David Barron, President

A real estate attorney, David is a proponent of the voluntary preservation model embodied by land trusts. He was looking for volunteer opportunities, and he was surprised and pleased to find a land trust so close to his home in Montclair. Dave brings his legal expertise in negotiating real estate transactions to the Board. He has been cycling the Oakland and Berkeley hills for most of his life, and loves to ski, especially with his two children. He is also a Director and Vice President of the Board of Habitat for Humanity East Bay.

Carol Bernau, Secretary

Carol is a human resources and organizational consultant (with degrees in anthropology and organizational development) has been a homeowner near Peralta Creek for many years. Carol was instrumental in organizing neighborhood opposition to a housing development that would have threatened the health of the creek and has worked closely with Friends of the Last Wild Canyon to this end. She has also worked with the City of Oakland, and many environmental groups to preserve this area for future generations. A grassroots organizer, Carol has been an active spokesperson for Butters Canyon for over 10 years. She enjoys daily walks in the Canyon with her husband and yellow lab. "Think globally, act locally" has become her mantra.

Paul Dries, Treasurer

A mechanical engineer background and a strong interest in environmental issues keeps Paul tuned into renewable energy and energy conservation. This passion has kept him involved and living in the neighborhood since 1982. He became involved in the effort to down zone the area in order to reduce land speculation and preserve the character and green value of the neighborhood. Through his effort, he met many in the community who were active in preserving Butters Canyon. In 2004, Paul joined the Canyon board and became Treasurer. He has since implemented a new accounting system with Quick Books and also brought in Gift Works to improve communications with donors and enable donation analysis. Paul enjoys running, biking, and walking Scrufty, the family dog in Butters Canyon and Joaquin Miller Park.

Lynette Cravens, Communications Director

Lynette has been in communications for 12 years and is a Bay Area native. Her love for Butters Canyon comes from living nearby and enjoying the natural oasis the canyon offers. After living in Hawaii and successfully working in communications for several years, she returned to the Bay Area in 2007 and is pursuing a career in nonprofit. Most recently, she managed an executive business suite in San Francisco for the billion dollar Regus Management Group. She is now publicity chair for the East Bay Gala for the American Red Cross, and does public relations for Bay Area Wilderness Training. Lynette has a passion for the outdoors, and believes in conservation efforts like Butters Canyon, where endangered plant species and wildlife thrive. She believes in protecting the headwaters of Peralta Creek and growing the next generation of environmentalists. Her other interests include working with horses, hiking and world travel.

Dolores Apton

A middle school math teacher, she represents Butters Land Trust to the cycling community of the Bay Area-the largest user group of Butters Canyon outside the neighborhood. A cycling enthusiast for over thirty years, she maintains contacts with the Grizzly Peak Cyclists and other clubs in the Bay Area and organizes rides through the Canyon that draw cyclists from communities throughout the Bay Area. Dolores has been organizing Butters Canyon participation in Oakland EarthDay and Creek to Bay Day for the past five years. She lives in the Oakland Hills.<

Robert Faber

Mr. Faber is a transportation engineer with over 30 years of experience in the design of transportation facilities. He has been a homeowner in the neighborhood since 1992. Bob can often be observed walking his black lab, Charlie on Butters Drive in the Canyon. He has a special interest in preserving plants from growing up working at Faber Floral Company (Florist since 1870).

Eric Ironson

A real estate holdings expert with degrees in broadcast communications and music business management; Eric has managed multiple record stores and has been a disc jockey for the last 22 years. He has been a board member for the last three years and has been a homeowner near Peralta Creek for seven years. Love for Butters Canyon started many years ago, as a lifetime resident of Oakland. Eric was fortunate to spend most of his life in St. James Canyon with Trestle Glen Creek running through his backyard in his former Piedmont home. The garden he grew up in was designed by Thomas Church and his love for gardening and landscaping was developed at a young age-anchoring his passion for securing a green environment for generations to come. The real estate holdings manager/disc jockey can be found walking his miniature poodle Sabrina through the Canyon when he is not golfing or skiing.

Jesse Roseman

Cycling up Butters Drive en route to Joaquin Miller Park, Jesse noticed a "Save Our Last Wild Canyon" sign in Judy and Walt Anderson's living room window. He knocked on the door and explained he was an intern with the Greenbelt Alliance and was looking for some preservation opportunities close to his home in the Grand Lake area. Finding himself at a board meeting, he ended up putting together a fund-raising concert for the Butters Land Trust in Berkeley. Jesse represents the Butters Land Trust (now Butters Canyon Conservancy) to preservation groups such as the Bay Area Open Space Council and the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. He brings to the board his background in environmental studies and experience in and passion for preserving urban open space.

Jim Wolford

Mr. Wolford is a founding member who was involved in early planning for the creation of the Land Trust. An 11-year Canyon resident, he is a computational physicist with a keen interest in alternative energy sources and California native plants.

Paul Hoy

Paul is Director of Enterprise Network Services for Oakland Unified School District and is a Bay Area native. Previously, he ran his own business working with small and medium size companies in marketing and website development. He became interested in Butters Canyon while living in the neighborhood, and has always been a supporter of the headwaters of Peralta Creek. Paul believes in the importance of conservation efforts and keeping development away from damaging that environment. Paul’s other interests include camping, hiking and astronomy. He actively volunteers at Chabot Space and Science Center, and is the president of the Eastbay Astronomical Society.