Considering Preparedness for Ranching Communities

A Eugene native, raised in the country with racehorse-breeder neighbors, Karla always wanted a horse, but sports came first and the equine dreams had to wait. She attended Gonzaga University on a basketball scholarship; earning a marketing degree and going on to work in advertising, higher education, and state government. She coached youth sports for 30 years and enjoys quilting, ceramics, gardening and spending time with their animals.

Karla and husband Ron own a printing and embroidery business, an excavation company, and KrossRoads Ranch where they train mustangs, retire racehorses, and breed Gypsies. Together they have 21 horses, 6 dogs and 8 cats, and have owned llamas, cattle, pigs, chickens, and ducks.

During the 2020 Labor Day wildfires, they evacuated their animals and their 2 businesses. Luckily the winds shifted and they didn’t suffer property loss, but they reflected that emergency communications were lacking and there was no organized effort to help livestock owners. After research and evacuating again in 2022, they decided to put together an organized effort to support rural livestock owners with evacuation and sheltering during disasters. Oregon Livestock Council held their first meeting in September 2023.

Karla is also President of the Oregon Horse Council, and she, along with Ron, coordinate and assist with Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue trainings. Karla is TLAER operations level certified and is credentialed as a responding OLC Livestock Emergency Response Team member. She has earned her Basic Applied Practices certificate from OEM, is an OEM Be 2 Weeks Ready Program Coordinator, and is certified with the Australian Person-Centered Emergency Preparedness program.