PFA Grant Program

About the Grant Program Advisory Committee

The PFA Grant Program Advisory Committee works to ensure that the Grant Program funds maximize the conservation benefit for the fish and amphibian species covered by the anticipated Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

Advisory Committee Meetings

The Advisory Committee conducts public meetings on a monthly basis. The upcoming meeting schedule, meeting documents and materials, and minutes from past meetings can all be found here:

Advisory Committee’s Public Meeting page

Advisory Committee Resources

PFA Grant Program Oregon Administrative Rules
PFA Grant Program Advisory Committee Operating Procedures (pdf)
PFA Grant Guidelines (Released yearly in late Summer/Early Fall. Join the Mailing List to stay informed)
PFA Grant Program Advisory Committee ’s Expenditure Framework (pdf)

Advisory Committee Duties

The Advisory Committee develops and reviews program priorities, project criteria, and policies and makes recommendations to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission (Commission) and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) to shape conservation and restoration. The following are the primary duties of the Advisory Committee:

  • Proactively identify and target investment opportunities in areas critical to mitigation.
  • Solicit Requests for Proposals for grant funding at regular intervals through two funding pathways, Regular Grants and Urgent Grants.
  • Evaluate requests for Urgent Grant Funding opportunities based on resource priorities, timing, and need.
  • Review, score, rank, and make project funding recommendations to the Commission and the Department regarding use of Funds.
  • Work jointly with the Department to submit a biennial report to the Legislative Assembly as provided in ORS 293.640 regarding the expenditure of monies from the Private Forest Accord Grant Program and the status of various activities funded by the monies.
  • Fund projects that will generate the highest degree of benefit possible for HCP-covered species.
  • Support opportunities, as applicable, to leverage funds to obtain additional or matching funding for conservation efforts.
  • Serve as ambassadors for the PFA Grant Program by alerting contacts to the work of the Advisory Committee and the opportunities it creates.
  • Coordinate opportunities, as applicable, to leverage conservation outcomes with other programs within the Department as well as other state agency sponsored programs, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Advisory Committee Membership

The Advisory Committee consists of twelve members, seven of whom are voting members appointed by the Governor.

Each voting member serves a 4-year term after shorter and staggard initial appointments, and members are eligible for appointment for up to two terms. All appointments to the Advisory Committee shall be made by the Governor as follows:

  • Three members represent non-governmental organizations that promote the conservation of freshwater aquatic habitats,
  • Three members represent the timber industry, and
  • One member from the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund.
  • The Advisory Committee shall consist of five ex officio members, including a representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Committee Members
Chad Washington
Chad Washington, Chair

Nuveen Natural Capital
Voting member | 4 year term

Chad is Manager of U.S. Sustainability for the Timberland group. Chad is responsible for managing the 3rd party forest certification program for U.S. Timberland assets.

Prior to joining Nuveen Natural Capital, he was a graduate research assistant at the University of Idaho. His research can be found in the state of Idaho’s Forest Action Plan where it is used to guide public funding for forest health improvement projects by identifying priority landscape areas. In his free time Chad enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family.

Education:
B.S. in Forest Operations Management from Oregon State University
M.S in Natural Resources from University of Idaho

Mark Stern
Mark Stern, Vice-Chair

Oregon Conservation & Recreation Fund Member
Voting member | 4 year term

Mark is a wildlife conservation biologist who recently retired from a 33-year career with The Nature Conservancy.  Prior to TNC, Mark worked on botany and wildlife for the Burns District BLM and for Malheur NWR. With The Nature Conservancy Mark worked on a wide range of projects including fisheries and waterbirds in the Warner Valley, on Sandhill Cranes, Black Terns and Yellow Rails at Sycan Marsh and Lake/Klamath Cos., Snowy Plovers at Abert Lake and along the Oregon coast, neotropical migrant songbirds in the Willamette and on Sauvie Island Wildlife Area.  From 1995- 2012 Mark was TNC’s Klamath Basin Conservation Director, and from 2012-2020 led TNC’s Oregon Dry Forest Conservation Program.

Mark currently serves on the Advisory Committee for the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund. Mark has served as a Board Member for the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society and the Pacific Birds Joint Venture Management Board.  Mark also served on the Elliott State Forest Advisory Committee 2018-2022.  Mark has a graduate degree in Wildlife Ecology from Oregon State University.  With his wife Ginny, they enjoy birding and wildlife viewing while hiking, paddling and camping in Oregon’s vast outdoors.

Fran Cafferata
Fran Cafferata

Oregon Small Woodland Association
Voting member | 3 year term

Fran, a Certified Wildlife Biologist®, has over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting. She works hard to bring forestry and wildlife researchers and practitioners together to manage for wildlife and forestry in the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, she works on projects that involve writing management plans for landowners for compliance with the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. She also works on education and outreach programs that help tell the story of forestry in Oregon.  She is also experienced with ESA permitting to assess the anticipated impacts of development activities on federally listed species. This work involves wetland technical investigations for identification and delineation, mitigation planning and permitting, NEPA Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), Biological Assessments for ESA compliance and Biological Evaluations for NFMA compliance.

Fran is a member of both The Wildlife Society and the Society of American Foresters. She is a past Chair for the Oregon Society of American Foresters and a past President of the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society. In addition, Fran was the liaison between these two societies for Oregon from 2010 – 2017. Being a member of both societies allows Fran to help wildlife and forestry professionals communicate and discuss common goals. Fran was awarded the Oregon Society of American Foresters’ Young Forester Award in 2016 and was also awarded the 2016 National Society of American Foresters Young Forester Leadership Award. Fran is passionate about bringing forestry and wildlife together in developing management strategies that are practical and increase biodiversity within managed forests.

Andrew Purkey
Andrew Purkey

North West Guides & Anglers
Voting member | 3 year term

Andrew is a partner at AMP Insights, a consulting firm working with clients on some of the most vexing water and natural resources management issues in unique and creative ways. Andrew has thirty years of experience in water rights transactions and water transaction program development, funding and management. 

Andrew came to consulting after having directed environmental water transaction and instream flow restoration programs at the National Fish and Wildlife Fund (NFWF) for sixteen years and the Oregon Water Trust (now The Freshwater Trust) for nine years. During his time with NFWF Andrew directed their Western Water Program, which included efforts to the restore water to aquatic and riparian ecosystems in the Columbia Basin, Klamath Basin, Rio Grande Basin, Walker Basin, Colorado River Delta, California, and Texas. In his director roles with NFWF, Andrew developed funding partnership with corporations, foundations and public agencies to support the freshwater restoration efforts of grant recipients and partners.

While with the Oregon Water Trust, the nation’s first water trust, Andrew developed cooperative, market-based projects that engaged water right owners to improve water resources management across priority Oregon rivers. As Executive Director, Andrew helped grow the Trust through his management of its external communications and fundraising plan and public policy and government relations efforts.

Before becoming Executive Director at the Oregon Water Trust, Andrew worked in government relations, political campaign coordination and public policy analysis in the non-profit, government and private sectors. In these roles he engaged on environmental, energy and transportation issues, including the successful Great Outdoors Colorado conservation ballot initiative campaign in 1992. As a consultant he assisted clients with developing and promoting effective compliance and legislative and regulatory policy initiatives before Congress and the EPA.

Andrew earned a BA from the University of Oregon and a MPP from Harvard University.

Vacant
Bob Salinger

Bird Conservation Oregon
Willamette Riverkeeper

Voting member | 4 year term

Bob Sallinger brings 30-years of experience working on conservation issues in Oregon, He currently serves as the conservation director of Willamette Riverkeeper and the Executive Director of Bird Conservation Oregon. He was a member of the conservation team that negotiated the Private Forest Accords. Bob also serves on the board of the Portland Utility District, Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District, Intertwine Alliance and Humane Voters Oregon.  

Education:
B.A . in Biology  Reed College (1991)
J.D.  Lewis and Clark Law School (2007)

 

Scott Lightcap
Scott Lightcap

Trout Unlimited
Voting member | 4 year term

Scott is a recently retired Fisheries Biologist from the Bureau of Land Management.  He started his federal career as a field biologist and worked his way up through the ranks as new challenges presented themselves – first with the Forest Service (10 years) and then with the BLM (23 years).  For the last 10 years of his career in public land management, he served as the State Fisheries Biologist for the OR/WA BLM, and co-leader of the largest Aquatics Program in entire BLM.  

He earned his Bachelor’s in Biology at Oregon State University, and started working at a small marine research lab in the Bahamas.  After returning to the mainland U.S., career moves with the FS and BLM took him to several communities in SW Oregon.   He and his family eventually settled in the Umpqua Basin near Roseburg – where they’ve lived for the past 22 years.

Scott grew up on a ranch in Gold Beach, OR – within sight of the mouth of the Rogue River, where his family also had ties to the commercial fishing and timber industries.  With that background, it only seemed natural for him to pursue a career in land management.   He is passionate about balanced resource use, aquatic restoration, and collaborative partnerships.

Scott is an avid fly fisherman and can often be found chasing fish throughout Oregon and beyond.

Courtney Griesel
Courtney Griesel

Sierra Pacific Industries
Voting member | 4 year term

Courtney Griesel is the Oregon Community Relations Manager for Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI). SPI is a third-generation family-owned company with timberland and sawmills in Oregon, Washington, and California and was a signatory to the Private Forest Accord. She supports the company in focus areas of community and policy engagement, workforce development, and planning and land-use policies. She holds a Masters of Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and Bachelor of Science in Planning, Public Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. Courtney began her career in public sector service and global non-profit resiliency consulting. Prior to joining SPI in 2022, she served as Economic Development Manager for an Oregon municipality, focusing on traded-sector industry support and growth, tax increment financing, land acquisition and development, and public private partnerships. She has lived in the south Willamette Valley for over 20 years and most enjoys spending time with her family, especially camping and exploring new places, and taking long runs.

Non-voting Members
Chris Allen
Chris Allen

United States Fish & Wildlife Service
Non-Voting member | Indefinite term

Hello! My name’s Chris Allen. I’m a long-time fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) in Portland. My road to a career in natural resources was directly influenced by my fortunate upbringing along the Umpqua River in Southern Oregon. My interest in water, rivers and conservation was nurtured by an outdoor-oriented family and a strong predilection towards hunting, fishing, boating, snorkeling and other forms of nature exploration. I went to school at Oregon State University, spent some time at ODFW, TNC and consulting before beginning a federal career with the Service in 1999.  In my current position I am the manager of our Aquatic Resources Division for what’s generally referred to as the Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, part of our agency’s Ecological Services Program in Region One. It’s an honor and privilege to be representing the Service on the Private Forest Accords Mitigation Advisory Committee.

Sara Gregory
Sara Gregory

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Non-Voting member | Indefinite term

I am currently the Umpqua Watershed District Manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife based in Roseburg, Oregon where I oversee admin, fish, wildlife, and habitat programs. Before taking this position, I was a Wildlife Habitat Biologist for ODFW in central Oregon where I provided guidance and information on a wide variety of land use projects and served as a member of an OWEB regional review team. I have worked throughout the Pacific Northwest on research and management of a variety of species including mule deer, elk, burrowing owls, tree squirrels, and waterfowl. I have a B.S. in Environmental Science from Western Washington University and an M.S. in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington. I also served 2 years in the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Tanzania, East Africa.

Mark Grenbemer
Mark Grenbemer

Southwest Oregon Program Representative, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)
Non-Voting member | Indefinite term

Greetings! I am super excited to be able to serve on the Private Forest Accords Mitigation Advisory Committee representing OWEB. I have had the privilege of working for OWEB, serving Southern Oregon, since its creation as an agency in 1998. Prior to that I served a similar function working through the Governor’s Watershed Enhancement Board and before that as a team member of the Oregon Watershed Health Program where we successfully worked with local folks to develop watershed plans and stand up and establish the first recognized watershed councils in Oregon. Even earlier I worked for ODFW and proudly served in the United States Coast Guard. My work buoys my passion for the outdoors and with my family, I enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, rafting and horsing around.

Jennifer Weikel
Jennifer Weikel

Oregon Department of Forestry
Non-Voting member | Indefinite term

Jennifer Weikel works for Oregon Department of Forestry, Forest Resources Division.  She is the wildlife biologist for the Division, and also serving as the Coordinator for the Oregon Private Forest Accord Aquatic Habitat Conservation Plan. Jennifer started working for ODF in 2003 and has over 30 years’ experience working in the field of wildlife management, with an emphasis on forest wildlife.

Kate Wells
Kate Wells

National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA)
Non-Voting member | Indefinite term

Kate Wells is the Willamette Branch Chief in NOAA Fisheries' Oregon Washington Coastal Office. She has held this position for three years and has previously worked in NOAA Fisheries' Protected Resources Division and the Sustainable Fisheries Division in the Southeast Reginal Office. Kate's current focus is ESA implementation and salmon and steelhead recovery in the Willamette Basin and Oregon Coast.