Formerly an outreach director for WaterWatch of Oregon and a lobbyist/communications specialist with the Sierra Club in Washington, D.C., Oregon Wild Conservation Director Steve Pedery already had extensive environmental experience when he joined us in 2004.
His background in global-warming concerns, energy policy, water issues, and communications serves him well here, where his time is dedicated to coordinating the strategic direction of our conservation staff’s work. He also communicates with Oregon’s congressional delegation and other decision makers about our campaigns and works to spread Oregon Wild’s message to the general public. Steve describes his time as, “Lots of meetings, lots of conference calls, and not enough time in the day to cover everything.”
Admittedly, Steve has a lot on his plate. He’s working to lay the groundwork for Oregon Wild’s strategic plan, working with the forest team on legislation to permanently protect old-growth forests, developing an Oregon strategy to win support for the partially repealed 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, and working with the development department to raise the money needed to support our important conservation work.
Steve is proud to have been a part of hiring fantastic staff and seeing Oregon Wild’s conservation campaigns blossom and gain momentum because of their work has been highly rewarding. He says, “Oregon Wild has a 30-year history of major conservation victories because we’ve always been a nimble organization with a great staff that focuses on the important issues and sets realistic goals. I see my job as making sure we stick to that tradition.”
When not leading the conservation staff, Steve is likely to be found fly fishing, whitewater rafting, or backpacking.
