staff
board of directors
volunteer: Idler’s Rest Steward
Dave Ostrom was born in Missoula Montana and moved to Pullman, WA at the age of eight where he grew up. Dave began working for Washington State University as a Programmer/Analyst and over time was promoted into management roles. Dave finished out his career as the Director of Communication and Network Services with responsibility for the data and phone networks.
Dave has traveled internationally throughout his live and visited 40 different countries with all but 6 of those during his adult life. Several such as Botswana, Brazil, Ecuador, India, and Kenya have been visited multiple times and he has been as far north as Churchill Manitoba and as far south as the Antarctic peninsula. Most of his travel had been focused on wildlife photography and he loves giving “image” shows to grade school children. As a special part of that he gives a matted picture of one of the animals shown to each of the children at the end of each show.
Dave has volunteered in many different roles and served as the Nature Conservancy’s Rose Creek Preserve Steward for many years. Dave has also volunteered for Palouse Habitat for Humanity (PHFH) for 13 years with much of that in his role as Project Manager while building homes. Dave has been involved from beginning to end in 12 of the 22 homes that have been built by PHFH.
Dave is currently volunteering at Idlers Rest and Judy’s Trail for the Palouse Land Trust. He has constructed signs, helped build trails and fence, and does basic maintenance. He has also been photographing most of the wildflowers at Idlers Rest, Dave Skinner Ecological Preserve, and Judy’s Trail.
volunteer: Project Data Support
Juliana Cheatham grew up in the midwest and worked on the east coast, but didn't find her real home until she moved to Moscow, Idaho in 2012. She worked as an environmental cleanup consultant with emphasis in information system development, data management, and most recently worked to improve human performance, including developing training classes and reporting results. Juliana learned about Palouse Land Trust (PLT) through visits to Idler's Rest and the Lewis Easement which was near her home on Moscow Mountain.
Juliana is helping PLT enter data into Landscape, a software designed by land trust professionals to support land conservation activities, including annual monitoring, reporting for accreditation, and more.
advisory board members
Advisory members serve as community champions, bringing professional insights and fresh perspectives to the PLT board and staff. They have no governing function within the organization.
Lee Espey
Lee Espey is the Division Operations Officer for Finance and Administration at the University of Idaho, where he leads a diverse portfolio of business and operational functions, including Risk Management, Real Estate, Environmental Health and Safety, Public Safety and Security, and the Utility Public Private Partnership. Lee has over 10 years of varied leadership experience in international development, healthcare, economic development, and higher education. Lee currently serves on the Finance Committee.
Ryanne Pilgeram, PhD
Ryanne Pilgeram is a lifelong Northwesterner. She was raised in Western Montana and North Idaho and has lived in Moscow since 2010, where she is raising three children with her husband, Russ.
Ryanne works as the Regenerative Economies Manager for The Wilderness Society where she explores how rural places can build equitable, thriving relationships with their public lands. At The Wilderness Society, Ryanne develops strategies and policies at the intersection of public land conservation and rural communities in transition. Previously, Ryanne spent over a decade as a rural sociology professor where her work focused on transitioning rural communities, and she is the author of numerous publications, most recently a book, Pushed Out, which examines the structural causes of inequality in rural communities. Ryanne serves on the Governance Committee.
Kevin Smith, CPA
Kevin graduated with a BS in Finance and Economics from EWU, and his Masters in Accounting from UI, and is now a financial advisor and accounting professional at Hayden & Ross, PLLC. He provides vital insight to the Finance Committee.
Janice Smith Hill
Janice has lived in Moscow with her husband, Jack, since 1993. She is the owner of the Smith-Hill Law Office in Moscow and teaches business law at WSU. Janice joined the Palouse Land Trust as an Advisory Board member in 1997, served on the Board of Directors since 2001 and stepped down in mid-2023 to return to the Advisory Board as legal council and a member of the Lands Committee.
Janice balances her busy life as an attorney with traveling, writing, acting, birding, playing the piano, and volunteering. She says she enjoys working with the Land Trust because, "It's incumbent on me as a citizen to help preserve the unique landscape and scenic treasures of our region for future generations. One only has to try to describe the Palouse to people who have never been here to realize the amazing uniqueness of the area!"
Libby Walker
Libby served as Board Member for Palouse Land Trust from 2007-2023 and has now moved into an advisory role on the Development Committee. She continues to share her enthusiasm and commitment to the lands we love by supporting the land trust’s fundraising efforts.