Who We Are

John was raised on the family ranch east of Milk River and is a 4th generation cattle rancher. He earned his pilot's license in 1978 and is also an advanced scuba diver. John attended SAIT and received a diploma in Architectural Technology. He returned home and has ranched full-time ever since. He has been involved in many local initiatives, one of which was being a member of the EQUS Rural Electrification Association for 27 years, which included being Chairman of South Alta REA for 6 years. He is a member of the Deputy Fire Chief of the Aden Volunteer Fire Department and served as Deputy Fire Chief for 25 years. He has just been named to the Lethbridge Economic Development Board. John was a member of the interim Steering Committee for the Milk River Watershed Council Canada and has been a member of the MRWCC Board of Directors since its inception in 2006 and currently serving as the Chairman.

Ron is a soil and land resource scientist and consultant based in Lethbridge. Ron’s formal education was Land Resources at Olds College and Physical Geography at the University of British Columbia. Ron specializes in natural resource inventories, ecological land classification, soil survey and interpretative products. Ron has lived and worked extensively in the Counties of Warner, Forty Mile, and Cypress. Ron was instrumental in developing the link of soils and ecological range sites to native plant communities, which has been valuable for habitat management and species at risk. Ron was an external scientific advisor for the Grassland Vegetation Inventory (GVI). He has developed and provided many environmental training programs, including GVI certification, the use of resource inventory products, field tours, land reclamation assessments, and prairie restoration. Ron is a Past Chair of the Prairie Conservation Forum and both transboundary and prairie connectivity issues are his main interests. Ron has been a member of the MRWCC Board of Directors since 2014. He is the current Chairman of the Transboundary Watershed Team and the Vice Chairman on the Executive Board of the MRWCC. Ron also farms 1300 acres of black soils near Benalto, located west of Red Deer.

Will was raised on a farm southwest of Milk River. He has a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and a Doctorate degree in veterinary medicine. He married LaRae and set up his practice west of Milk River. Will and his wife LaRae have three daughters. He retired from his practice several years ago and continues to ranch southwest of Milk River. Will is a member of the Milk River West Water Co-op. In his spare time, Will likes to spend time canoeing on the Milk River and on other rivers in southern Alberta and elsewhere. Will has been a member of the MRWCC Board of Directors since 2010 and currently serves on the Executive committee as the Treasurer. He is also the Chairman on the Research and Monitoring Team.

Warren was born in High River and grew up in Calgary and Sherwood Park. He has a diploma in Soil and Water Technology and a bachelor’s degree in agriculture (Soils and Plant Pathology major). Warren has been actively involved in the 4-H program for 19 years. He was also a member of the Southern Alberta Outdoorsman Association as an environmental and promotional chairperson. Warren was also a councilor for the County of Warner. Warren has spent the last 30+ years ranching and grass seed farming along the Milk River. He has been a MRWCC board member since its inception in 2006 and is currently serving as the Secretary on the Executive.

Cheryl has been working in Lethbridge since 1996 for the Government of Alberta within the environment/water/protected areas portfolio. She was around for the release of the original Water for Life Strategy and played a role in the development of the OWC, SEAWA and MRWCC many years ago. Other projects and partnerships Cheryl has been involved with over the years include: the SSRB water management plan, Castle Education Working Group, Special Places (Twin River), the Oldman Dam EAC, Prairie Conservation Forum, recreation and footprint planning in the Livingstone-Porcupine Hills, supporting the development of the grasslands education kit and numerous other educational activities. Currently, Cheryl is providing guidance to the Springbank Off-stream Reservoir land use planning project, coordinating implementation of the Livingstone-Porcupine Hills Land Footprint Management plan and furthering the Indigenous Knowledge and Perspectives Initiative. In her spare time, she likes to wander around Keho Lake walking her two large crazy pups, coaching and supporting her daughter’s sports activities and trying to stay connected to family and friends.

Ken was born and raised in the mountains of beautiful British Columbia. These mountain ranges were his playground as he grew up. After graduating from High School, he worked for several different mining companies throughout northern British Columbia before deciding that studying and learning might be easier than the shovel he was used to, so he enrolled at Simon Fraser University as one of its Charter students and, surprisingly to some, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. Along the way he married his beautiful wife Wendy and moved to Alberta. He learned a lot about the river and its history as he canoed and hiked up and down various sections of the river with his guide and local historian, Alva Bair. With the help of many other river enthusiasts, they built a shelter for those canoeing and floating the river for an overnight camping spot at Poverty Rock. Chris Nett was the landowner and allowed them to build the shelter there. Ken and Wendy bought their Raft Tours Company from Wendy’s cousin who was moving to Quebec to begin a new life there. They began offering guided Raft tours along the Milk River and have expanded their efforts by including canoe, stand up paddleboards, and river tubes to their itinerary. Unfortunately, ongoing shoulder problems and difficulty finding other certified paddlers, they had to quit offering the guided raft tours. Along the way several local people united to form a group looking to find ways to improve the water quality and quantity in the Milk River and searching out various water storage ideas along the Milk River to allay some of the water shortages that seemed to happen regularly. In time, this group became the Milk River Watershed Council Canada. Ken was privileged enough to be asked to belong to both groups and did so willingly. He is currently on the MRWCC Board representing Recreation.

Peggy has lived in the Milk River area all her life. She was born in Milk River and was raised on a farm, where she learned to garden and all the other chores involved in mixed farming. Peggy has done many things in her life, but her most important titles are wife, mom and Grandma Peggy! She is a graduate of SAIT where she received her EMR training and worked as a volunteer for the Milk River Ambulance Service for 5 years. She has also served on numerous boards and helped to found several organizations. Her most recent service jobs have been as a councillor for the Town of Milk River and before the last election, the mayor. Since 2021 Peggy has served on the Milk River Watershed board as the town of Milk River representative.

Five generations ago, William’s Grandfather came to the Aden area before Alberta was a province. William was born on the road from Aden, along Deer Creek where he lived until he was 10 days old. He started farming and ranching on his own farm in 1965 until 2011 when he moved into the Town of Milk River. The ranch is on Breed Creek which comes out of East Butte of the Sweetgrass Hills and runs to Milk River. William has been a member of numerous groups such as: • A member of a local Fish and Game Club since its inception and has received a lifetime membership award for over 40 years of service • A member of the Alberta Outdoorsmen Association for 55 years • A founding member of the Grain Agricultural Society in 1973 where he served as president three times over the years • A founding member of the Border Surface Rights in 1981 • Served on Aden volunteer Fire Department for 30 years • Helped with the compilation of the Milk River Natural Areas and Kennedy Coulee Ecological Reserve Management Plan which commenced in 1990 to present time • Recent recipient of the Canadian Hereford Association pin in recognition of 50 years of rising Registered Hereford cattle • A member of the Wildlife and nature photography. Some of Williams’s photographs are featured in the 2nd Edition Milk River Transboundary State of the Watershed Report William loves the area and can bring a worthy of knowledge and history of the East Milk River area to the board

Dr. Benjamin H. Ellert is a Research Scientist in Biogeochemistry with the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta. He studies carbon and nitrogen cycling in both cropland and rangeland ecosystems. He has expertise in quantifying soil carbon and nitrogen stocks, in investigating greenhouse gas emissions from soils, and in applying isotopic techniques to study the biogeochemistry of agricultural systems. He obtained a Ph. D. in Soil Science from the University of Saskatchewan, and was raised on a small mixed farm near Milk River.

Jollin has a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Laval University (1998) and a master in Plant Science from McGill University (2000). He worked in agriculture research for the federal government in Quebec and in Morden Manitoba. Then became an extension agronomist working with farmers for the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture before moving to Lethbridge in 2006. Since, Jollin has been with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, working as a water quality specialist for 10 years and since 2016 as the manager of the Basin Water Management section composed on engineers and analysts providing support and expertise in water management, irrigation demand modeling, and geospatial irrigation infrastructure services. Jollin is an avid outdoor enthusiast enjoying canoeing, kayaking, skiing, climbing, hiking and camping with friends and family.

Jon’s formal education was in geography, land sciences and range management from Brandon University, Olds Collage and Montana State University, respectively. Jon has nearly 30 years of environmental consulting experience in the energy, transportation, municipal, agriculture sectors throughout western Canada with a special emphasis working in the Milk River watershed. He has also worked as an environmental mediator between energy companies and landowners promoting sustainable resource development on deeded land in southern Alberta. Jon has been a MRWCC Board member since 2022 providing insight on industrial and commercial development as it relates to environmental protection, regulations, and range management. He lives with his family on an acreage near Cochrane, Alberta.

Kristen was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, and was raised in a small village in the surrounding rural area. After attending the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon and obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, she moved to Edmonton where she attended Concordia University and obtained an After-Degree in Environmental Public Health. Kristen worked in Medicine Hat as a Public Health Inspector for Alberta Health Services for over 6 years, and has lived in Lethbridge since 2013. She is the covering Public Health Inspector for the County of Warner, as well as Magrath and Del Bonita. She is a member of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. In her spare time, Kristen enjoys outdoor activities such as running, hiking, and kayaking. She views participation in the Milk River Watershed Council as being an excellent opportunity to learn more about the geography of the area and meet members of the communities.

Ed Sloboda has spent his entire life within 9 miles of the Milk River and has always been interested in archaeology. Ed has worked with the Royal Tyrrell Museum since 1987 on various projects in Milk River from the west end just inside the U.S. side to the east end to where the river runs into the U.S. Ed was also the environmental representative on the Twin River Special Places 2000. He has been a MRWCC board member since 2010. Ed is currently the Chairman of the Community Awareness and Involvement Team.

Ken was born and raised near Milk River and is a 3rd generation farmer. Ken attended school in Milk River and completed his degree at the University of Alberta. He is actively involved in the National Board for the Canadian Seed Trade Association, in various school organizations, and is a member of the Recovery Team for Species at Risk. Ken was a member of the Local Advisory Board for storage on the Milk River. He is an active participant on the Montana-Alberta Water Management Initiative. Ken has been a MRWCC board member since its inception in 2006 and served as a Vice Chairman for many years on the Executive Board. He is the Chairman of the Water Supply and Management Team and was also the Chairman on the Integrated Watershed Planning Team which was finalized in 2015.

Joan was born and raised just outside of Calgary on a farm. She moved south of Foremost in 1964 when she was married to Darrell Hughson. She still farms and ranches with her two sons and their families. She has been an active Councilor with the County of Forty Mile since October 2008. Joan has been a member on the MRWCC board of Directors since 2009.

Ross grew up on his family’s farm east of Coutts along the Alberta/Montana border west of the Sweetgrass Hills and south of the Milk River. He received his primary education in Coutts & Milk River, graduated with a diploma in Vocational Agriculture from Lethbridge College, and over the years has taken several courses in leadership & management. After College he worked for several years in the Ag service industry obtaining his license as both a Heavy-Duty mechanic & Motor mechanic. In 1989 he began farming full time by purchasing some land and taking over the family farm with his brother. He first became involved with board governance through Agricultural Co-ops; Alberta Wheat Pool, Agricore United, & United Farmers of Alberta, serving as an elected member representative. He has also served on several community boards, including Mayor of the Village of Coutts, and Reeve of the County of Warner. Through all his experiences he has learned much about governance & how it impacts the success of an organization or community. Ross has served on the Milk River Watershed Council since it began in 2006. He supports Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy and is a strong advocate for water storage and the benefits it brings to communities. Today he continues farming with his wife of 41 years, Jackie and enjoys spending any free time with their daughter Katie, son-in-law Eric and grandchildren Scarlett and Langston.

Dr. Mike Bruised Head, graduated from St Mary’s High school on the Blood Reserve in 1976. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) from University of Lethbridge in 1980 and then went on to serve on the on Blood Tribe Chief and Council 1981 to 1983. He was employed at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated college in 1984-85 as College Administrator. He then became the Executive Director of Sikoohkotoki Friendship Center from 1986 to 1994. Convocated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) from the University of Lethbridge. Employed by Kainai of Board of Education as a high school teacher, vice principal, and principal from 1996 to 2011. Obtained his master’s degree (MA) from Gonzaga University, Spokane Washington (2003) in Administration and Supervision. Elected to Blood Tribe Chief and Council from 2011 to 2016. Formally created Kainai Ecosystems Protection Agency (KEPA) and served as chair for KEPA from 2012 to 2016. Chairman of KEPA Summit for four years, currently serving as an elder and academic advisor on KEPA committee. Organized the Partnership between KEPA, Earth Watch and Kainai High School for Blood Tribe Timber Limits Environment Assessment Program. He also serves the Oldman Watershed Council. Participates on the Crown of the Continent Roundtable Leadership Committee. Involved in Kainai ceremonies and cultural events. Speaks Blackfoot fluently. Presently serving as president of the University of Lethbridge Iniskim Indigenous Alumni Chapter and Chairman of the Kainai Board of Education. Recently completed a Doctoral degree in Philosophy, majoring in Social, Cultural and Political Thought and sessional lecturer. Director of the Crown Managers Partnership, and Waterton Biosphere Reserve association. Is a rancher raising horses and black angus cattle.

Scott spent most of his youth living just south of Montreal, and then attended Sir Sandford Fleming College in Peterborough, Ontario, where he received a diploma in Business Administration – Financial Management.  In 1982, he was offered a job as a Customs Inspector in Coutts, Alberta, so he packed up his things and moved across the country and has lived in Coutts ever since.  Scott held a variety of positions, within the Canada Border Services Agency, including Chief of Operations and Criminal Investigator and retired in 2017.  That same year, he was elected as a councilor for the Village of Coutts and is their representative on the MRWCC.