BREN BOARD of DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors leads the Boise River Enhancement Network in achieving its mission to serve as a network of watershed stakeholders and promote the ecological enhancement of the Boise River through public education and by providing coordination, planning, and scientific resources.

This year the Board of Directors of the Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN) finalized their merger with the BREN Coordinating Team.  This laid a marker and is an important milestone in the over ten-year history of our local 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to keeping the Boise River a healthy, happy place for all to enjoy.

We expect this to lead to a more efficient use of our resources, timely decision making, and greater impact on-the-ground.  Some BREN members have chosen to take on greater responsibilities in BREN.  Because of work and family, others will continue in a role that requires less time, but with the same commitment and passion.  Still others will step aside to explore a new path.

BREN continues working in the public interest with our natural partners like the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley, Idaho Rivers United, and the Idaho Conservation League.  

2024 Board of Directors

President: Rob Tiedemann , Ph.D.    Vice President: Darryl Kuhrt

Secretary: Vicky Osborn   Treasurer: Tamsen Binggeli

Jonathan Lucas     Will Tiedemann     Madeline Wyatt

 

Rob Tiedemann- President

The Boise River Enhancement Network, Inc. (BREN) is a passionate gathering of natural resource professionals, community conservationists, and volunteers. One of my favorite BREN moments was learning from a member that her principal reason for working with us is being among like-minded people that seek to do good on-the-ground.

With appreciation to our members, I presently serve as the President of the BREN Board of Directors. I am a consulting ecologist, researcher, and educator engaged with communities of scholars, practitioners, and other kindhearted people working to improve the condition of the natural world we share.

In brief, I have served as an officer or President of several 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations including as a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley and the East End Neighborhood Association, and as President of the Harris Ranch Wildlife Mitigation Association (HRWMA) and The Grapevine. Like BREN, these organizations serve the public interest, and are staffed by volunteers with a common purpose of working for a greater public good.

I have produced and presented at several events for BREN including the following peer to peer presentations:

• Fundamentals of River Restoration, Idaho Chapter of American Water Resources Association (November 14, 2018)
• A Reconstruction of the Geomorphic and Ecological History of Barber Pool (April 5, 2019);
• Volunteers, Citizen Scientists, and Natural Resource Professionals . . . the Role of Non-Profits in the Protection of Idaho Rivers, Idaho Water Quality Workshop (January 26, 2021)

and the following invited presentations:

• Ada County EXPO Idaho Citizens Advisory Committee, Key Informants Interview, Natural History of the Boise River and a Vision for its Future (August 12, 2020)
• Invited Interview by the Urban Land Institute, Advisory Services Panel, Future Use of the Expo Idaho Property (June 22, 2021).

And, I have provided technical assistance at the request of BREN to Ada County, City of Boise, City of Middleton, HRWMA, Wood Duck Island Homeowners Association, Wood’s Ranch Homeowners Association, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, and the BREN black cottonwood “Gather and Grow” project which works to “build the ark” to take us through a period of climate change.

My interest in leading BREN is largely founded on building a bridge from the past to the future. As one of the principal authors of the Boise River System Ordinance (1993) I have witnessed the value of the public process in building consensus for the conservation of the Boise River and its floodplain. I wish to share that, and other experiences throughout my professional career, with those who are eager to educate the community and advocate for the river.

Together we do hero’s work. Thank you for being one of our heroes.

Darryl Kuhrt – Vice President

I have been involved with BREN, and on BREN’s Board of Directors, since its inception. I am a past president of BREN and currently continue to server as BREN’s Vice President under Rob Tiedemann’s excellent leadership.

I followed in my father’s footsteps for his love of the outdoors and fishing the surf, estuaries, and coastal inlets of the Atlantic Coast. I later moved to Texas as a teenager and continued my fishing adventures in the bays, inlets, and surf along the Texas gulf coast. While in San Antonio, Texas, I earned my bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and computer science.

After moving to Boise, Idaho in August of 2000, I decided I needed to learn fly fishing. This came in the form of a gift of a fly fishing starter kit. In addition to a “How to” video, this kit included a free one year membership in Trout Unlimited (TU) and introduction to the local TU chapter, the Ted Trueblood Chapter and the Boise Valley Fly Fishers.

After attending several joint meetings of Ted Trueblood Trout Unlimited (TTTU) and Boise Valley Fly Fishers (BVFF), I volunteered for my first hands-on conservation work, removing weirs from tributaries near the Silver Creek Plunge. The tremendous satisfaction of being able to make a visible difference was the start of involvement with many years of hands-on projects. I was invited to join the TTTU chapter’s Board of Directors in 2002 and have served in several positions on the board, currently as the chapter’s president. This naturally has lead to my involvement with several conservation organizations, including the Boise River Enhancement Network (BREN).

BREN has done, and continues to do, some incredible work in educating our community members and involving them in completing many collaborative conservation projects. BREN is building a legacy of collaborative conservation work that benefits our community.

I can tell you that over the years, I have had the incredible privilege of working with many talented and passionate individuals on a variety of conservation issues and projects. I am a firm believer that it takes a community to perform and sustain good conservation work. I sincerely hope that you will find some part to play, however small (or large) it might be, to help enhance and/or sustain our incredible outdoor resources for the betterment of our community’s quality of life, for generations to come.

Victoria Osborn – Secretary

Victoria joined the Board of Directors in 2023 to provide support for BREN’s outreach and communication efforts. Prior to joining the board, she reported and produced videos on Idaho’s natural resources for both Idaho Fish and Game and Idaho Public Television. She is now turning her focus to help connect residents of the Treasure Valley with the river that winds through their valley. Her hope is to highlight the work being done to enhance the Boise River by BREN and its many partners.

Victoria recently retired from a 40-year career in communications and video production.

 

Tamsen Binggeli – Treasurer

 

Jonathan Lucas

I have my Bachelors of Science in Plant Ecology from the University of Ohio and am currently in a Masters program with the University of Idaho in Restoration Ecology and Habitat Management. After graduating, I spent two years working in environmental education; this experience helped prepare me to be better able to share my passion for the environment with others. I have worked in the field of ecological science out west for the last 8 years. I’ve worked with nonprofits, consulting companies, and private industry. Currently I work for the U.S. Forest Service at the Lucky Peak Nursery growing native plants for the purpose of restoration, mainly for replanting efforts after fires but some wetland/riparian restoration as well.

In my free time I like to get out on the water and I enjoy rafting, boating, and fishing. I have a deep passion for keeping wild places wild and conserving our natural resources. Living in Boise I spend a good amount of time recreating within the Boise river watershed and feel that protecting and preserving this ecosystem is incredibly important. I want to become more involved with active restoration projects locally specifically dealing with water.

Will Tiedemann

Madeline Wyatt