Our Mission:
The Blue Mountains Conservancy is a locally based, nonprofit, tax-exempt, conservation organization established for the permanent protection of land and resources.
We offer stewardship, education, and advice for the conservation, preservation and enhancement of agricultural lands, private forestlands, and natural, scenic and open space lands.
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Preservation of open space and permanent protection of open lands from development has become a priority that unites both traditional conservationists and family farmers and ranchers.
The Blue Mountains Conservancy is dedicated to supporting landowners in northeast Oregon wishing to protect their lands from unwanted development.We can assist landowners with placing conservation easements on working or natural lands, including farm, ranch and forestlands.
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The Blue Mountains Conservancy Board of Directors:
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Joel Rice, MD, President
Dr. Rice has maintained a private psychiatric medicine practice in La Grande, Oregon for the past 15 years. He has been a passionate conservationist from an early age. He served on the Union County Planning Commission for ten years and closely followed the development of Oregon land use law. He is committed to protecting farmland, timberland and wildlife habitat from development. He has worked with and supported many conservation groups, such as Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy. Along with his extensive knowledge of land use issues, he brings a background in agriculture and business to the land trust.
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Karen Antell, PhD, Vice President
Karen Antell has been a faculty member of the Eastern Oregon University biology program since 1987. She holds a PhD in botany from Washington State University. She enjoys doing field work and research with wetland plants, dragonflies, and other aquatic invertebrates. She brings a background in plant identification and biological assessment and monitoring to the land trust and has a strong interest in developing educational outreach programs for Eastern Oregon University undergraduate students and the community.
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Lance Colburn, Secretary
Lance is a General Contractor/Certified Inspector. His dedication to superior craftsmanship and interest in historic structures have given him an expertise in non-motorized construction methods. He has served as contractor and consultant on projects listed with the National Historic Register, Oregon Historic Society and Washington State Historic Register. He has provided volunteer consultation and renovation work on structures of historic significance with the US Forest Service, National Resources Conservation Service, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. He works with local, state, and national organizations in an effort to keep the "public" in public lands. Most weekends, he can be found working in the wilderness.
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Donald House, MBA, CPA, Treasurer
Don is a retired CPA who operated a public accounting practice in La Grande for the last 30 years. He holds both a Bachelor's degree and a Masters of Business Administration. Don's conservation interests include owning and restoring 100 acres of forest land near La Grande that had been severely degraded by previous use.
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