Coos Watershed Association

supporting environmental integrity and economic stability within the Coos watershed

BESSIE JOYCE

Assessment & Outreach Coordinator

EDUCATION

BA in Environmental Studies, 1997
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

MINI-BIO

Born and raised in Coos County, Bessie has a desire to do something meaningful for the place she lives in. She is very interested in the relationship people have with their environment and has a personal goal of growing more of her own food. Before joining the Coos Watershed Association, Bessie worked as the water quality outreach coordinator for the Coos Soil & Water Conservation District where she helped develop the Agricultural Water Quality Management Plan, which is still in place.

Bessie enjoys gardening, permaculture, horses, and sharing her passion for the environment with her 9 year-old son, Malakai. She is also a talented Tiffany-style stained glass artist, a craft she learned from her parents.

WHAT BESSIE DOES AT COOSWA

At the Coos Watershed Association, Bessie is in charge of developing sub-basin assessments. She takes the field data from road sediment surveys, stream habitat surveys, fish presence surveys, and more, and converts it into a readable assessment document, which is then useful to both colleagues and landowners in restoration planning. Bessie also coordinates outreach to landowners within each assessment sub-basin through a unique “coffee klatch” process developed by the Coos Watershed Association. You can learn more about the assessment program and read completed assessments on the Programs webpage. She also works to build CoosWA’s wetland program.

Bessie has done extensive traveling; in addition to living in Hawaii for three years, she has explored Mexico, Central America, and Ecuador. She also aspires to become a ballroom dancer.

Coos Watershed Association :: P.O. Box 5860 , Charleston, Oregon 97420 :: Ph. (541) 888-5922 / Fax (541) 888-6111