Michael Calhoun
He/Him
I am gay and I am a conservationist.//
I was born and raised in Vernonia, Oregon. Having grown up on a farm next to Rock Creek, the source of drinking water for my hometown, I came to appreciate the resource of water which we cannot live without. Experiencing two 500 year flood events in the span of only 11 years shaped my life to understand and restore degraded river systems. Especially in rural communities where people impacted by both floods and droughts have historically been left undeserved by those in positions of power. As the current Chair of the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council, I work with a diverse group of stakeholders, coming together to meet the needs of each landowner in the face of natural resource challenges. I hold a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon and a BA in Communication Studies from Western Oregon University. Currently I am elected Board Chair for the Columbia Soil & Water Conservation District where I was endorsed by the Sierra Club and Our Revolution. I was recently honored by receiving the Oregon Urban & Community Forestry Award from the Oregon Department of Forestry.