Oregon Wild is an environmentalist organization that focuses on wildlands, wildlife, and waters. It was founded in 1974, and has lobbied for legislation to protect Oregon land from development, including about 1.7 million acres of wilderness, 95,000 acres of forests in the Bull Run/Little Sandy watersheds, and about 1,800 miles of scenic rivers. 1
The group was originally known as the Oregon Wilderness Coalition upon its founding. In 1982, it changed its name to the Oregon Natural Resources Council. In 2006, the organization adopted its name Oregon Wild. 2
Background
Oregon Wild says it protects and works to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife, and waters. 3 The organization was founded in 1974. 3 As of 2025, the group had four regional offices. 3
The organization engages in education, public communications, direct lobbying, activism, and litigation. The group boasts about its legal activities, saying that “litigation is not a dirty word” and that “laws protecting endangered species, clean water, and wild forests should be vigorously enforced.” 3
The organization says it focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for its staff and board through hiring practices; recruitment; an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee; professional development; and compensation equity. The organization has said, “As of August 2024, 25% of our webcast presenters have been BIPOC and/or members of the LQBTQ+ community.” 4
Although the organization is typically aligned with Democratic Party officials, Oregon Wild launched attack ads against the policies of then-Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) in 2019 for appointing a game hunter to the state’s wolf management board. It also publicly withdrew supported in 2023 from Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) after the congressman’s proposal to protect Mount Hood’s wilderness fell short of Oregon Wild’s goals. 5
History
In Eugene, Oregon, two staffers from national groups—Bob Wazeka of the Sierra Club and Joe Walicki of the Wilderness Society—teamed up with environmental activist and University of Oregon librarian Holway “Holly” Jones to start the Oregon Wild Lands Coalition in 1972. The coalition would be officially incorporated two years later in 1974. 6
In fall 1973 at Whitebranch Camp in the Willamette National Forest, Wazeka, Walicki, and Jones were joined by 10 groups and their members for the first Oregon Wilderness Conference. 6
What became known as the Oregon Wilderness Coalition supported President Jimmy Carter signing the Endangered American Wilderness Act. Oregon received 275,000 acres protected last, and official designation of French Pete as Wilderness. 6
James Monteith was the first and longest-serving executive director of the group. He wrote in the February 1978 newsletter: “This is a landmark bill for all conservationists and others who understand and value the great natural treasures of Oregon.” 6
In 1982, the organization’s board voted to change the name to “Oregon Natural Resources Council.” The new board president was a biology teacher named Wendell Wood. He remained in the position until he died in 2015. 6
In 1984, the group convinced the Oregon Congressional delegation to act to protect wilderness lands, with bills being introduced from Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR) and Rep. Jim Weaver (D-OR). Congress voted to protect more than 850,000 acres of wilderness under the Oregon Forest Wilderness Act. 6
In 1985, with the help of attorney Neil Kagan, Oregon Wild launched a 25-year campaign to protect Elk Creek against dam development. Roughly 30 percent of all wild coho salmon in the Rogue Basin spawned in Elk Creek, and about 1,300 acres of public lands the proposed dam would have flooded providing vital calving and wintering areas for elk and other wildlife. By 2009, Oregon Wild celebrated the partial demolition of the dam and return to a free-flowing river. 6
In 1988, the organization took credit for appealing 220 timber sales in a single month, and for the Oregon Omnibus Wild and Scenic Rivers Act becoming law. That same year, the ONRC moved the headquarters to Portland to be closer to political power. The organization added its first official development director, Sally Cross, and hired its longest serving finance and administration director, Candice Guth. The ONRC grew its membership to 6,000 members in the mid-1990s. 6
The 1992 presidential contest saw an increased focus on the forest issue and the fate of the spotted owl. After the Endangered Species Act listed the spotted owl, ONRC sued to protect owl habitats, and Judge William Dwyer issued an injunction that effectively shut down old growth logging on 17 national forests in the Pacific Northwest. Then-candidate Bill Clinton promised action if he won. In April 1993, President Clinton, then-Vice President Al Gore, and Cabinet members came to Portland. The summit led to the Northwest Forest Plan. It reduced logging by 80 percent. 6
The ONRC launched a political action committee in 1996. 6
In 2006, the group changed its name to “Oregon Wild.” The group said that many in the public thought the organization was a chapter of the Natural Resources Defense Council or a government agency. 6
In 2008, the organization focused on reducing the killing of wolves in response to livestock depredation. 6
The group launched a campaign in 2009 that led to wilderness expansion of 125,000 acres in the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, which it said was the largest expansion of wilderness land since 1984. 6
Since 2022, the organization was involved in leading a local coalition to enact what it called Oregon’s largest public lands protection effort in history. The effort aims to secure wild and scenic river designations for more than 3,000 miles of waterways across the state. 6
Leadership
As of 2025, Quinn Read was the executive director of Oregon Wild. Read began working for the organization in 2013. She previously worked for the FBI, a public relations firm, and the University of Washington. Read earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Washington and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. 7
As of 2025, Lisa Billings was the president of the board of directors for Oregon Wild. Billings worked in product management for the outdoor apparel industry. 7
Seth Prickett was the treasurer of the board of directors as of 2025. He spent more than a decade working in state politics with an emphasis on the environment. He is a full-time real estate agent. 7
Darcie Meihoff was the secretary of the board of directors as of 2025. Meihoff is a public-relations industry professional. She previously was a member of the Forest Park Conservancy board of directors for 10 years, and was the board president in 2012. 7
Other board members included Vik Anantha, Jordan Anderson, Chris Beatty, Chris Enlow, Cassidy Cianciolo, Ryan Jasperson, and Kate Ritley. 7
Arran Robertson was the communications director as of 2025. Robertson joined Oregon Wild team in 2014. He spent six years as a congressional staffer. Before that, he was a program leader for the Multnomah Education School District’s Outdoor School program. 7
- Anne Conrad-Antoville was the finance and administration director as of 2025. She joined the group in 2022. 7
Steve Pedery was the conservation director as of 2025. He was formerly an outreach director for WaterWatch of Oregon and a lobbyist/communications specialist with the Sierra Club in Washington, D.C. He joined Oregon Wild Conservation in 2004. 7
Jonathan Jelen was the development director as of 2025. He first joined the group in 2008. He was previously a counselor for the homeless in Chicago. In 2001, he went to work for AkPIRG, or Alaska Public Interest Research Group. He also ran the New Mexico PIRG. 7
Funding
The Peterffy Foundation contributed $200,000 in 2023. 8
The Oregon Community Foundation contributed $113,750 in 2023. 8
The Wilburforce Foundation contributed $85,000 in 2023. 8
References
- “Oregon Wild.” Outdoor Project. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://www.outdoorproject.com/content/oregon-wild-0
- LeGue, Chandra. “50 Years For the Wild” Eugene Weekly. April 18, 2024. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://eugeneweekly.com/2024/04/18/50-years-for-the-wild/
- “About Oregon Wild.” Oregon Wild. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://oregonwild.org/about/
- “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Oregon Wild. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://oregonwild.org/about/equity-diversity-and-inclusion/
- Jankowski, Andrew. “Schilling Cider Raises Over $105,000 for Conservation Nonprofits.” Willamette Week. May 30, 2025. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://www.wweek.com/drink/2025/05/30/schilling-cider-raises-over-105000-for-conservation-nonprofits/
- “Who We Are.” Oregon Wild. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://oregonwild.org/about/history/
- “Our Staff and Board.” Oregon Wild. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://oregonwild.org/about/team/
- “Oregon Natural Resources.” Cause IQ. Accessed September 22, 2025. https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/oregon-natural-resources-council-fund,237432820/funding