Board of Directors

Gary Helfrich has lived in Camp Meeker for over 25 years. He served on the Board from 1995 until 2009 and was Board president for many of those years. His experience and understanding of finance, government, and grant writing as well has his deep institutional knowledge of Camp Meeker’s water system made him an overwhelming choice for re-appointment in January 2013.

Gary currently works for Sonoma County PRMD as a senior planner.

Appointed to the Board in 2018, John Mc Daniel is honored to have the opportunity to serve the Camp Meeker Community. A native New Englander who has worked in the San Francisco hospitality and tourism industry for over 30 years, John has maintained a residence in Camp Meeker for the past 10 years, and believes it to be a privilege to reside in our forest home.

John has great respect for the natural beauty of Camp Meeker and recognizes the importance of maintaining a delicate balance between the environment and the needs of our community. As the oldest established Special District in the state of California, Camp Meeker Recreation and Parks District is the embodiment of self-governance and has a long history of serving the needs of the community for the betterment of all. John looks forward to working with the Board and encourages all members of the community to participate.

Max Bell Alper initially moved to West County in 2014, and has lived in Camp Meeker with his partner since 2017. He feels that Camp Meeker is such a special place and that it is truly a joy to live in our little neck of the woods. For over 20 years, he has organized for economic, racial, and climate justice with low-wage immigrant workers throughout California.

Max believes that we all have a shared responsibility to be good neighbors and community members to each other, and he also tries to spend as much time as possible tending to the fruit trees, roses, and native plants in the garden.

Lynn Watson, a writer and educator, joins the Board of Directors as a long-term resident of Camp Meeker and a third generation resident of Sonoma County. She is actively involved in quality of life issues for Camp Meeker.

Before joining the Board, Lynn worked on the successful opposition to the installation of a Verizon cell tower in Camp Meeker.

Val Larson came to Camp Meeker in 2004 to be with Terry Yeich, her future husband, who has resided in Camp Meeker since the early 1990s. Until she moved on to other endeavors in 2013, Val’s six-year tenure at the Camp Meeker Post Office provided the opportunity to know many Camp Meeker residents.

In 2010, Val and Terry purchased a house in Camp Meeker and have enjoyed the challenge of creating a home for themselves and their four-legged family members.

Val is a graduate of Bethany College (Minneapolis, MN) and attended Atelier Lack School of Classical Realism (also Minneapolis, MN) and the Art Academy of St. Paul, Minnesota where she also taught art and illustration to children.
Val’s care for and appreciation of the people of Camp Meeker is the primary reason she decided to join the Board.