Wendell Wood

B.

  1. What led to your hiring as a science teacher? Was there a single issue in Douglas County that led directly to your involvement with environmental groups in Oregon? What repercussions were there from being identified with environmental issues at that time?
  2. Which issue concerned you the most while you lived in Douglas County? What sort of outside support (such as from Eugene or elsewhere in Oregon) did you obtain to help with critical issues such as the fate of roadless areas on federal lands? Where did you spend most of your spare time during this period?
  3. What led to your “discovery” by ONRC? How quickly did you make the transition from working in local groups to helping them through a statewide organization? Did you suddenly have a much higher profile with the media when you joined ONRC in 1981?

C. ONRC has been at the forefront of virtually all public lands issues in Oregon from its inception in 1972. You joined at roughly the point when it changed its name from the Oregon Wilderness Coalition and seemed to significantly broaden its base.

  1. What sort of influence did the founders of ONRC, such as Holway Jones, have on the organization by time you joined? What sort of contact was there between the board and staff members at that time? What duties did you have initially and how did your position grow?
  2. Why did the name change to ONRC take place in 1982? How did it affect relations with member groups? To what extent was centralization of operations an issue? How did the idea of deploying field representatives arise?
  3. What sort of involvement did you have in issues pertaining directly to southwest Oregon throughout the 1980s? In what ways did you support the Southwest Field Coordinator? How was ONRC’s position on controversies such as the Elk Creek Dam formulated?
  4. A Conservation Fund study published in 1992 stated that the majority of conservation groups are perpetual management experiments. To what extent has this been true at ONRC? How has the turbulence surrounding ONRC’s executive director position been a reflection of restructuring or infighting within the organization? What led to Jim Monteith’s departure and why have his successors had relatively short terms at the helm? In what ways has ONRC allowed its leaders to cross organizational boundaries and work out joint strategies with other groups such as the Sierra Club or Wilderness Society?
  5. How have the funds supplied by membership in ONRC changed over the years? Have there been changes over the years in the way that ONRC activates and listens to its membership? What role have foundations played in ONRC’s work and direction? How did certain fundraising ideas such as the Karl Onthank Society, the Waldo Weekend, and the ONRC Auction originate?
  6. You wore a variety of hats at ONRC over the past 15 years. How was your role as Education Programs Coordinator different from being West-Central Field Coordinator or Conservation Coordinator? Were you financially independent during most or all of your time with ONRC?