About Us
Advocators of watershed research & conservation through community-driven science in Western North Carolina
Who We Are
WREN Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a dedicated team of environmental scientists, ecologists, and community advocates working to document, study, and protect one of Western North Carolina's most pristine ecological havens. In partnership with the Laurel Community Center, we conduct ongoing research and educational programs focused on the rich biodiversity of our watershed.
Our Mission
The Whiterock Research, Education and Nature (WREN) Center promotes public awareness, ecological study, and conservation of the unique natural heritage of the Laurel River watershed in Madison County, North Carolina.
Meet The Team
Jason York
Jason currently works for Michael Baker International in Asheville, NC where he oversees MBI’s NC certified laboratory for population studies of benthic macroinvertebrates. His work is focused on pre and post construction biological monitoring of streams using aquatic insects as indicators of water quality. Jason has completed several large contracts through the Mid-Atlantic region with MBI and Penrose Environmental Consulting assessing water quality using aquatic insects. He is a certified taxonomist for Eastern Mayflies, Stoneflies, Caddisflies, North American Chironomids and General Eastern Arthropods through the Society for Freshwater Science of which he is also a member. Jason has lived in Madison County, NC since 2006 where he enjoys his family, the rivers, the insects and the people.
Executive Director
Jennifer Eby
Jenny earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from LaGrange College. She is a staff researcher and grant writer for Eyes on Earth, and also provides Caretaking Support for individuals with disabilities. Since arriving in Marshall, NC in 2017 to create the first WNC Fermentation Festival, she has been recognized for leading local projects with enthusiasm and focus. Most recently, she co-researched a paper on water resources and management published by the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization. Jenny is a respected photographer, cultural investigator, grassroots organizer, researcher, and artist. Her work spans topics from environmental science to cultural preservation, and she is passionate about supporting a wide range of efforts in her community and beyond.
Administrative Director & Treasurer
Mary Sauls Kelly
Mary is a retired ecologist who has lived in Madison County, NC with her husband, Rob, a forester, since 1988. She serves as Vice President and volunteer grant writer for the Laurel Community Center Organization, where she founded and directs the Laurel River Room—a natural science classroom focused on stream ecology. Mary earned a BS in Biology from UC Santa Barbara in 1978 and spent five years as a consulting biologist studying endangered species and radiation ecology in the deserts of California and Nevada. She earned her PhD in Ecology from the University of Georgia in 1988. From 1988 to 1995, she coordinated the Western NC Alliance, helping reform U.S. Forest Service practices in the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests. She has taught Ecology at UNCA, co-founded the Bluff Mountain Festival, and served on the Madison County Arts Council board. Mary enjoys fishing, snorkeling, photography, and exploring natural history.
Ecologist
Director of Education
Dave Penrose
Dave is the founder of Penrose Environmental in Asheville, where he consults on aquatic insect surveys and presents educational programs on river ecology. He retired in 2008 from the NC Division of Water Quality at NC State University, where he assessed ecological recovery of stream and river restoration projects funded by the Ecosystem Enhancement Program and the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Dave developed metrics and protocols to assign bio-classification criteria, assess watershed health, and track trends using biological indicators to determine perennial stream origins in North Carolina. He has led numerous workshops on aquatic insect ecology and taxonomy and remains active in fieldwork. Dave serves as Executive Board Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP), whose member organizations represent over 1.4 million scientists. In 2012, he served as President of the Society for Freshwater Science, an international organization with 1,800 members across 41 countries
Environmental Biologist
Director of Education
Jeremy Heath
Jeremy has been a Biologist and Biochemist in academia for over twenty years and holds an undergraduate and PhD in Environmental Science and a Master's Degree in Entomology. He recently finished a post-doctorate at the Department of Natural resources and the Environment at the University of New Hampshire where he was responsible for developing a molecular laboratory to conduct a population ecology study on beech bark disease. He achieved these objectives and published a peer-reviewed article (Morrison et al. 2021). Jeremy has extensive training and experience in chemical, molecular, statistical and ecological analyses with numerous publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. His CV is jeremyheath.org
Environmental Biologist
Director of Research
Rodney Webb
Rodney Webb was born in Fairbanks, Alaska and moved constantly in a military family. He studied photography at ETSU and went on to pursue environmental advocacy while enjoying many occupations including whitewater rafting, landscaping, farm work, and carpentry. He currently runs his small mushroom business, Appalachia Fungorum, in the Laurel River watershed where he has lived for over 30 years. He also serves on the foray committee with the Asheville Mushroom Club and is on a quest to learn how to identify every mushroom he finds.
Chairperson
Cate Hubbard
Kate is a lifelong learner, teacher, and citizen scientist. She is the mother of three sons, who have careers in nursing and child welfare social work, and she holds two degrees. Kate has lived in many places across the country, including 20 years of beach life on the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as three years in Japan. These experiences have given her an immense understanding and appreciation for weather and water. She is an avid reader, boater, organic gardener, and farmer. Kate holds a deep love and respect for the natural world and has lived in the Little Laurel community of Madison County since 2004.
Secretary
Cheoah Landis
Cheoah is a native of Shelton Laurel where she attended Laurel Elementary, now known as the Laurel Community Center where she has worked the past 3 1/2 years and is the Director. After graduating from Madison High School she received her Bachelor's in Marketing from Berry College's Campbell School of Business in 2015. Although she enjoyed her time in Georgia, she felt called back to the mountains where she grew up and now resides with her kids and husband on their mountainside homestead. In her spare time, she enjoys adventuring outdoors, photographing the natural world around her, and is an avid huntress, fisher, and outdoorswoman in her forever home, the Laurel River Watershed.
Board Member & LCC Executive Director
Maia Surdam
Maia Surdam is an educator, historian, and nature enthusiast living in the Grapevine community of Madison County, NC. She earned a Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2013 and has taught history, writing, and oral history at Kenyon College, Warren Wilson College, and Mars Hill University. In 2015, she became a founding partner at Old World Levain (OWL) Bakery in West Asheville, where she blended culinary practice with hands-on history. A chance encounter at OWL led Maia to Madison County, where she joined the Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education (PAGE). Today, she serves as Programs Director, organizing innovative learning experiences for adolescent girls that encourage connection, deep listening, storytelling, and curiosity about the natural world. Maia enjoys reading, writing, baking bread, gardening, singing to her dog, and walking in the woods with her beloved life companion
Historian
Mark Hopey
Mark Hopey is an avid birder who manages programs for Blue Ridge Bird Observatory, including Autumn migration banding and the Carolina Kestrel Partners
program.
Board Member
Alan Basist
Alan has over 30 years of experience in climate science, spanning roles as a research scientist at NOAA and as an analyst for a reinsurance company, where he focused on identifying climate variability and promoting mitigation and risk management strategies. He was a founding member of the rapid response team that delivered climate reports to the White House, NOAA leadership, and the public. Alan also contributed to the development of land surface and wetness products using microwave satellite data, and created river flow models to assess how dams and reservoirs alter the natural flow of the Mekong River.
Climatologist
Advisory Board
Tracy Davids
Advisory Board
WREN Center & Laurel Community Center
Nurturing Both Community Roots and Watershed Health in the Laurels
Our Partners
Whiterock
Research Education
& Nature Center
WREN Center acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land and waters on which the society members gather and acknowledge and pay respect to their Elders; past, present and emerging. We honor the past, respect the present and look towards a prosperous and reconciled future
© WREN Center 2025 All Rights Reserved.