Executive Director

Steve Wise is a leader with more than 25 years’ experience in ecosystem scale watershed and forest restoration, climate resiliency, conservation policy and sustainability in the Pacific Northwest, Great Lakes and beyond. Before joining SOLC, Steve served as executive director for the Sandy River Watershed Council for nearly 10 years. Prior to that, he directed the natural resource program at Chicago's Center for Neighborhood Technology, was development director and interim executive director at the Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center/Friends of Opal Creek, and explored removal of lower Snake River dams as economic analyst at the River Network. Steve is a board member of the Rogue Basin Partnership.

Email
541.482.3069 ext. 102
LinkedIn

Marketing and Communications Manager

Jenni has a background in marketing, communication, and graphic design for both digital and print publications. She is excited to bring her skills and passion for communicating with heart and purpose to the SOLC team. When not taking in the surrounding rivers and rocks of the Rogue Valley, she enjoys quality time with her two sons and is a professional musician and producer.

Email

541-482-3069 ext. 115

Conservation Project Manager

Paul's role at SOLC is to work collaboratively with landowners and community partners to develop and manage land conservation projects, focusing on protecting the highest priority conservation lands within the SOLC service area. Paul moved back to Oregon from Hawaii in 2016 and enjoys music, playing frisbee, and spending time outdoors.

Email
541.482.3069 ext. 103

Stewardship Manager

As Stewardship Manager, Rebekah conducts baseline assessments, monitors conservation easements, advises on conservation and stewardship issues, and provides support to landowners engaged in land management and stewardship. She is motivated by a passion for conserving natural landscapes and restoring habitats for the benefit of flora and fauna. She enjoys wandering the wilderness, reading, and working on assorted crafting projects. Rebekah has earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Southern Oregon University and a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from California State University – Sacramento. She has worked as a biologist in California, and a botanist in the Rogue Valley. Rebekah immerses herself in local human communities through volunteer opportunities.

Email
541.482.3069 ext. 112

Attorney

Alex has been involved with Southern Oregon Land Conservancy since 1996. Even after relocating out of the area, he continues to serve as our staff attorney, helping negotiate transactions, drafting documents, and providing legal support and counseling. Alex also consults with other land trusts across the country, helping them meet the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices and strengthen their organizational capabilities. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his two sons and wife. He has a BA in Environmental Studies from Brown University and a JD with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law from Lewis and Clark Northwestern School of Law.

Event and Volunteer Coordinator

As the Event and Volunteer Coordinator, Paige is thrilled to plan engaging and meaningful events while collaborating with volunteers to provide enriching experiences that connect our community directly to the land. Having lived in Southern Oregon for over twenty years, Paige has fallen in love with everything that this special place has to offer, from the native wildflowers and remote lakes, to the mountains and open fields. She enjoys a variety of adventurous activities, including mountain biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and camping. Paige received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Southern Oregon University. She also received her Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and Arts Administration from Southern Oregon University.

Email

541.482.3069, ext. 107

Linkedin

Education Program Manager

Tara collaborates with schools and organizations to support both classroom and lifelong learning, helping locals connect and engage with the beauty and biodiversity found at SOLC’s properties. She brings to the organization a decade’s worth of experience as an education program facilitator, instructional designer, and teacher and volunteer trainer. Tara completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University and got her master’s degree in Natural Science and Environmental Ed from Hamline University. When she’s not teaching outdoors, you might find her exploring local hiking trails, getting her hands dirty in her garden, or volunteering on the board of the Environmental Education Association of Oregon.

Email
541.482.3069 ext. 111
LinkedIn

Stewardship Director

Kristi Mergenthaler is the stewardship director with Southern Oregon Land Conservancy (SOLC) and has led the stewardship team in monitoring conservation easements and caring for preserves since 2011. Her conservation passions include rare and endemic plants; retaining and enhancing habitat for declining birds; serpentine (mantle rock) landscapes; standing up for underappreciated organisms like oak mistletoe, poison-oak, and western rattlesnakes; and connecting people to the solace and beauty of the natural world. She savors working with volunteers outside, pulling noxious weeds and counting endangered flowers.

Kristi has previously worked as a botanist, conservation crew leader for AmeriCorps and at-risk youth, an environmental educator, youth backpack trip leader, and even a fire lookout with her then three-year old son. In graduate school, she conducted a flora of three mountains on the Siskiyou Crest in the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion. She is on the board of Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon and volunteers with Rogue Valley Audubon Society and Talent Food Project. She leads plant and natural history walks and workshops. Kristi enjoys birding, botanizing, backpacking, and sitting quietly outside.

Development Director

I would like to give a warm “hello” to the incredible people of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy! My name is Serina, and I was born and raised in Medford, Oregon. Other than 5 years in the Greater Portland area pursuing higher education, I have spent my whole life in Southern Oregon - growing and raising a child of my own. I have spent nearly 10 years in the nonprofit sector working in development and am excited to use my skills to help grow the impact of SOLC in our region.

I first became interested in land conservation in middle school on an educational field trip in the Bear Creek area. We were tagging newly planted trees and analyzing organisms in scoops of mud. Seeing life thriving in what I had initially thought to have been boring old mud had a profound impact on my growing mind. We were taught the ways that our everyday life decisions impact their ability to exist, and I was moved to do what I could to help. When I started my college journey, I wanted to get my degree in biology to be a part of protecting local ecosystems. My path quickly diverged from that dream, but I’m excited to have been able to spend my time growing skills that have brought me back and will help me make it a reality.

I am passionate about being a connector – to the work, to the people, and to the places that need our help the most. I believe that we, as a community and as people, are capable of far more than we give ourselves credit for and that when we work together anything is possible. If you don’t know me already, reach out and say hello! I’m eager to hear about your dreams for the future of our lands and explore if I can be helpful in getting you there.

Wyatt fulfills his role at SOLC as a Land Steward by assisting our team in baseline documentation, monitoring reports, conducting biological assessments, and working with landowners to build strong relationships in regards to conservation easements and their valuable offerings.  As a lifelong naturalist, Wyatt has reinforced his passion for ecological harmony by working on a diverse set of projects all over the western US including: Sockeye spawning research, endangered bird monitoring, and rangeland health assessments. He enjoys looking at fungi, making clothes, and blacksmithing.

Wyatt has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Portland State University and has worked as a biologist and naturalist for the BLM, ODF, Opal Creek Ancient Forest Center, and Bristol Bay Science & Research Institute. 

Education and Engagement Specialist

As the Education and Engagement Specialist, Myco is excited to engage youth in Jackson and Josephine counties in the wonders of open space with place-based education. Myco will provide support to docent programs enriching our preserved spaces with public engagement and environmental education. After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University, Myco has been living out their passion for fostering wilderness awareness with youth in outdoor science schools, radical summer camps, and school gardens. To build community and resilience, they volunteer with tree planting projects, post-fire soil and water remediation efforts, habitat restoration, and permaculture food forests. If they are not getting their hands in the dirt, Myco can be found traversing trails, paddling over ponds, eating kraut in the kitchen, preserving persimmons, and cuddling with critters.