Our Mission

Rich Janssen Jr. is an enrolled Qlispe Tribal Member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. He has spent his entire career with the Tribes, the last nine as the Department Head of Natural Resources, which includes over 202 employees within the Divisions of Environmental Protection, Fish, Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation, and Engineering and Water Resources. Mr. Janssen has an undergraduate degree from the University of Montana (Missoula) 1993, and a Masters of Business Administration from Gonzaga University (2007). Mr. Janssen is married with two grown children, and his Bulldog “Dennis, and is a strong advocate for all people with Autism.” Please find more information at cskt.org.

Emilie Henry holds a B.S. in geology and environmental geosciences from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. After completing her undergraduate education in 2019, she accepted a position as a Big Sky Watershed Corps Member serving with the city of Kalispell and the Flathead Basin Commission. During her two terms of service, Emilie focused on increasing awareness and knowledge of nonpoint source pollution in the watershed through technical monitoring and mapping projects as well as education and outreach initiatives to encourage resident participation. Her passion lies at the intersection of environmental science and policy, particularly as it applies to environmental justice and equity.

Myla has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Environmental Science from Tufts University and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Ecology from University of Montana. She serves as the Water Quality Standards Section Supervisor for Department of Environmental Quality in Bozeman, MT. Myla manages water quality standards, modeling programs and works closely with monitoring and TMDL staff.

Lech has extensive experience in rare plant surveys, vegetation mapping, restoration ecology, and conservation science from the coast of California to the Rocky Mountains. He works as an ecologist and creative media professional helping to conserve, protect and document the incredible landscapes of the West. He serves as a supervisor for the Flathead Conservation District. He regularly teaches technical courses on Restoration Ecology in field and in the classroom and manages restoration and conservation projects. He is the co-author of Annotated Checklist of the Flora of the East Bay (California) and he has authored over 100 technical documents. He is the founder of Golden Hour Restoration Institute.

Kurt has been the forest supervisor for Flathead National Forest since February of 2020. He came from a deputy forest supervisor role at Nez-Perce Clearwater National Forests in Idaho, where he served for three years. Prior to that, he spent time as a district ranger at Superior National Forest in Minnesota. He is invested in supporting efforts in the conservation of the area's watersheds as an essential part of our larger landscape ecosystem and a cornerstone of our economic and social wellbeing. Kurt began his Forest Service career in college as a firefighter and then became a certified silviculturist, filling forestry and planning roles prior to becoming a Forest Service line officer. Kurt was raised in Oregon and holds a B.S. in Natural Resources from Oregon State University. He enjoys most outdoor activities, and often finds himself on public lands. He lives with his wife Melissa and son Jack in Kalispell.

Graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BS in Natural Resource Management. Completed Forest Service graduate school program at University of Montana, Idaho and Washington State. Worked for the US Forest Service in Idaho and Montana for 30 years as Forester, Silviculturist, and on an Incident Management Team as Fire Behavior Analyst. Upon retirement, created a forestry consulting business and became a volunteer board member for the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, Whitefish Legacy Partners, Whitefish Lake Institute, Whitefish Fire Service Area, and served two terms in the Montana House of Representatives representing Whitefish.

Kathy is a native from Northwest Montana with a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Montana State University. She is currently the Regional Manager for the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Water Resources Division. Kathy has been with the DNRC since December 2004, working in various positions within the Kalispell office. Kathy has two sons.

Dean Sirucek grew up on a dairy farm in the Flathead Valley. He graduated in 1975 from Montana State University with B.S. in Soil Science and completed post graduate studies in soil science and ecology. Dean has worked as a soil scientist with the Montana Division of Forestry, Gallatin, Helena, and Flathead National Forests; a District Hydrologist on the Glacier View, Hungry Horse, and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts of the Flathead National Forest; and a soil scientist on 35 wildfire Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) teams nation-wide for Forest Service and Department of the Interior. Dean retired in 2011 from the U.S. Forest Service, and in 2012 became a supervisor for the Flathead Conservation District. He has represented the Flathead Conservation District on the Flathead Basin Commission since that time.

Governor Bullock appointed Patrick Holmes to serve as his Natural Resource Policy Advisor in 2015. Prior to his appointment, Patrick served as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. During his tenure at the Department of Agriculture, he was trusted to provide counsel to the Secretary of Agriculture on issues related to forest restoration, innovative wood products, working lands conservation, wildland fire, and others affecting the U.S. Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. He holds a Masters of Environmental Management from Yale University and a Bachelors of Arts in Natural Resources Management and Policy.

Dave was born and raised in the Charlo area. Lived all his life in Lake County. Graduated from Charlo High School, went on to attend Montana State University for three years. Dave has a daughter and a grandson, has been a cattle rancher all of his life, and is currently in his third term as Lake County Commissioner.

Brodehl is the Flathead County Commissioner for District 3, beginning his term in January of 2019. Prior to being elected, Brodehl served as the Representative for House District 9 (HD 9), formerly HD 7, from 2011 through 2018. In 2017, As a legislator, Brodehl served as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and chaired the Judicial Subcommittee. Previously, Brodehl spent nearly 38 years serving in the fire service and retired as the Fire Chief of Kalispell Fire Department. He and his wife have six children and eighteen grandchildren. Besides time at the county courthouse, he can also be found fishing for bass in the summer and duck hunting in the winter; or bow hunting for elk and deer in the fall.

Jeff Mow first came to Montana in 1979 and spent four summers working for the USGS doing geologic mapping in the Flint Creek, Anaconda Pintler, and Sapphire Ranges of Montana. Subsequent visits occurred in 1988 during the Red Bench Fire in the North Fork and again in 2010 where he helped facilitate a scenario planning workshop for the Crown Manager's Partnership in Whitefish. Jeff has been the Glacier National Park superintendent since August of 2013.

Most of Jeff's 26 year career with the National Park Service (NPS) has been in Alaska. Over the course of 22 years in Alaska, Jeff served as a law enforcement ranger, Chief Ranger, Management Assistant, and Superintendent across seven NPS units. Most recently he had assignments as the superintendent of Kenai Fjords National Park and the acting superintendent of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Jeff has served on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and with the NPS Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs. His additional experiences have included: 1) DOI Incident Commander on the Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, 2) investigator on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska, and 3) Policy Advisor to the fledgling NPS Climate Change Response Program.

Jeff lives in Whitefish Montana with his family and they are all passionate about winter sports including all types of skiing and skating. In the “off-season” they enjoy biking, hiking, camping, and paddling.

Jim grew up in a navy family settling in Montana in 1969 when he started college. Jim is a forester and has worked in North Carolina, Washington, Montana and Michigan. Jim joined the Lake County Conservation District in 2005 and has become very active in the conservation field at the County and State level.

Jim married his wife Joanne after graduating from college. They have three children, six grand children and make their home in Polson, their last best place.

Jasmine obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis of Fisheries & Wildlife from the Salish Kootenai College.

She has worked with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes as a Pesticide Specialist since 2009; since 2010 has been one of a few to hold United States Environmental Protection Agency Agent Federal Credentials to conduct pesticide inspections in regards to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) the national law that regulates pesticide use for the protection of applicators, the community and the environment. Jasmine is a “circuit rider” and provides coverage to the Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead and Northern Cheyenne Reservations in MT.
She loves spending time barbequing, camping, swimming and attending community and cultural events with her husband Cody, three daughters ages 2, 8 and 10 and foster son, age 16.

Steve's career in resource management began as an 18-year-old seasonal firefighter in Elk River, Idaho and continued with seasonal appointments during and after college until he was hired permanently as a National Park Ranger. His National Park Service career spanned 32 years with assignments in Glacier, Big Bend, North Cascades, and Yellowstone national parks, retiring in 2006 as the Superintendent of Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve. Following Steve's retirement from the National Park Service, he went on to have a 10-year career with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, retiring in 2016 as the Area Manager in Kalispell, Montana. Managing wildland fires and other emergency operations has been an integral part of his professional life. Steve has served in numerous Type I wildland fire management positions, including five years as an Operations Section Chief and nine years as the Incident Commander on one of the 16 National Incident Management Teams. Steve is qualified as an Area Commander and has served in that role on one of the four National Area Command Teams. He has developed and presented advanced training for leaders in fire and other emergency management, both nationally and internationally.

Jack Potter, has been an FBC Commissioner since 2011. Jack retired from the National Park Service after 41 years; his most recent position was the Chief of Science and Resources Management in Glacier National Park, where he received the Department of the Interior Honor Award for Superior Service. Jack and his wife volunteer in Glacier during the summer.

He received a B.A. from Colgate University in Political Science, and a B.S. in Forestry from the University of Montana. He and his wife Rachel live in Columbia Falls and daughter Elena lives in Whitefish. They all enjoy hiking, camping, floating, skiing and traveling in Montana and beyond.

Mark has worked his entire 28 year career on Montana water issues. Starting as a hydrologist for DNRC where he wrote a surface water accounting model for the Musselshell River and worked on the development of the Surface Water Supply Index. He moved on to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council where for 9 years he served as a policy analyst on hydro operations and fish mitigation. For the last 17 years he has served as the Montana Liaison for the Bonneville.

Jim has been working for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) for over 24 years and is currently the Regional Supervisor for FWP in northwest Montana.


Jim did his undergraduate work at San Diego State and Florida State Universities and his graduate work at Montana State University in Bozeman. He studied mountain lion ecology for his Master's Degree on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front and Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

As a field biologist for FWP in central Montana, Jim managed big game populations, initiated wildlife habitat acquisitions, worked cooperatively with private landowners, and conducted aerial surveys of big game populations.

For 16 years, in his role as a FWP Wildlife Program Manager for northwest Montana, Jim supervised a talented group of research and management related wildlife biologists as well as other programs ranging from grizzly bear research and management and annual big game survey and inventory to habitat conservation and acquisitions. He was elected in 2009 to serve as the Vice President of the Wild Field Research and Management Association and served for 3 years.


Jim has recently travelled to both Patagonia Argentina and Patagonia Chile to work with colleagues on puma research and conservation projects. He is also a past president of the Montana-Patagonia Chapter of the Partners of the Americas. 
Email Jim.

Mark has worked his entire 28 year career on Montana water issues. Starting as a hydrologist for DNRC where he wrote a surface water accounting model for the Musselshell River and worked on the development of the Surface Water Supply Index. He moved on to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council where for 9 years he served as a policy analyst on hydro operations and fish mitigation. For the last 17 years he has served as the Montana Liaison for the Bonneville Power Administration.

A Montana native, Mark received a BS and MS in Agricultural Engineering, with an emphasis in Water Management, from Montana State University Bozeman.

His passion is big game hunting and boating on Montana's lakes and reservoirs.

Kate Wilson has been working in the water world for over 15 years. Her background includes water quality and quantity work in the Pend Oreille Basin in Idaho, aquatic invasive species prevention programs in Idaho, Florida, and Alberta, and most recently, a dual role as Commission Administrator for Montana DNRC staffing two legislatively created Commissions - the Flathead Basin Commission and the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission. She is dedicated to protecting the freshwater resources of the west and all the native critters that live here. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carroll College and a Masters of Science from the University of Florida.

Dennis has been working for the Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Region for nearly 30 years in hydroelectric power generation and dam operation and maintenance (O&M). Having previously worked at the Grand Coulee Dam power generating and pumping complex for 18 years, he currently manages O&M associated to the 428 MW powerplant and dam at Hungry Horse. Dennis holds a degree in mechanical engineering from Seattle University in Washington State. Dennis and family enjoy the exceptional hiking, camping and fishing opportunities that NW Montana offers. Most appreciated he says is the clarity and cleanliness of the regions water supplies.

Casey Lewis is the Environmental Specialist for the City of Kalispell where her work focuses on protecting and improving local water quality. Her position focuses on preventing pollutants from urban stormwater entering our stormwater system, which typically discharges untreated into local creeks, streams, and rivers. Casey currently serves on the Montana Stormwater Committee and has developed numerous collaborative partnerships throughout the Flathead Basin. She holds a Masters of Science in Environmental Science and Management and has volunteered on marine conservation projects around the world.

Cassidy obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Creative Writing from Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. She is enthusiastic about combining her love of words with her love of our natural resources. Her background includes invasive species management in Minnesota for the MN & IA Conservation Corps, volunteer coordination, education & outreach, and noxious weed management for Montana FWP at Bannack State Park, Wilderness monitoring and trail maintenance for the USFS Wilderness Crew in the Great Bear Wilderness and most recently, a dual role as Commission Coordinator for Montana DNRC staffing two legislatively created Commissions- the Flathead Basin Commission and the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission.

Kate Wilson has been working in the water world for over 15 years. Her background includes water quality and quantity work in the Pend Oreille Basin in Idaho, aquatic invasive species prevention programs in Idaho, Florida, and Alberta, and most recently, a dual role as Commission Administrator for Montana DNRC staffing two legislatively created Commissions - the Flathead Basin Commission and the Upper Columbia Conservation Commission. She is dedicated to protecting the freshwater resources of the west and all the native critters that live here. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carroll College and a Masters of Science from the University of Florida.

Bill Dykes is the field office manager at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Hungry Horse Project at Columbia Falls, Montana. Bill is a registered professional engineer with 38 years of experience working in field construction, fossil and hydroelectric generation, and water resource management. Bill's responsibility at the Hungry Horse Dam began in January 2021. Bill earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in civil engineering at the University of Alabama in Birmingham where he worked with Alabama Power Company in both fossil and hydro generation for 25 years. For the past 10 years, Bill has worked with the BOR in various capacities and areas in the Pacific Northwest. He has also worked with electrical generation construction projects in American Samoa and Afghanistan. Bill and his wife live in Bigfork, with interests in canoeing, hiking, and flying, of which living in the Flathead Valley is perfect for enjoying.

Peter Brumm is a hydrologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency based in Helena. He works with states, Tribes, and other partners to implement the Clean Water Act in his role as the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) coordinator for USEPA Region 8. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science in forestry from the University of Montana and enjoys recreating on and in Montana's bountiful water resources when not in the office.

Gov. Gianforte appointed Mike Freeman to serve as his natural resources policy advisor in 2021. Freeman most recently served as acting deputy solicitor for water resources at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). Before that, he served as deputy assistant secretary for policy and environmental management at DOI. Freeman has promoted policy development in a senior role at an advocacy and strategic communications firm in Washington, D.C., held natural resource policy positions in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and was a career attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A native of Butte, Freeman earned his bachelor's degree from Christendom College and his law degree from the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

Brian Hughes resides in Lakeside, Montana, and was appointed by Gov. Gianforte in 2021 to represent an industrial, environmental, and other interest on the commission.

Sandy Beder-Miller has a Bachelor of Science in forestry from the University of Massachusetts (1977) and a master's degree in Statistics (1979) from North Carolina State University. Sandy retired in August 2018 after working as a forest biometrician, computer programmer, and a statistician for the U.S. EPA in Duluth, Minnesota. She came to the pulp and paper industry in 1988 for Potlatch Corporation in Cloquet, Minnesota, as a pulp mill relief supervisor. She later worked for Boise Cascade Pulp and Paper Mill in eastern Washington. She moved to a pulp and paper instrumentation supplier, BTG Americas Inc., in May of 2000 as a senior applications specialist. Sandy received the Howard Rapson Memorial Award from the Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada in 2015 for the best chemical bleaching paper presented at a technical conference. Sandy has been married for 42 years to Larry Miller, a forest geneticist (now retired). Together they have raised three daughters. They moved to Yaak, Montana, in 2014. Sandy has become active in local community activities, such as Lincoln County WINGS, and is on the planning committee for the Yaak WINGS Annual Auction event. She also serves as a trustee on the Yaak Elementary School Board.

Steve Stanley, of St. Ignatius, was appointed District 2, Lake County Commissioner in 2021. Stanley spent more than three decades working for the county's Disaster and Emergency Services Department, including 13 years as deputy coordinator and 18 as coordinator, before retiring in 2018. He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Polson Fire Department from 1987 to 2007.