Left to right: Outgoing board President Dick Wallace, new board President Katherine Baril, new Managing Director Aaron Peterson
The Regional Fisheries Coalition is pleased to announce its new 2019 leadership team for the state-wide coalition representing 14 fisheries enhancement groups. Aaron Peterson, the new Managing Director, will work with new board President, Katherine Baril.
Dick Wallace, the outgoing President, says “I’m proud of what we accomplished during my 4 years on the RFC board. I have known Katherine Baril for years, and have great respect for her experience. The Coalition is fortunate that she has agreed to serve as the new volunteer President. I am also confident that Aaron Peterson’s extensive background with coalitions and legislative process will make him a great fit to staff this robust and effective coalition of salmon recovery practitioners.”
Aaron Peterson, our new RFC Managing Director, is a former legislator serving six years in the Minnesota House of Representatives from a rural district. He brings over 20 years of experience from the public, private and non-profit sectors including economic development, natural resource restoration and alternative energy. Aaron began his career working on stream habitat restoration in Montana and Oregon for the US Forest Service. He also worked with Washington Department of Ecology and earned his MPA from the Evans School at UW. Aaron’s expertise includes community and government relations, regulatory affairs, and renewable energy.
Katherine Baril, our new President of the Regional Fisheries Coalition was elected for 2019-2020. Katherine has over 30 years of experience in resource and community management. She earned her law degree from American University in Washington DC, and has worked with water law and indigenous resource management. She was a key mediator of Washington’s Timber Fish Wildlife agreement in l988, coordinated the Olympic Peninsula Adaptive Management plan, and helped develop the the Regional Enhancement Authorization bill in l990. As Director of Clallam County Natural Resources in l988-l991 she facilitated the State’s first watershed plans under the PSWQA and helped develop the consensus based site specific RCWs for watershed planning.
Katherine has extensive public policy expertise including developing the first Centennial Water grants, the Adaptive Management regulations for the State Forest Practices Act, and a number of watershed plans. In l991 Katherine became the Director of a very innovative WSU Extension program in Jefferson County developing a variety of education programs including WSU forest stewardship, WSU water watchers, and voluntary landowner stewardship programs. Katherine first serviced as a RFC board member for the North Olympic Salmon Coalition in l994 and is a member currently.