Action Alerts

President: Will Boyd, Moscow, Idaho

Former Education & Outreach Director for Friends of the Clearwater, Will is the father of three boys, a husband, and is currently employed as a carpenter. He earned his B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and did graduate work in forest ecology and ornithology at North Carolina State University. Will loves being with his family in the Clearwater wildlands, especially the roadless country of the North Fork, while camping, swimming, hiking, hunting, and learning more about wildland ecology.

Vice President: Jill Johnson, Moscow, Idaho

Jill first became active in environmental issues when a mining project threatened the Wolf River in northern Wisconsin. She moved to Moscow in 2002, after many years of education and training in the upper Midwest, and is now an Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Biochemistry at the University of Idaho.

Secretary: Wes Bescom, Moscow, Idaho

Wes grew up on the edge of the Palouse with mountains to the east and has been exploring them since his parents first let him ride a bike that far.  A WSU and UI graduate, Wes continues to enjoy the big wild of Idaho in a variety of non-motorized ways. Wes first became involved with FOC in the mid 1990’s and though he has spent a good deal of time away, has always considered the “big wild” home. Now an upper elementary school teacher specializing in science and social studies, he shares each experience with a new generation of Idahoans.

Treasurer: Jeanne McHale, Moscow, Idaho

Jeanne McHale is a Professor of Chemistry at Washington State University and has lived in Idaho for 30 years. Raised in the midwest, she moved to Salt Lake City for graduate studies in Physical Chemistry at the University of Utah. On the way to earning a PhD in 1979, the great Wasatch mountains and the natural beauty of Utah inspired a longstanding love of the outdoors. Her present research uses spectroscopy to study the harvesting and utilization of solar energy, including investigations of natural plant pigments as sensitizers for solar photovoltaics. She enjoys cross-country skiing, bicycling, hiking, and playing music. She lives on Moscow Mountain with her husband Fritz Knorr and commutes to work in Pullman WA by bicycle as often as possible.

Jim Tarter, Moscow, Idaho

Jim is a Professor of English in the Humanities Division and Director of the Writing Program at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho, where he teaches courses in environmental, Native American, and multi-ethnic literature. He has resided in Moscow since 2001.

After earning her M.S. in Soil Science at Washington State University in 2006, Tabitha is currently working as a local soil conservationist. She is an avid backpacker and member of the Soil Science Society of America, with whom she previously served as a science policy intern.

Chris Norden, Moscow, Idaho

A board member since late 1999, Chris is a Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. He received his B.A. and M.A. from the University of Virginia and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Steve Paulson, Lenore, Idaho

The founder of Friends of the Clearwater, Steve is a fourth-generation Idahoan and a life-long subsistence farmer, hunter, and fisherman. He has served as a U.S. Marine, a smokejumper for the Forest Service, and a registered nurse with a B.S. in Nursing. Steve initiated the Cove Mallard Campaign, the Gray Wolf Committee, and the Clearwater Forest Watch and has written several Endangered Species Act petitions, too many timber sale appeals to count, and plenty of comments on public land management activities. He has also been arrested for non-violent civil disobedience while protesting on Forest Service land. In his free time, Steve sails his 28-foot Cape Dory sloop, presently berthed at Lago Isabel. He has sailed from Maine to Guatemala and from New York to Europe with his wife and friend Susan Nelson.

Diane Prorak, Moscow, Idaho

Diane Prorak has lived in the Clearwater country for over 20 years after growing up in the Midwest. She was attracted out here partly by the large green areas on the Idaho map. She and her husband have hiked a lot of the Clearwater country and were involved in a group, Clearwater Forest Watch, that appealed some key timber sales a number of years ago. She is also a librarian at the University of Idaho and wants to make sure there is wild Clearwater country left for her two children.