Board of Directors
John Taylor
John Taylor represents Hinsdale County and has been a Director on the Board since 1996.
John served in the military from 1953-1956, married Jean in 1957. He bought the family ranch, Centennial, in 1959. He began teaching science in Pagosa High School in 1969 and retired from teaching in 1988. He and Jean built and operate a 34-unit recreational trailer park on the ranch property.
John is the current President of the Upper San Juan Weed Board, Vice-Chair of the San Juan Conservation District and is on the Hinsdale County Board of Equalization. He represents Southwestern Water Conservation District on the River Protection Workgroup, and the Southwest Basin Roundtable.
John is an avid protector of agriculture and ag water and firmly espouses protection of open space and wise use of the environment. He actively works to protect historic values. And he combines his love of nature and photography, beginning as a young boy with a box camera.
Tim Kelly
Tim Kelly represents Mineral County and has been a Director on the Board since 2005. He began his working career as a geologist with Standard Oil Company, off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico before joining the U. S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division. He established the firm of Geohydrology Associates, Inc. that offer consulting services in matters of water supply, water rights, and geotechnical services, including the impact of coal-bed methane on ground water.
Tim has been an officer of several professional organizations and property owners associations and is a Certified Water Systems Operator.
He enjoys hunting, fly-fishing, and he and his wife ski and enjoy traveling. He and Judy have been residents of Mineral County since 2002.
Steve Fearn
Steve Fearn represents San Juan County and has been a Director on the Board since 1995. He is currently Vice President of the Board and has held that position since 2007. He currently is a registered Professional Engineer, consulting in the mining industry. Steve has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Business from the University of Colorado. He began his working career with Gates Rubber Co. in Denver in 1968. Much of his career has been associated with mining, including the Idarado Mining Company in Ouray/Telluride, and time in Freeport Indonesia, and a copper and gold mine in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. In all, he has over 40 years of engineering and management experience, domestic and foreign. He is currently on the Board of Directors and was a past president for the Colorado Water Congress; on the Southwest Basin Roundtable, SWCD River Protection Workgroup Steering Committee and President of The Silver Wing Company and on the Dept. of Natural Resources’ Inactive Mine Advisory Committee.
Steve is active in his community, serving as President of a Silverton theatre Group and has worked on several historical restoration projects such as the Old Hundred Boarding House and Miners Union Building in Silverton and the Lewis Mill in Telluride.
He enjoys hiking, camping, fishing, reading, live theatre, history and politics.
April Montgomery
April Montgomery has served as the San Miguel County representative for the Southwestern Water Conservation District since 2002. April currently works as the Programs Director for the Telluride Foundation, where, for the past four years she has helped to manage their nonprofit building capacity efforts, grant program and initiatives. April also has had a consulting business since 2001, where she provides nonprofit and government organizations with grant writing, legal and project management, strategic planning and land use planning assistance. April was a planner and the Open Space & Recreation Director for San Miguel County from 1991 to 1999, where she was involved in wetlands, watershed, and riparian issues. She has a BA in Government from the University of Virginia and received her law degree from the University of Virginia in 1989; she is currently a member of the Colorado Bar Association.
April lives with her husband in Norwood, Colorado and serves on numerous boards, including the Trust for Land Restoration, the Uncompahgre Medical Clinic, and the Southwest Basin Roundtable. She was recently appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to the Colorado Water Conservation Board to represent the San Juan, Dolores and San Miguel Basin.
April is passionate about the landscapes and natural resources of Colorado. While she is always trying to increase her knowledge of water issues, her favorite way to study rivers is while floating on them.
Monte Naslund
Monte Naslund has represented Montrose County on the Southwestern Water Conservation Board since 2002. Monte has ranched and farmed for 30-plus years and also worked construction.
He is a member of the Colorado Cooperative Ditch Company, the San Miguel Soil Conservation Board, and the Montrose County Planning Commission.
He enjoys living in the southwest and has always been interested in water management.
J R Ford
J R Ford represents Archuleta County on the Board of Southwestern Water Conservation District. He is currently involved in real estate investments and land management. J R moved to Pagosa Springs in 1983 and since then has been building residential and commercial buildings. His company specializes in ranch management. He participates in running cattle, sheep and goats on his ranches. In 1990 his firm developed Hidden Valley Lake and gave him experience in perfecting water rights, obtaining water storage rights in excess of 900 af. He oversaw the design and the permitting process for the dam through the Army Corp of Engineers and the State.
J R is on the Red Ryder Roundup Rodeo board, the Pagosa/Mountain Hospital finance committee, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and has been appointed to the Board of Mercy Regional Hospital in Durango.
Fred Kroeger
Fred Kroeger attended his first Southwestern Water Conservation District meeting in 1948, and then serving as a board member for 55 years that included 33 years as President. During his tenure on the Board, three major water projects were approved: The Florida Project (Lemon Dam), the Dolores Project (McPhee Dam), and the ALP Project (Ridges Basin Dam). Over the years, he has been on the Animas – La Plata Water Conservancy District, the Colorado Water Congress and the Colorado Water Conservation Board. He was locally involved with the City of Durango Water Commission, the La Plata County Water Advisory Board, Club 20 and the La Plata West Water Authority.
Fred was the Mayor of Durango and on the City Council, the Board of 1st National Bank and served as President of the Ft. Lewis Foundation, and has been an active member of Kiwanis and the Chamber of Commerce. Fred received the prestious Wayne N. Aspinall Water Leader of the Year award from the Colorado Water Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation Citizen Award, the Citizen of the Year Award (from the Durango Chamber Resort Association).
Fred’s grandfather and family moved to Mancos Valley in 1885 and later lived and ranched in Animas Valley. Fred’s father owned land in the Breen/Red Mesa area on the La Plata River.
Fred resigned from the SWCD Board in 2008 and received the title of Director, Emeritus.
Bob Wolff
Bob Wolff represents La Plata County and has been a Director on the Board since 2010, replacing Jim Isgar. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Bob received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Kentucky and then relocated to Durango in 1976. During his college career, he spent one year at the Swiss Technical Institute in Zurich.
Bob has served on the La Plata County Planning Commission, the City of Durango 1997 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, and is a steering committee member of the La Plata Forum. He sits on the City of Durango Water Commission and is the City’s representative on the Southwest Basin Roundtable. He is currently President of the Animas – La Plata Water Conservancy Board.
Bob is a licensed architect in Colorado and California and is registered with the National Council of Architectural Boards. He is President of Durango Development, Inc. and manages 7 real-estate investment groups, and is active in the development business in Durango.
Bob is an avid pilot, sailor, mountain biker and spends a lot of effort trying to understand the times we live in. He and his wife, Jenny, have two grown children.
John Porter
John Porter has served as the Montezuma County representative for the Southwestern Water Conservation District since 1990, and is the current President. Born in Lewis, Colorado (a community named after his maternal grandfather), he received his education at Lewis Elementary and Montezuma-Cortez High School. He graduated from Colorado A&M College.
You could say that John has water in his blood. He has been in the water business since childhood, as his father’s helper/irrigator, and later as the farm corporation manager. John served on the boards for the Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company, Colorado Water Resources & Power Development Authority, Colorado Water Congress, Colorado Foundation for Water Education, Colorado Water Trust, the 7-State Colorado Water Users Association, Southwest Basin Roundtable, Colorado Interbasin Compact Committee, Empire Electric Association, and the Colorado Rural Electric Association. Before retiring in 2002, he was General Manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District for 22 years.
John and his wife, Nancy, have two daughters and two grandchildren that they love to spend time with.
Larry Deremo
Larry represents Dolores County and lives in Dove Creek.
