“I will learn and I will teach and I will always thrill to the sound of geese flying high overhead on a dark, stormy night, and I will learn more, but never enough, never enough.”
--Jim Mundell, from "An Open Letter to Myself"
Jim Mundell is the founder of Friends of Netarts Bay - WEBS. Although Jim passed away in 2006, his vision and generous financial support continue to this day. Jim’s lifelong attachment to the watersheds in Tillamook County and his appreciation for the beauty of Nature that is on display in Netarts led to his environmental activism and his desire to protect and enhance this wonderful place.
Jim Mundell was born in Netarts in 1950. Like his father, he was a Merchant Marine and he sailed the world for many years. Jim retired to Netarts in the late 1980’s and began devoting much of his time and energy to environmental efforts. Although he focused on Netarts, he wanted to put his support behind projects that would educate the bay’s visitors and the local community about the importance of the watersheds and estuaries between Cape Meares and Cape Lookout.
Among his many accomplishments, Jim was involved in salmon restoration projects, the Netarts Littoral Cell Study and the Netarts Bay Watershed Council. He led the Environmental Committee during the Netarts Community Planning process in the early 1990’s, and beginning in 1995, he was a Beach Captain for SOLV beach cleanups. In addition to organizing and recruiting for the Netarts clean-up, he would ferry people to the Netarts Spit in his boat to provide a hands-on experience with the bay.
He facilitated the Netarts Watershed Assessment and served on the Board of Directors for the Tillamook Coastal Watershed Resource Center and the Tillamook County Performance Partnership Outreach Task Force. He steered the process of installing the first ecological information signage at the Netarts Boat Basin.
He was an early supporter of the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP). He received that organization’s first
Environmental Stewardship Award, which now bears his name. Claudine Rehn, TEP’s Deputy Director, says: “We have a guiding principle at TEP: What would Jim do?”.
"Water is so important that we have to learn to be stewards of the water and our watershed." --Jim Mundell
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Jim helps install the original educational signage at the Netarts Boat Basin.
Jim felt that a key to protecting the watersheds was to get people out on the water. He loved to network with state and local legislators and took many of them out in his boat on Hoquarton Slough, the Nehalem River and Netarts Bay. He went fishing with then Governor John Kitzhaber. He was a champion of and helped to fund the Water Trail Project that began in 2004. There are now four trail guides
available to anyone free of charge.
Jim once said: “Education is the vital spot where both short and long term goals come together, and no stone should be left unturned”. Jim put his words to action as a major contributor to the first Tillamook County Children’s Clean Water Festival. This festival, where students enjoy a day of hands-on learning centered on demonstrating the importance of clean water, continues to be a part of each Tillamook County 4th grader’s education.
Jim was also pivotal in working with the Tillamook School District to establish the Natural Resources program. This program started in 2005 when Clair Thomas was hired by the district as the Natural Resources Coordinator. The intent of this first of its kind program was to engage students in hands-on learning with the natural world around them. Clair tells the following story: “I was working alongside Jim on a field trip. I hadn’t known him long and did not know of his philanthropy. Out of the blue Jim asked me ‘Could you use some kayaks?’ I told him I could probably use several kayaks. Within a week I had a check for $10,000”.
Friends of Netarts Bay - WEBS began as an idea of Jim’s to help people appreciate Netarts Bay. He felt that if people became educated about the area’s natural history, they would help to sustain its beauty and become a dedicated constituency for the area. Jim’s work with the Netarts Community Planning process helped him to appreciate how a strong organization could help him reach his goals. He began to work with a consultant to help him flesh out his idea and determine its viability.
From 2000 to 2006, Jim provided the leadership and financial support to explore how to educate people about the Netarts Bay area. In furtherance of this objective, Jim provided the initial funds to incorporate Friends of Netarts Bay - WEBS and to request 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. This status was granted in February 2007, effective retroactive to 10/17/2006, just a few weeks after Jim’s passing. Jim left most of his assets to The Salty Dog Fund, an Oregon Community Foundation advised fund, with directions that the fund be used to make charitable distributions in support of the sustained stewardship of the marine environment at Netarts, Oregon, through experiential education. Environmental areas include the watershed, estuaries, beaches and sea.
Friends of Netarts Bay - WEBS continues to build on Jim’s vision of raising awareness, providing learning opportunities, and encouraging stewardship for the natural resources of Netarts Bay and the areas between Cape Meares and Cape Lookout. We are forever indebted to his inspiration.