and monitor key species and habitat values located on the property. This in turn will better inform management of the camp facilities and users in concert with long term conservation of the property.
Advisory Group scientists include:
Karen Bennet – US Forest Service
Dan Bottom – NOAA Fisheries
Sarah Greene – US Forest Service
Wayne Hoffman – MidCoast Watershed Council
Debbie Pickering – The Nature Conservancy
John Spangler – Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Bob Frenkel – Oregon State University - Geoscience
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