Welcome to the Bear River Watershed Council page!
The Bear River Watershed Council is one of the 12 local watershed councils that will operate in Utah.
Current Status
The Bear River Local Watershed Council was certified by the Utah Watersheds Council in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Utah Watershed Councils Act on July 13th, 2023 and is currently active.
Purpose
Local watershed councils encourage and facilitate discussion and collaboration of water-related issues and concerns among the stakeholders within the watershed. As feasible, each watershed council will facilitate communication and coordination among the following interests:
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Utah tribal nations
- Public water suppliers
- Water planning and research institutions
- Water quality
- Fish and wildlife
- Water dependent habitat and environments
- Watershed management
- Mutual irrigation companies
- Local sponsors of reclamation projects
Each local watershed council will designate one representative to serve on the statewide Utah Watersheds Council, where issues of concern can be brought to the attention of the Legislature and governor.
For general inquires, email watershedcouncils@utah.gov.

Meeting Schedule & Minutes
All meetings will be held at the following address unless otherwise noted in the table below:
Bear River Water Conservancy District
102 W Forest Street
Brigham City, UT 84302
Members
Current members of the council are listed below:
Name | Title or Interest Represented |
Christie Hansen, Chair | North Park Irrigation Company |
Carl Mackley, Vice Chair | Bear River Water Conservancy District |
Connely Baldwin | PacifiCorp |
Lewis Chandler | Bear Lake Watch |
Nathan Daugs* | Cache Water Conservation District |
Jim Derito | Trout Unlimited |
Stephen Griffin | Agriculture in Cache County, Newton Dam |
Jeff Hardy | Agriculture in Box Elder County, Bear River Canal Company |
Riggin Holmgren | Agriculture in Box Elder County |
Mark Hurd | Cache County Council, Hyde Park Irrigation Company |
Kirt Lindley | Cache Water Conservation District, Hyrum Reservoir |
Ann Neville | The Nature Conservancy |
Trevor Nielson | Bear River Canal Company |
Brad Parry | Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation |
Tyler Pugsley | Brigham City Public Works |
ValJay Rigby | Agriculture in Cache County, Farm Bureau |
Jeannie Simmonds | Cache Water Conservation District, Logan City Council |
Stan Summers | Box Elder County Commissioner |
Burdette Wilson | Agriculture in Rich County |
Matt Yost | Utah State University Extension |
*This individual also represents the Bear River Watershed Council on the Utah Watersheds Council.
Liaisons
Liaisons to the council are listed below:
Name | Title or Interest Represented |
Erin Holmes | Project Manager, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge |
Jake Serago | Bear River Area Planning Specialist, Utah Division of Water Resources |
Jaron Andrews | Mountain Prairie Region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service |
Melissa Early | Utah Division of Wildlife Resources |
Contact
If you would like to be informed about the Bear River Watershed Council, or if you have any questions or ideas for the council, please contact us. We are here to serve you and help ensure that the council brings benefits to you and the state of Utah.
- Christie Hansen, Chair, bellyacrefarm@gmail.com
- Carl Mackley, Vice Chair, carlm@brwcd.com
- Jake Serago, Bear River Area Planning Specialist, Utah Division of Water Resources, 801-538-7283 or jserago@utah.gov
- Carly Payne, Administrative Support, Utah Division of Water Resources, 801-538-7235 or carlypayne@utah.gov