photo by Stephen Ingram

About the committee: The Owens Valley Committee is a non-profit citizen action group dedicated to protecting the natural resources of the Owens Valley by monitoring water and land management, educating the public, and encouraging participation in local government. OVC is dedicated to citizen involvement and has been active in Owens Valley water issues since 1984.

About our board: Owens Valley Committee holds yearly board elections. Our current board members include Mark Bagley, Karen Brorson, Brian Cashore, Bob Meador, and John Williams.

Mark Bagley, an independent botanical consultant who works in the Owens Valley, eastern Sierra, and Mojave desert, first waded into Owens Valley water issues in 1989 with the Owens Valley Committee. He was the Sierra Club negotiator for the 1997 Memorandum of Understanding that described the Lower Owens River Project, and he continues to serve as Sierra Club's MOU representative. For several years, he has served as the Owens Valley Committee's legal and policy liaison and director--in other words, the Owens Valley Committee's rudder--in which role he helps the Owens Valley Committee determine what issues it should prioritize most for its small group of active volunteers. "I believe very strongly in the purpose of OVC," Mark writes. "The Owens Valley Committee is the only organization with a focus on water issues in the Owens Valley and on protection of the environment in the lower elevations of the valley."

"I believe volunteerism is one of the golden rules to live by," writes Karen Brorson. Karen graduated from college with a B.A. in graphic design and studio arts. She started her own company, Blue Sky Creations, and later worked as a multimedia and graphic arts designer for a telecommunications company designing pilot programs for interactive television. In joining the OVC board this year and serving as an OVC activist, she hopes to utilize her experience to help OVC broaden its impact and help citizens, especially youth, to understand the important issues and history of the Owens Valley and how they are affected by it.

Brian Cashore moved to the Owens Valley in 1986 while working on his thesis for a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Earth Science from U.C.Santa Cruz. He was subsequently hired by the Inyo County Water Department and worked a number of positions from Research Assistant to Saltcedar Program Manager until 2007. "I believe my work with the Water Department has given me a broad and deep education in Owens Valley environmental issues ranging from overhauling a chainsaw to writing multiple grants for the Saltcedar Program," Brian writes. "I have an equally deep love for this valley and am continually awed and thankful to be here." Brian is currently a partner in Aerohead Cycles bicycle shop in Bishop.

Bob Meador has served as an OVC board member for several years and is a retired dentist and a past president of both the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce and the Inyo County Coalition of Chambers. He has also served as a chairperson of the Friends of the Eastern California Museum and a member of the board of the Friends of the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery. In describing what brought him to the board of the Owens Valley Committee, he writes, "The wise use and conservation of water is of the utmost importance."

John Williams moved to Bishop 15 years ago, after hiking the first 1,300 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Lake Tahoe. Before that, he taught in the mathematics department at Pomona College and then at UCLA. In addition to serving on the board last year, he has served as OVC’s membership coordinator for several years and is currently the editor of the OVC newsletter, The Rainshadow. "Water is the most pressing environmental issue in the Owens Valley," John writes. "It affects vegetation, habitat, wildlife, air quality, the economy, and the quality of our lives. That's why I became a volunteer for OVC."

About this site: In November 2001, this site was lovingly created, compiled, written and/or edited, and then hand-coded in a hurry by two OVC volunteers with a preference for high information content and quick download times.* One of those volunteers has moved on to other projects, but the other volunteer continues to work on water issues in general and this site in particular. She greatly appreciates complaints, suggestions, and/or verifiable water news. Please e-mail.

*Alas, neither volunteer has brushed up their skills as much as they could have since then. We apologize for irregularities in the fabric of our web site.