Articles
Landon was born a raised in Eastern Oregon. He loves the outdoors and is enthusiastically looking forward to being back in Wallowa county. Landon was raised in Joseph, where he graduated from Joseph High School. Landon is married to Vanessa Braden (formally Johnson- she too was raised in Joseph). Both Landon and Vanessa have always had a strong tie to Wallowa County; Landon proposed to Vanessa on a hiking trip in the Wallowa Mountains. They also have a young daughter named Sophia. Landon believes in being responsible stewards of our natural resources so that future generations can enjoy the land and its resources as we have. This is why he enjoys working with Wallowa Resources and believes in the mission and goals of the agency. Landon will be filling the role of Manager of Administration, where he will manage grant reporting, facilitate insurance renewals and manage the human resources department. Landon received his B.S. degree in Business Administration and his Masters of Art in Teaching degree from Eastern Oregon University.
Peg comes to us with a wealth of experience and passion for working lands. She and her husband, Mark moved their family of three boys from Sauvie Island where they were involved with a family farm to Wallowa County fifteen years ago. Mark was hired on to spray weeds for the county road dept. and she stepped into the Wallowa County Director to the Commission on Children and Families and later the Eastern Region Coordinator to the State Commission on Children and Families, where she learned the ins and outs of managing grants. Desiring to get back to their farming roots, Mark left the county spray job to pursue farming and during that transition contracted with Wallowa Resources to spray weeds. Peg accompanied Mark and sons on some of the spray trips so she knows what it's like to walk in "blue boots". Their farming operation has grown with the help of their oldest son, who is now in partnership with Mark. They grow grain and hay and perform custom hay and grain harvest work with the help of their other two boys who assist when they can through the spring and summers. Peg loves the idea of being a part of an organization that is working to help people get jobs that improve our land. And, to be able to do the behind the scenes work so people who want to perform the ground work don't have to worry about all the paperwork that it takes to get the money in for the jobs.
Sarah has strong family ties to Wallowa County. She works in Agriculture and natural resource management every day – in the work she does for Wallowa Resources and WR Community Solutions Inc., and hands-on operating the cattle/hay ranching operation she owns with her husband. As well as owning and operating a cattle/hay ranch with her husband, Sarah assists with WRCSI's suite of technical writing services for individuals, businesses, governmental agencies, institutions, organizations and other entities. Among these "community solutions" are grant and funding proposal preparation, reporting, technical writing, applications, communication and education pieces and various publications. Sarah has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Washington State University.
Mark Porter is the Director of Wallowa Resources’ Stewardship Program. He found home in Wallowa County in 1989. Mark worked seasonally for the Forest Service on trail, timber marking and fire crews, and also conducted rangeland and forest wildlife surveys while earning a B.S. in wildlife biology from Oregon State University. He moved to the county full time in 1992.
Mark rounded out his schooling and agency field work by spending 6.5 years cowboying in the Lower Imnaha. He fell in love with the lifestyle of living out and caring for cattle in the rugged canyons - especially herding dogs and good horses. He combined his schooling and practical experience when he hired on with Wallowa Resources in 2000 to run the Noxious Weed Program in the Lower Grande Ronde River. Mark helped the program grow into The Wallowa Canyonlands Partnership where it now serves the Grande Ronde, Joseph Creek, and the Imnaha Canyonlands. He took over the management of Wallowa Resources Stewardship Program when it melded with the weed program in 2010.
Mark serves on several boards dealing with weed management including the Oregon Invasive Species Council. In his free time Mark likes to hunt, fish, hike and bird watch. He is an avid soccer fan and continues to play for fun and coached youth soccer in the county for many years.
