Debbie Moberly
President
Debbie Moberly has been involved with the Trust since 2004 as a supporter and volunteer. She knows the Trust and believes in our mission. Debbie possesses exemplary leadership and communication skills that are so important in our work. She took on the leadership of the Resource Development Committee over two years ago and has helped us increase our revenues through grant funds for needed projects and in our annual fund raising efforts. Like so many in this community, Debbie has been tireless in her effort to help other local not-for-profits succeed. We are so very fortunate to have her join our strong and dedicated LNCT Board.
Jessie Davidson
Secretary
Jessie grew up in Nestucca valley, where fishing, hunting and spending time in the river with her family occupied her formative years. “It’s important to me and my family that we always have places like that to go,” said Jessie, who is now a mother to two daughters. Like many who call the Nehalem River Valley home, Jessie is very fond of nature and intends to help protect it for the next generation. Jessie is a Branch Manager with 1st Security Bank, and is new to the Trust. When asked what she’s looking forward to the most, Jessie said she can’t wait to get her hands dirty! “I’m excited to learn, and I would like to participate in stewardship,” she said. With abundant enthusiasm and a growth mindset, Jessie has joined the Trust with strong interests in supporting education programming for working families.
Jessie lives with her family on the banks of the Nehalem River. She enjoys spending time with her daughters and husband, whether at home or on a day trip to explore Cape Meares, camp, visit the aquarium, or spend a sunny day swimming. Her favorite place to visit in the Nehalem River valley is Cougar Valley Park.
Roxann Balmer
Treasurer
Active for three years as a volunteer in the community garden at Alder Creek Farm, this native Oregonian joined the board in August 2016. She retired to the coast with her husband Mark in 2014 after being a part-time North Coast resident for 20 years. Roxann was raised in a camping and white water rafting family, so working on protecting the natural world is second nature. “As a kid,” she explains, “I can remember we camped every weekend, weather permitting, including Thanksgiving.” A graduate of Portland State University, Roxann had a long career in the internal auditing industry, including as Global Director of Internal Audit for Nike, Inc. She is keenly interested in strategy, operations, and systems. Roxann is especially drawn to the community aspects of the Trust’s mission and vision: “The garden at Alder Creek Farm has been a terrific place to meet new people and also to make a difference in the lives of others. We donate harvest to the food bank, in fact about one ton of a food a year, as well as teaching and learning about growing food on the coast. With everything we do, we are strengthening the foundations of our community.”
Doug Firstbrook
Founding Director
We are pleased to announce that one of the Trust’s founders, Doug Firstbrook, has rejoined the Board of Directors. Doug brings to the Board the rich history and dedication of the founders and his unmatched personal commitment to conservation within this beautiful valley.
Doug was a co-founder of the Nehalem Bay Little League, co-founder and chair (97-98) for Lower Nehalem Watershed Council, and co-founder and Board member of Lower Nehalem Community Trust. He also served on the Manzanita Planning Commission. Today he continues to work on the Nehalem Teaching Trail, and co-chairs the Biennial Nehalem Estuary Cleanup.
Doug’s knowledge and energy on behalf of the Trust has never faltered. He sees the Trust as an opportunity to engage community in the creative process of protecting local natural systems through collective involvement and time on the land.
Jesse Andrew Clark
Director
Jesse Andrew Clark is an award-winning filmmaker telling stories that deeply connect us to the lands and waters of the Cascadia bioregion. His conservation films work centers community narratives, river restoration, and ecological forestry to support place-based climate resilience in this unique bioregion. Jesse was editor and cinematographer on the feature film Covenant of the Salmon People (Emmy Award winner), and led the time-lapse monitoring effort behind the Klamath dam removals, the largest river restoration project undertaken to date. He is now directing his original anthology series Forest Stories, and serves on the LNCT Board in service of the long-term preservation of the beautiful Nehalem valley.
Cyndi Curtis
Director
Cyndi became familiar with the Trust through her work as a habitat restoration biologist. She has been working with the Trust as a technical advisor and partner since 2022, on notable LNCT lands such as McCoy Marsh and Alder Creek. During this time, Cyndi came to admire the greater mission and impact that the Trust has on the Nehalem valley community. When asked why she is joining the Board, Cyndi said: “The Trust has a rich history of protecting critical habitats and green spaces for all of us to enjoy. The coast will only become more developed in the coming years, and it is so important to help leaders in our community sustain special places for ourselves and future generations.”
Cyndi married into a long-time Nehalem resident family and plans to spend the rest of her days in the area with her husband and son. “Our community has a legacy of conservation and stewardship, and I’m excited to be a part of the future story.”
Kristin McLaughlin
Director
Kristin McLaughlin Del Rio is a North Oregon Coast local whose love for this landscape is personal, lifelong, and rooted in a deep sense of responsibility. After growing up on the coast, she spent a decade in New York City as an entrepreneur, teaching urban dwellers how to care for plants and working across television, film, and print media before the pull of home brought her back in 2020.
Since returning, Kristin has dedicated herself to Fire Mountain School, a nonprofit nature-connected school in Arch Cape she now leads as Executive Director. She has built her professional life around a single conviction: that children who grow up in genuine relationship with the natural world become its most committed stewards.
She lives in Nehalem with her husband, their son, and their dog, Bigfoot, and spends as much time as possible on the lands and waters she grew up on. For Kristin, joining the LNCT board is both a homecoming and a calling. She brings a passion for how conservation and community education intersect, and a fierce commitment to ensuring the next generation inherits not just a beautiful coast, but the tools and relationships to care for it.
Michael Patterson
Director
A native of Oregon, Michael 
joined the Board in September of 2019. Michael brings a wealth of experience and success leading teams through transformational change. Michael earned his Master Gardener’s certificate in 2019 and volunteers at the Oregon Food Bank garden in Beaverton; as well as, coordinates volunteers to maintain native plant gardens and pollinator gardens at an elementary school in Portland. Michael also teaches basic gardening skills through the Oregon Food Bank.
“I fundamentally believe we need to do all we can to preserve and enhance our ecosystem and environment. I joined LNCT for uniqueness of the opportunity it affords a community to protect and improve a small and important part of our world. And, I get to work with smart and dedicated people who personify my motto …’work with passion, do things differently, and be willing to do the hard things.’”
Josh Roberts
Director
Josh was raised in the foothills of the Appalachians in New Lexington, Ohio. By age 10, he devoted much of his time to outdoor activities such as fishing, exploring, hunting, and appreciating nature on his family farms or in regional parks and recreation areas. After completing high school, he transitioned to Columbus, where he earned degrees in business and healthcare administration at The Ohio State University during a seven-year period before relocating to Portland. His move reflected a desire to explore the Pacific Northwest rather than a departure from the Midwest.
Josh has resided in the Portland area for 25 years and currently lives with his family in West Linn. He is actively engaged in the Nehalem region, regularly participating in fishing, clamming, hiking, and other recreational pursuits. He maintains a residence in Bayside Gardens to facilitate rest and leisure. Josh enjoys hobbies including kayaking, hiking, landscaping, and traveling with his wife, Michelle, and twin daughters, Josie and Elyse.
His involvement with LNCT stems from a long-standing commitment to conservation, particularly after extensive time spent along the coast. Josh also volunteers for organizations focused on conservation, such as the Bahamas National Trust, Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, The Audubon Society, and SOLVE. His objectives with LNCT include bridging the knowledge gap between the Trust and the community, supporting land conservation efforts, and contributing to the continuous improvement of the Nehalem Bay area.
Marie Tripp
Director
Marie Tripp first volunteered with the Lower Nehalem Community Trust in 2021 when she joined the Alder Creek Farm Community Garden. She now serves as greenhouse lead, helping start and nurture thousands of seedlings each year. She loves working side-by-side with other volunteers to support community food access through sustainable gardening practices.
A PhD engineer with extensive experience leading teams and complex projects in the semiconductor industry, Marie currently works for a startup, building relationships with customers and managing a growing, global team. In both her professional life and her volunteer work, she enjoys mentoring others, setting clear goals, and turning big ideas into practical action.
Deeply connected to nature and the outdoors, Marie is inspired by LNCT’s unique blend of land conservation, sustainable food production, and community engagement. She is passionate about ecosystem restoration, native plant landscaping, and making nature accessible to people of all abilities. When she is not in the Alder Creek Farm greenhouse, Marie can be found teaching salsa dancing at NCRD or spending time outdoors — hiking, climbing, or cross-country skiing.
