Joseph Branch Trail Consortium
The Joseph Branch Trail Consortium (JBTC) is a diverse group of citizens and organizations whose mission is to develop a multi-use, non-motorized trail-with-rail along the railroad tracks within the publicly owned Wallowa Union Railroad Authority’s (WURA) rail corridor. JBTC is made up of voices from Union and Wallowa Counties, including medical, outfitting, engineering, veterans, equestrian, bicycling, hiking, Nez Perce Trails Foundation, and other groups.
Our Team
Gregg Kleiner, Project Coordinator
Gregg grew up in various small towns in rural Oregon, where he spent lots of time outdoors – swimming in creeks, raising farm animals, and backpacking and camping. At age 16, he spent a year as an AFS exchange student in the mountains for northern Thailand. He has travelled widely, with extended stays in Germany, Switzerland, Japan, and Ecuador. In 2003, he served as the Fishtrap Writer-In-Residence and has worked as a wildlife biologist, freelance journalist, visiting professor, communications professional, and dairy goat farmer. His writing includes the literary novel, “Where River Turns to Sky,” and the children’s book, “Please Don’t Paint Our Planet Pink.” He is passionate about helping build a deeper sense of community, telling compelling stories, and exposing more people to the wonder of the natural world.
Rita McCreesh, Assistant Project Coordinator
Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California, Rita traded the shores of the Pacific Ocean for the Pacific Northwest in 2013, attending the University of Puget Sound, where she earned dual degrees in Geology and Environmental Policy & Decision Making. Rita found their way to Wallowa County by way of water. A self proclaimed river rat, Rita has spent countless hours on the rivers and in the canyons of northeast Oregon, and strongly believes in the positive impact this Trail-with-Rail will have on our rural community by enhancing access to, and fostering connection with, the land we call home.
Rita has worked throughout the Pacific Northwest as an environmental educator, outdoor skills instructor, youth mentor, and most recently as a raft guide for Winding Waters River Expeditions in Joseph, Oregon. Rita feels this role with the Joseph Branch Trail is a great fit with her passion for community partnerships, knowledge of environmental policy, and skills in making folks feel comfortable with new ideas while nurturing relationships with the natural world.
Rita, along with their partner Lauren, now calls Enterprise, Oregon home - where they enjoy hiking, birding, cooking, and cross country skiing. One aspect of the Trail-with-Rail that excites Rita the most is expanding day stretch access to the Wallowa and Grande Ronde rivers for kayaking, fishing, and lounging by the river.
Shannon Donovan, President
Shannon is a recent transplant to Eastern Oregon and a founding faculty member of EOU’s new Sustainable Rural Systems (SRS) program. Through the SRS program, Shannon has partnered with community organizations like the Joseph Branch Trail Consortium to implement project-based learning designed to give students hands-on experience and training in rural community development. Shannon loves the idea of promoting community connections through trail development. Prior to moving to La Grande, Shannon lived in Alaska for twelve years where she was an environmental studies professor. When she is not busy professing, she is most often found chasing her spirited children down mountains, out of trees, or through the busy aisles of Safeway.
Faculty Member at EOU’s Sustainable Rural Systems Program
Interests: Skiing, running, berry picking
John Pollard,
Vice President
John is an avid outdoorsman and former Navy and commercial pilot. After spending 34 years in Park City, Utah, he and his partner relocated to Wallowa County in 2016. During his time in Utah John enjoyed the Summit County Historic Union Pacific Rail Trail and is passionate about seeing something similar in Northeast Oregon. A major interest in the Joseph Branch Trail stems from his desire to provide easier access to fishing in the canyons along the Wallowa and Grande Ronde rivers.
Community: Rocky Mountain Elks Foundation Lifetime Member, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers Lifetime Member (Founder of Utah Chapter 2010)
Interests: Hunting, fishing, cycling
Todd Pederson, Treasurer
Born on the Oregon coast, Todd Pederson grew up mostly in central Oregon, attending Central Oregon Community College and Oregon State University, where he earned a degree in natural resources with a specialty in hydrology. During collage, Todd started fighting wildland fires as a summer job, which allowed him to work outdoors, see remote places all over the west, and pay for college. After graduation, he continued working as a firefighter, skiing and traveling in the off-season, and setting up his home base in McCall, Idaho, near the Weiser River and other rail-trail projects. Todd has traveled to all seven continents and met his partner Nora about as far from Oregon as one can get. Nora convinced Todd to move to her home in Wallowa county, where her family homesteaded five generations ago. Todd and Nora now live in the City of Wallowa with their two young children. Todd is excited about having a trail-with-rail near his home again, especially after seeing how beneficial these types of trails are for local residents in other places he has lived and traveled.
Will Anderson
Will Anderson grew up in Northeast Oregon hunting birds, fishing, hiking, and skiing. He returned to this area after 17 years studying and working in the western U.S., Guatemala, Ecuador, and Australia and recently moved to Union County with his wife, Sarah, and their two girls, Ellie and Mabel. Will and Sarah operate Anderson Geographics, LLC, which provides GIS and remote sensing consulting services to clients in the U.S. agricultural industry. Will brings a wealth of skills to this project, and we’re grateful for his giveaway. “We believe in volunteering our expertise and resources to community efforts like this incredible trail opportunity," Will says. "We’re interested in any self-propelled, outdoor experiences for families -- especially ones that allow us, our toddler, and our 6-year-old daughter to walk or pedal bikes alongside a railroad line through stunning scenery!"
GIS Specialist - Anderson Geographics, LLC
Interests: Cycling, Skiing, Hiking, Fishing
Dr. Emily Sheahan
Emily is on the board because she knows how valuable a trail like this can be to communities. She grew up in Loveland, Colorado and enjoyed miles of trails connecting neighborhoods, and neighboring towns. Emily enjoyed running, biking and commuting on those trails for years and still enjoys them when going back to visit family. In Wallowa County it is difficult to find routes that are not busy with traffic, and even more difficult to find safe routes for her kids to bike on. As a family physician, she knows it will be a valuable asset for the community as people of all ages will be able to use it as a safe place to walk, bike, and ride. By building this trail, it will be easier for people to be more active and combat the diseases she treats every day such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression. This trail will help us become a healthier and happier community!
Family Physician at Mountain View Medical Group
Community: Facilitator for Complete Health Improvement Program; Member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; Member of the Oregon Academy of Family Physicians; Board member of the Eastern Oregon Healthy Living Alliance
Interests: Family time, hiking, rafting, camping, biking, running marathons, and volleyball.
Dr. Raffaella Betza, Secretary
Raffaella lives in Palmer Valley outside of Elgin in a home built by her aunt and uncle. She has been visiting the area since she was 11 years old and remembers hearing about this very project from her aunt when she was a kid. So it's especially meaningful for her to see the progress and momentum that's happening now, and she looks forward to enjoying each trail segment with her family as it's built. She is passionate about the outdoors and projects that allow local people to enjoy NE Oregon lands. She shares "this wonderful life" with her husband and son (and their 3 dogs, 1 cat, 10 sheep, 1 donkey, 3 alpacas, and a rotating crew of chickens).
Family Physician in Union County
Interests: Skiing, hiking, cycling, hobby farming
Ralph Swinehart, P.E.
Ralph is currently the longest serving board member of the JBTC. He has been involved with the trail concept since ~1997 when a two county group was formed to investigate a rail to trail project. The group found the condition of the tracks to be much better than expected which led ultimately in the railroad being acquired by Wallowa and Union Counties. He is a founding member of the Friends of the Joseph Branch, which currently operates the excursion train on the line. He became involved in what is now the JBTC in its early stages. He is a strong proponent of keeping the tracks in place for an operating railroad, and for building a trail beside the tracks. As a bicyclist and hiker he certainly sees the advantage of having a relatively level trail away from the traffic on the roads for safety, aesthetic, and health reasons.
Owner, Wallowa Mountain Engineering
Community: Board Member, Wallowa Band Nez Perce Trail Interpretive Center, Inc.; Board Member, Friends of the Joseph Branch
Howard Butts
Howard is a retired plumber and business park owner who has resided on a tree farm in Summerville, Oregon with is wife for 40 years. He is passionate about the outdoors and loves the beauty of Northeast Oregon. Howard has been involved in this project in some way since the first meeting in Elgin in 2013. He has been a cyclist his whole life and his hope is to ride the Joseph Branch Trail before his time is up.
Interests: Cycling
Board Advisors
Sara Miller
Sara became involved with the trail through her work in regional community and economic development with NEOEDD, first assisting with acquisition of the rail corridor by Union and Wallowa counties, and later through support for trail planning and community outreach. She sees the trail providing many benefits for our region. It can add to the region's livability by providing easy access to a safe place for residents of a varying ages to walk, run, and bike. It can also help local businesses who rely on visitors by enhancing the area's recreational opportunities. Sara hope to one day be able to ride bikes on the trail with her grandkids.
Deputy Director, Northeast Oregon Economic Development District (NEOEDD)
Co-Owner Bunchgrass Enterprises
Interests: Local food and agriculture, hiking, swimming, imaginative play
Natalie Millar
Natalie grew up enjoying all that Wallowa County has to offer. She believes a safe bike-able, runnable, and walkable trail was, and is, something that would have, and will have, a huge impact on Wallowa County life and transportation choices. Her interest in being part of this project started through conversations within the community and grew as she learned more about the opportunities it would provide for safer recreation and commuting options for people of all abilities and ages.
General Manager & CFO, Terminal Gravity Brewing
Former JBTC Treasurer
Interests: Backpacking, Hiking, Biking, Reading, Cooking, Skiing
Community: VITA/AARP Volunteer Tax Preparation through Community Connections
Jacob Losby
Jacob was born and raised in La Crosse, WI which has an extensive trail system similar to the one proposed, and close to the oldest rail trail in the United States. Having that access to the great outdoors was a priceless gift growing up, and it gave people of all ages the chance to lead more active lives. He was fortunate enough to operate a business in the Joseph from 2014-2021 and wants to give back to the community that has given him so much. He believes one of our greatest assets is our access to the outdoors, but unfortunately not everyone has the same ability to enjoy it due to its rugged terrain. Jacob is an avid runner, track coach, and running ambassador who would love to see a trail built that affords Wallowa County residents, both young and old, the same opportunity he had growing up.
Supply Chain Manager - Terminal Gravity Brewing; Former Co-Owner Old Town Cafe
Former JBTC President
Community: Assistant Track & Field Coach at Joseph Charter School, High School Sports Broadcaster, Terminal Gravity Trivia Night Founder/Host
Interests: Running, Hiking, Cycling, Track & Field
Kyle Bratcher
Kyle’s interest in the trail started with the potential of better fishing access to the Wallowa River between Rock Creek and Rondowa. While he is still interested in future fishing access, his interest has shifted to using the trail for evening walks with his girlfriend, Emily, and pup, Keta. They often hike the wilderness trails and county roads, but are excited for the close to home opportunities the trail would provide.
Fish Biologist, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
Community: Search and Rescue Member
Interests: Avid Angler, River Running Backpacking, Hunting, and Bird Watching
Larz Stewart
Development Director, Wallowa Resources:After growing up in the neighboring Grande Ronde Valley, Larz left to play intercollegiate basketball and start a career in the big city, but he always dreamed of returning to NE Oregon and giving back to the place and people that helped craft his values and a strong sense of place. After spending most of his career working in the metropolitan areas of Honolulu, Beijing, and Portland, he’s excited to be back in the mountains and living in a vibrant rural community. He has a passion for connecting people to the natural resources that support them, outdoor education, and bridging the urban/rural divide. He is excited to be an advocate for the land stewards across the west that are doing great things for the land, water and communities.
Development Director- Wallowa Resources
Interests: Hiking, Water Sports, Jam Sessions, Languages, and Family Time
Jen Wing
A Washington native, Jennifer is from a fifth generation 12,000 acre irrigated family farm in south central Washington. She moved to Wallowa County in 2006 to use her OSU degree in Forestry. However, while here she saw healthcare as a growing field and obtained a nursing degree. She joined the JBTC Board to improve our community’s overall health by providing recreation opportunities to enjoy Wallowa County’s amazing landscape to everyone of every age and ability. She believes that this trail will be a legacy providing an attractive, safe, accessible space to allow people of all ages and abilities to incorporate exercise into their daily routines, for generations to come.
Nurse at Wallowa Memorial Hospital
Former JBTC Secretary
Community: Member, Ferguson Ridge Ski Patrol
Interests: Avid hiker, Backpacker, Skier & Cyclist, Adventure, Agriculture
Penny Arentsen
Penny’s interest in this trail started before moving to Wallowa County in 2004. She and her husband lived along a biking & hiking trail (45’ out the back door) for 2 years in Wyoming & they loved it. It was a great way to meet folks in the community of all ages. They had nothing but a positive experience & the trail was a big selling point when they sold their home. If a trail had been in Wallowa County when they moved here, they would have looked for a place next to it. Penny has been involved with the JBTC in some fashion since its inception in 2013.
Co-Owner, Winding Waters River Expeditions
Former JBTC President
Former coordinator of K-12 Natural Resource Science Programs at Wallowa Resources
Community: ESD Board, Enterprise-Joseph Lions Club, Ferguson Ridge Ski Patrol
Interests: Raising & playing with my kids, Cycling, Horseback Riding, Skiing, Hiking, Rafting
Charlie Gillis
Charles Gillis has lived in Union county since 1983. In that time he has worked as a waiter, nurse, nurse practitioner, and since 2010, as an attorney. He chooses to live in Union county because it is a wonderful place to raise a family and because of the wealth of outdoor activities available. He has longed for a trail from Elgin to Joseph since first learning of the possibility of such a trail in the 1990s.
Attorney - Charles H. Gillis Attorney at Law
Interests: Cycling, Hiking, Fishing