UWP Board & Staff

Learn about volunteering on the UWP Board.

Board Chair Amanda Clements

Amanda has been involved in a variety of Nature-related groups and pursuits since retiring from a career at the BLM. She and husband Tony spend their free time in the great outdoors, when they’re not busy tending the garden, pets, trees, and cactus where they live on the edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau. Read more…

Board Vice Chair Phil Harrold

Phil first discovered the Uncompahgre River as a summer intern working for the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, in 1976 and 1977. . He remembers the hot springs of the region most vividly and, as a flatlander by birth, the jagged peaks of the San Juan front. 

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Board Treasurer David Ludwick

Dave lives in Montrose and is Senior Engineer at SRK Consulting. As a technical professional in mining and mine closure, he has worked extensively to protect and improve the environment and communities where his clients’ projects are located.

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Board Secretary Taylor Poynor

Taylor is a lifelong learner who is passionate about sharing the exciting world of STEM. She obtained her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Colorado School of Mines where she helped lead the Engineers without Borders chapter and partook in undergraduate research focused on issues surrounding water in the West.

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Board Member Arlen Huggins

Arlen and his wife Vicki moved to Ridgway (Loghill) in 2014, shortly after he retired as a research meteorologist and she as a school counselor. The move was inspired by a small Huggins family reunion on Loghill in 2010, when Arlen and Vicki fell in love with the beauty, quiet and hiking opportunities of the region. 

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Board Member Carl Mackey

Carl and his spouse, Sheri, moved to Ridgway full time after answering the question, “If not now, when?” They have had friends living in Ouray County and have owned property in the county for many years. Carl completed a 30-plus year career as a restoration ecologist on the Rocky Mountain Arsenal hazardous waste cleanup, and Sheri was ready for a career change, so they decided to move to Loghill in December 2021. Read more…

Board Member Grant Zimmerman

Grant grew up between Ouray and Ridgway along the banks of the Uncompahgre River, playing in irrigation ditches and developing a passion for how water works in the West. A graduate of Ouray High School, Grant spent many summers returning to the Uncompahgre Valley before permanently returning in 2022.  Read more…

Staff

UWP Executive Director Tanya Ishikawa

Tanya was promoted to executive director after six years as communications director, leading efforts that annually increased UWP’s funding including Ridgway RiverFest, budget requests to local governments, and grants from foundations and state agencies. She also grew the number of email subscribers, event participants, and volunteers. In September 2022, she graduated from the Water Leaders program, a professional development program organized by Water Education Colorado. In addition to fundraising, Tanya will continue to work in mine remediation and riparian restoration projects alongside UWP Technical Coordinator Ashley Bembenek, as well as organize cleanups, tree plantings, weed removal, water quality monitoring, and various events. She will also support board members with board development.

UWP Technical Coordinator Ashley Bembenek

Ashley is the principal scientist and owner of Alpine Environmental Consultants, a firm that specializes is watershed planning. Ashley graduated with honors from Montana State University with a degree in environmental science that focused on soil and water. She has 13 years professional experience and has worked in western Colorado for the past nine years to help organizations understand water quality and prioritize projects to improve water quality and watershed health. Ashley loves to ski, mountain bike, climb, and is slowly learning to kayak.

Alpine Environmental Consultants also contracts with Elin Binck who is working with UWP on an environmental flows plan and the South Ouray Erosion Control Project.

Joanna Weaver in winter

Administrative & Development Assistant Joanna Weaver

Having grown up with the coastline of Downeast Maine as her playground, Joanna developed a deep love of water and nature at an early age. After graduating from the College of the Atlantic with a BA in Human Ecology in 2016, she has worked as a filmmaker, bookkeeper, and grant writer. As a producer and editor of feature-length and short-format documentaries, Joanna uses film to remind us of our connection and responsibility to each other and the Earth. Joanna serves as an editor and administrative support for Sunlight Media Collective, an Indigenous-led group in Maine, amplifying underrepresented issues at the intersection of Wabanaki Tribal sovereignty and environmental stewardship. Joanna loves reading, hiking, and soaking up the wonderful Colorado sunshine.

UWP also contracts with Mountain Studies Institute for additional scientific support, where the main contractor with UWP is Jake Kurzweil.

Employment Opportunities

UWP is seeking a River Corps member who will perform work as a hydrologist collecting and reporting on water flow and quality data for 2025. The application deadline was Jan. 3.

If you have questions, please contact us at info@uncompahgrewatershed.org.

The Uncompahgre Watershed Partnership is an equal opportunity employer.