OREGON INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2024-2025 AWARD WINNERS
/SALEM, Oregon - Every biennium, the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) highlights, through special recognition awards, those people and organizations protecting Oregon’s natural resources, economy, and quality of life from the devastating effects of invasive species.
All OISC award winners will be recognized at an luncheon on March 17, 2026, from 12pm-2pm in Salem as part of the OISC’s Annual Winter Meeting. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to the OISC Coordinator at coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org. For more information on this meeting and other Council events please visit the Council website.
Eagle Eye Award | Amber Basting, Oregon Department of Agriculture and Peter Van Oss, Teragan & Associates, Inc
This award was created to recognize the person or persons reporting the most critical sightings of an invasive species. This year the OISC recognizes two individuals:
Two years ago, during a railway survey in The Dalles, Amber Basting discovered a spotted lanternfly (SLF) egg mass. SLF egg masses are notoriously difficult to detect, as their coloration and texture easily blend into the surfaces where egg masses are laid (such as tree bark and rusted metal). Amber's interception was exceptional in that the egg mass was found on a rusted rail car, up on the higher edges of the car. To the untrained and non-committal eye, this would have easily been missed. This was the first and only egg mass found in Oregon to date. This early interception removed the possibility of this egg mass hatching in some unknown location in Oregon which could have resulted in a population going unchecked for months or years thereafter.
On July 25, 2025, Peer Van Oss, an arborist with Teragan & Associates, used the OISC Hotline to report emerald ash borer in a landscape ash in the parking lot of David Douglas Aquatics Center in east Portland.. This was the first positive emerald ash borer report in both the City of Portland and Multnomah County. Peter’s prior training, early detection and proper reporting to the OISC Hotline led to swift response by state and local officials.
Student Award | Allison Monroe, Oregon State University
This award, presented to the Oregon student making a difference in protecting Oregon from invasive species, goes to Allison Monroe for her contribution to protecting Oregon through early detection and prevention of Mediterranean oak borer (MOB). Allison's work addresses one of the most pressing emerging threats to Oregon white oak ecosystems in the Willamette Valley, where oaks function as keystone species with deep ecological and cultural importance. At a time when MOB remains poorly understood in the Pacific Northwest, Allison has generated some of the first regionally relevant data on its presence, spread, and colonization dynamics in our oak-dominated landscapes. Rather than reacting to widespread damage, her work focuses on identifying invasion risk at its earliest stages when management intervention is still possible and most effective.
Sandra Denyes Diedrich Award | Jacob Rose, Portland State University and Courtney Gattuso, Cascade Pacific
Created in honor of Sandy Diedrich, the indefatigable founder of the Forest Park Ivy Removal Project aka the No Ivy League, is presented to the person(s) or organization making an outstanding contribution to protecting Oregon from invasive species.
This year the Council has chosen to recognize two people who, working together as a team, have gone above and beyond to ensure the continuing existence and success of the Oregon Invasive Species Reporting Hotline. Jacob Rose has done an outstanding job navigating the technical re-homing of the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline, a surprise hurdle for a long-running and well-loved tool in Oregon's invasive species response toolkit. The successful outcome was steered by Jacob's knowledgeable and personable leadership throughout the transition. Working with Jacob to keep the Hotline funded, Courtney Gattuso has shouldered the mantle of primary fundraiser for this critical reporting tool. Without Courtney’s tireless dedication to keeping Jacob and the Hotline funded, the OISC would not be able to provide the public or knowledgeable respondents with the robust reporting tool that has led to numerous positive reports of invasive species of concern, including one of this year’s Eagle Eye Award winners’ EAB report.
Outstanding Agency Partner Award | Michelle Delepine, West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
In recognition of her efforts, the OISC awards Michelle Delepine, Conservationist and Invasive Species Program Manager at West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, with the Outstanding Agency Partner Award. Serving in this role since 2014, Michelle has built long-standing, cross-jurisdictional partnerships that strengthen invasive species prevention and management across Oregon and the broader Pacific Northwest. Her impact as an agency partner is equally evident in the 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area. As a Steering Committee member from 2014 to 2023 and Chair from 2017 to 2019, Michelle helped expand both the reach and stability of this multi-agency partnership.
“Michelle Delepine exemplifies the spirit of the Outstanding Agency Partner Award. Her career is defined by collaboration, capacity-building, and a deep commitment to shared solutions. Through her leadership, agencies are more connected, management is more coordinated, and the collective response to invasive species is stronger and more effective.”
- Eleanor Greene, West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Outstanding Agency Partner Award | Honorable Mentions
The OISC received numerous excellent nominations for Outstanding Agency Partner and wishes to recognize the important work of the following partners:
Carri Pirosko, Oregon Department of Agriculture | For leadership on invasive weeds in southern Oregon.
Drew Donahue, Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District | For her involvement in creating a network of cooperators in Clackamas County to prepare for and respond to emerald ash borer.
Georgia McAlister, City of Wilsonville* | For being an essential partner on the Mediterranean Oak Borer Task Force and developing a MOB response plan for the City of Wilsonville.
Patricia “Bonnie” Rasmussen, Oregon Department of Agriculture | For her actions and leadership on Palmer amaranth, an emergent A-listed noxious weed, in Malheur and Harney Counties.
Service Award | Karen Lousie Ripley, U.S. Forest Service (1964-2005)
The prestigious Service Award is presented to the person or persons who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The OISC wishes to recognize Karen for her many years of work and dedication to protecting Oregon's natural resources from invasive species with her leadership, vision and commitment to excellence. She will be sorely missed. She had an outsized and lasting impact on everyone in the invasive forest pest world and beyond. Karen was the Forest Health Monitoring and Invasive Insects coordinator for the Forest Health Protection group within the Pacific Northwest Region State, Private, and Tribal Forestry Program and served for eight years on the Oregon Invasive Species Council. Karen was instrumental in the development of the Oregon Emerald Ash Borer Readiness and Response Plan along with the formation of the Oregon Emerald Ash Borer Task Force, both of which now serve as models for similar state efforts in the region. She was also the first person to identify the presence of the Mediterranean oak borer in Oregon.
