Board of Directors

Paul Behr
Board Member

Paul is Chair of the Rock Creek Reclamation Board and a life-time resident of the Big Chico Creek watershed.  He farms almonds on Rock Creek and has a business evaluating and treating water quality problems in domestic groundwater supply.

Chris Colson
Board Member

Chris has a B.A. from California State University, Chico and a Master's degree in Rural and Town Planning, also from CSU, Chico. His Master's Thesis was on land use planning for the Sierra Nevada as a bioregion, in order to better protect biological diversity. In 1994, as an Environmental Planner Intern for Parks & Preserves Foundation (a non-profit conservation land trust organization), Chris researched the feasibility of doing a watershed plan for the Big Chico Creek Watershed. He's hiked extensively throughout the entire Big Chico Creek Watershed for more than 25 years. Chris is currently employed as a Recreation specialist at the Work Training Center and also works as a semi-professional photographer.

Timmarie Hamill

Secretary

Timmarie holds a B.S. in Biology and a Secondary Math and Science Teaching Credential from California State University at Chico. As a biologist, she has planned and conducted water quality inventories as they relate to fish and wildlife in the private and public sectors for the past 14 years. She has served as an Industrial Waste Inspector for the City of Chico, Pretreatment Plant Operator for the City of Oroville, HAZMAT biologist for Army Corp. of Engineer base closures, consultant preparing CEQA and NEPA reports, science teacher for a small Charter School, and most recently, project manager for water monitoring and public outreach and education grants.

Barbara Hennigan

Board Member

Barbara holds a Master's of Library Science from the University of Pittsburgh and is retired from her business researching land use history of real estate for environmental audits. She lives in the Rock Creek watershed (a tributary to Big Chico creek) on Hennigan Farms, an almond and walnut ranch on land farmed by her husband's family since 1912. She is Natural Resources Chair on the League of Women Voters Board of Directors, focusing on water and land use. She is the Executive Director of the Butte-Sutter Basin Area Groundwater Users, an organization devoted to protecting the interests of farmers and domestic well owners who are totally dependent on groundwater.

Stuart King
Vice-Chair

Stuart has a B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Chico. He is a long-time Chico resident and has been on the boards of many civic and governmental organizations, including CSU Chico Staff Council, Downtown Chico Business Association, Chico Aqua Jets, Chico Central Little League, City of Chico Parking Place Commission, and the Bidwell Park Centennial Committee. He is a CSU Chico employee and is also the caretaker of the Henning House at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.

Susan Mason

Watershed Coordinator

Susan has a B.A. in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is a founding member of a local park advocacy non-profit organization, Friends of Bidwell Park and started a park community service program that has resulted in more than 7,000 hours of park volunteer labor to-date. Susan is a member of the California Invasive Plant Council's Speaker's Bureau, participates in the River Partners Bidwell Ranch Citizens Work Group and is Invasive Plants Chair for the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.

John Merz
Chair

John was one of the co-founders of the Sacramento River Preservation Trust in 1984 and has served as the Chief Executive Officer of that organization since 1986. In addition to the BCCWA, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Altacal Audubon Society, Northern California Regional Land Trust and Friends of Bidwell Park. In addition, John serves as a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee that was appointed by the Chico Area Recreation and Park District (CARD) Board of Directors to help in the current update of their Recreation Master Management Plan. He is also a member of the Chico Planning Commission.

Margaret Rader
Board Member

Margaret has an R.N., B.S., PHN from San Diego State, and a School Nurse Credential from Fresno State. She's been a Chico resident for 25 years. Margaret lives along the western reach of Big Chico Creek and has hosted neighborhood creek cleanups. She is active in local organizations, including Altacal Audubon, Chico Horticultural Society and Snow Goose Festival as well as the Torres Shelter, where she organizes, prepares and serves a monthly dinner meal. Margaret is a summer educational docent at Lassen National Park and also volunteers her nursing skills at several summer camps for medically fragile children. She is interested in expanding the educational outreach of the BCCWA by providing watershed education to the creek's neighbors.

Dulcy Schroeder
Board Member

Dulcy earned a B.F.A. and M.A.T. in art education and spent many years in the classroom as well as some time in administration.  She lives in the Big Chico Creek watershed where she has been dedicated to removing invasive plants for the last nine years. She has represented the private landowners in upper Big Chico Creek Canyon on the Technical Advisory Committee for the BCCER since its inception.  Recently she became a founding member of the Broom Education and Eradication Program (BEEP) in Forest Ranch.  This community action group is committed to removing invasive broom plants from Forest Ranch in order to reduce the fire hazard as well as to protect the habitat in the watershed.

Heather Senske
Board Member

Heather is involved with the education system with a focus on early childhood services.  She is a long time Chico resident and has been involved with a variety of city committees and efforts to support sustainability, and enhance and preserve the resources of the Chico community.  Additionally she participates in the Cherokee Watershed Group Committee work.

Michael Stauffer

Board Member, Founding Member

Michael is retired from an advertising and manufacturing career. He is a long-time Chico activist, including serving as Secretary of the Board of Directors of Streaminders and donating hundreds of hours to their stream restoration projects. He also volunteers his time with two nonprofit radio stations in Chico and is active in local politics.

Susan Strachan

Board Member

Susan holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Geography: Environmental Planning and Resource Management from San Francisco State University. She has worked as a land use planner, environmental planner, water quality specialist, grant writer and manager and watershed coordinator. For the California Coastal Commission, she served in both technical and policy capacities, including enforcement, geotechnical review, land use planning and permitting, and nonpoint source pollution planning. She has worked for a nonprofit land trust as executive director and an environmental consulting firm doing stormwater planning, grant administration and grant proposals. A trained facilitator, she co-facilitated a state sponsored technical advisory committee for wetlands and riparian habitat management for the State Water Resources Control Board and has facilitated strategic planning efforts. In her current position at Chico State University, she manages environmental projects for the College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction management. She is a fellow of the Great Valley Center's Institute for the Development of Emerging Area leaders and is on the Butte County Water Commission by appointment of Supervisor Maureen Kirk.

Fred Thomas

Treasurer

Fred holds a B.S. in Agriculture from the California State University, Chico. He has worked with orchard management, seed marketing, and sustainable agriculture for 30 years. Known nationally for expertise in cover crops, he has worked for the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program with grower outreach and cover crop education. He is a member of the Society for Range Management and is a licensed Pest Control Advisor. He was the project coordinator of The Nature Conservancy Biological Prune System project and the cover crop member of the Biologically Integrated Orchard System teams. He currently consults on seeds, cover crops, vegetation management, and pest control; and manages almond, walnut, and organic prune orchards for clients in the Sacramento Valley.