About Us

Terry Martin-Denning serves as Treasurer and Board Member of Protect the Clearwater. She brings more than 40 years of executive, financial and commercial real estate experience to the organization, offering deep expertise in strategic planning, risk assessment, and fiduciary oversight.

Throughout her career, Terry earned a reputation as a trusted advisor and leader, recognized for the ability to build consensus, foster productive relationships, and guide complex decision-making processes. Terry most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of NAI Horizon, where she provided executive leadership while maintaining a strong commitment to service excellence, integrity, and long-term value creation.

Terry is deeply committed to protecting Montana’s communities, waterways, and wildlife from the risks of fast-tracked gravel mining. With a family cabin on Elbow Lake dating back to 1960, Terry brings a multigenerational, personal connection to the Clearwater Watershed and a strong dedication to safeguarding water quality and natural resources. As Treasurer, Terry provides financial oversight and leadership in support of citizen action, responsible land use, and a healthier, more sustainable Montana.

Now retired, Terry is focused on community service, environmental stewardship, and spending meaningful time with family and friends, while continuing to support initiatives that balance economic activity with the protection of vital natural resources.

Jon Watson is a retired civil engineer with 25 years of experience working on public transportation projects. He previously served as a pavement engineer for the State of Montana, Assistant Public Works Director for Jefferson County, Washington, and Project Manager for the City of Sequim, Washington, bringing a broad range of technical and leadership experience to his work.

Jon first discovered the Clearwater area shortly after moving to Montana in 1976, when he continued his career as a smokejumper based out of Missoula. Introduced to the region by friends through rafting trips between Salmon Lake and Elbow Lake during spring runoff, Jon developed a lasting connection to the area. For nearly five decades, he has maintained a deep appreciation for its wildlife, floating, fishing, and camping opportunities.

Jon understands the importance of protecting water resources, wildlife habitat, and property values from the impacts of unregulated mining. He currently serves as Secretary of the Board and makes his home at Elbow Lake.

Gayla is a fourth generation Montanan and grew up in beautiful western Montana at the time when The Montana Environmental Policy was being enacted. She remembers the hard-fought campaign to remove toxic mining sediments from the Clark Fork River that were trapped behind Milltown Dam.

Her decades of hiking and floating in the Clearwater and Seeley Swan Valleys created a deep respect and connection to the land, water, and wildlife there. Gayla believes strongly that the same opportunities need to be preserved for future generations of Montanans.

During her career as a functional nutritionist, Gayla saw how human health is intertwined with a healthy environment. Her understanding of how biological systems function together grounds the deep sense of responsibility she feels to defend the Clearwater ecosystem. Gayla serves as the current President of the Board and owns a family cabin built in the early 1960s near Elbow Lake.