Gord Vaadeland

Gord was born, raised and still resides on the southwest boundary of the PA National Park with his wife, Sheila and their son Jake in the area also occupied by Canada’s only free ranging Plains bison still within historic range. Gord currently operates Sturgeon River Ranch, a working cattle and horse operation that has incorporated an adventure tourism component, allowing guests to view the wild bison while on horseback. In addition to his work as Watershed Awareness Advisor for PCAB, Gord also currently serves as Executive Director of the Sturgeon River Plains Bison Stewards.

Jill Debenham, BSA, P.Ag

Jill and her husband Larry farm near Kennedy where they have a commercial cow/calf operation.  Jill is a Professional Agrologist and has worked in areas of the Ag industry including lending, crop input sales, and a Purebred cattle association.  She has been with PCAB since 2006 starting as a Farm Stewardship Representative and her role moving into a Watershed Awareness Initiative Advisor.  Larry and Jill have two girls, Morgan and Haley.

Melissa Nordin, BA, MFC

Melissa grew up near Canwood, SK. She loved the outdoors right from the start, and she spent most of her youth on horseback. She completed a degree in sociology from the University of Saskatchewan and then a Masters in Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto. Melissa enjoyed many years working in the forest industry as a tree planter and tree plant supervisor.

Melissa, her partner Bill, and their daughter Navarra now live along the Shell River on the property where Melissa grew up. In addition to her work with PCAB, Melissa and Bill operate a bison ranch. They market their naturally raised bison products through Parkland Meats in Shellbrook, which is owned and operated by Bill’s parents.

Tom Treen, BSc, BEd

Tom grew up in the Swift Current area, spending his high school years on his grandfather’s farm near Gull Lake. He then spent several years as a meat cutter in the retail and wholesale meat business. In total, he has worked about 10 years as an employee on dairy, hog and grain farms. After receiving a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta and a B.Ed. from the University of Lethbridge, Tom taught senior sciences and mathematics for 12 years.

Tom and his wife Debbie presently run 100 cows on their farm at Preeceville. They have 3 grown daughters.

Coy Schellenberg, BSA

Coy was born and raised on a cattle ranch near Beechy, Saskatchewan in the South Saskatchewan River valley, also known as Lake Diefenbaker. Coy and his wife Laura-Lie are the 4^th generation with Perrin Ranching and look forward to raising their family there. Coy has a vast interest in beef cattle production, rangeland management, and the ranching lifestyle. His father and grandfather have passed down the importance of using beef cows to preserve and maintain healthy rangelands with proper grazing practices.

Coy obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Saskatchewan in 2008. Since then, he has been gaining experience within the agriculture industry, specifically with forages, crops, livestock, range management, and invasive plant species. Environmental sustainability is important to Coy. His desire is to maintain the health of the land and the water on their family ranch, and to help other operations strive in the same direction, so that Saskatchewan agriculture can be more productive and viable for future generations.

Joel Mowchenko, AAg

Joel and his wife Cheryl and their two kids, Olivia and Eron, live on the family farm near Mossbank.  Joel runs a small mixed farming operation with cattle and organic grains.  He has been involved with PCAB in various capacities over the years, both as field staff and in the office.  Joel believes that proper environmental stewardship on our farms and ranches is imperative both to the success of our operations and to the health of the environment and our communities.  It’s this belief that has kept him involved with PCAB and its programs over the years. 

Joel is actively involved with the local community – serving on the school community council, volunteering at church, and coaching volleyball.  However, if you’re looking for him, you’re most likely to find Joel down at the Mossbank rink where he spends countless hours drinking coffee and watching his kids play hockey and figure skate.