At Whatcom Environmental Council, we are dedicated to advocating for the protection of our environment in Whatcom County.
We believe that by raising awareness about environmental issues and providing resources for individuals and organizations to take action, we can make a meaningful impact on the health and well being of our environment.
Whatcom Environmental Council Board Members
Rick Dubrow
Jean Melious
Barry Wenger
Rick Eggerth
Rodd Pemble
Oliver Grah
David Stalheim
Rick Dubrow,
Vice President
Rick retired after 43 years at the helm of A-1 Builders, Inc., a local, design/build, Sub-S, green-leaning, residential contracting firm, departing after transforming the company into a worker-owned cooperative in 2017: A1DesignBuild. During this time he was a leader in many local environmental groups: RE Sources; Sustainable Connections; Transition Whatcom; Pro-Whatcom; Futurewise Whatcom; Coal-Free Bellingham. Wilderness travel – day hiking and backpacking -- remains his strongest passion in retirement, as he continues to promote employee ownership, economic & population contraction, a safe environment, and increased wild lands.
Rick Eggerth
As an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rick litigated cases to determine liability for pollution cleanup of: Silicon Valley tech companies, dry cleaners, gas stations’ leaky underground storage tanks, and thousands of oil industry sites across the continent. The industry sites were part of lawsuits by petroleum companies against the insurance industry (including some of Rick’s clients) demanding coverage for the huge cleanup costs of North American Superfund and toxic waste sites created by the oil industry.
Since moving to Bellingham, he developed and presented a PowerPoint on the oil industry’s manipulation of the public about plastics (an oil industry product). He works on committees of the Sierra Club; was part of a “Citizens Group” that after years of effort convinced the City of Bellingham not to spread contaminated sewage sludge on farms and forests; is now part of a coalition to convince Bellingham there’s better solutions to its sludge-burning problems than restoring ancient and obsolete incinerators; and is a charter appointee of the City’s Water Resources Advisory Board, advising on all aspects of the City’s water system.
Oliver Grah
Oliver retired as the Water Resources Program Manager for the Nooksack Indian Tribe in 2022. He holds a BS in geology and botany and an MS in watershed science. Oliver has 50 years of professional experience in the fields of water resources, fluviogeomorphology, soils, physical habitat, forestry, wetlands, restoration, environmental project management, IDT leader and coordination on over 600 projects including SEPA, NEPA, CWA, FSA, Shorelines/CAO, and ESA. Oliver has conducted over 400 projects involving wetland delineations, wetlands mitigation and native habitat restoration plans, and has monitored the implementation of many such plans for attainment of performance standards. He developed the Tribe’s climate change adaptation project that included monitoring the glaciers on Mount Baker, hydrologic modeling of streamflow and water quality in response to climate change and forest management, developed adaptation plans, including the South Fork Nooksack River Watershed Plan, and was a founding member of the Stewart Mountain Community Forest. Prior to working for the Nooksack Indian Tribe, he served as Director of the Habitat Restoration Program at Institute for Applied Ecology in Corvallis, Oregon, an NGO. Oliver also served as the Natural Resources Division Manager for Whatcom County, Washington.
Jean Melious, Secretary
Jean is Professor Emeritus (retired) of the College of the Environment at Western Washington University. A land use and environmental attorney, she taught classes in land use law, environmental law and policy, and environmental impact assessment. She is Of Counsel to Nossaman LLP, where she represents public agencies and private sector clients in land use and environmental issues. She is on the board of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, a statewide nonprofit organization that works to ensure that Washington state will have clean and abundant waters to support healthy communities, thriving ecosystems, and resilience in the face of climate change.
Rodd Pemble, President
Rodd is known as Whatcom County's Recycling Guru, and brings years of waste reduction, recycling, and waste disposal experience to the Board. He started this career doing waste audits for local businesses as an employee of RE Sources, before moving to become the Recycling Manager for Sanitary Services for 28 years. He retired in the summer of 2024.
David Stalheim, Treasurer
David retired in 2020 after a long career in public service. David served as the planning director for multiple cities and counties, including Whatcom, Everett, Wenatchee, Ashland (OR), and Clallam County. David also managed Bellingham's affordable housing program. In retirement, David volunteers on the Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee and occasionally provides consulting assistance to local governments on affordable housing. Most often, he can be found on his boat on the Salish Sea or walking his dog on Galbraith Mountain.
Barry Wenger
Barry retired after 26 years as a Senior Environmental planner for the Wa.State Dept of Ecology culminating a career of over 50 years working as an environmental advocate in the private and public sectors. Having worked in local and state government and having run several successful businesses as well as being an active member of a number of non-profit organizations, Barry has extensive experience in working closely with communities and citizens to provide efficient and effective solutions to challenging environmental challenges such as flooding, shoreline erosion, sea level rise, water quality issues, toxics prevention and cleanup, wetlands mitigation, salmon and wildlife restoration,land use conflicts, etc. He is currently serving on several local and regional boards including the Rose Foundation's Orca Recovery Grant Fund, Whatcom County's Wildlife Advisory Bd and Forest Resilience Task Force.
