Our Advisory Board
The Fort River Watershed Association is a group of volunteer citizens, teachers, scientists and river-lovers who work to clean up, protect, and study the Fort River, its banks and the surrounding watershed. We encourage our neighbors to learn about these precious resources, help protect them, and enjoy them.
Brian Yellen loves swimming and fishing in the Fort River with his family, including two kids who go to Crocker Farm Elementary School. For his day job, he directs the State Geological Survey, which is part of UMass Amherst.
Bruce Stedman is an Amherst conservation commissioner and staff for the Western Mass Hub of Back from the Brink (of nuclear war). He taps his red maples in the spring to make syrup, and each day, he and his wife Castle endeavor to eat at least one thing they have grown at their Red House Farmlet.
Christine Hatch never met a river she didn’t like and enjoys working and playing in them any chance she gets. She is extension professor at UMass Amherst where she works on ecohydrology, river flooding, and wetland restoration of cranberry bogs. When not in the river, you might find Christine playing guitar or ice hockey.
Ethan Plunkett lives, parents, gardens, and walks his dog daily in the Fort River watershed. He’s a spatial ecologist and data scientist at the Designing Sustainable Landscapes project at UMass Amherst where he builds computer models of ecological processes to inform conservation decision making.
Victoria Quill is an outdoor enthusiast who embraces all seasons in the watershed – from paddling in the summer, to hiking in the fall, snowshoeing in the winter, and biking in the spring. Some of her earliest memories revolve around the watershed and she is passionate about ensuring future generations get to enjoy it like she has.
Matt Chipman is an avid fly fisher and passionate advocate for cold water fisheries and salmonid conservation. Currently serving as Vice President of the Deerfield River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited and is pursuing a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. Professionally, Matt works as a full-time Firefighter/Paramedic for the Town of Amherst, bringing a commitment to public service into both his career and conservation efforts.
Carol McNeary has always made it her business to live near water. After growing up on the Long Island Sound, she has enjoyed living close to the West River in Vermont and the Ocmulgee, Chattahoochee, and Satilla Rivers in Georgia. Now that she lives in Amherst, she is proud to be among those speaking up for clean water in the Fort River.