Pictured above, PLT board members Michelle Rentzsch and Suzanne Rainville staff the PLT booth at the 2024 Conservation Day. PLT is pleased to officially welcome Michelle Rentzsch as its newest board member.
The following is a guest post written by Dawn Matus from her interview with Michelle Rentzsch.
It has been about three years since Michelle moved halfway across the country to make McCall and Valley County her home, and she has wasted no time in putting her extensive talents and expertise to work for the community. In addition to becoming PLT’s newest board member, Michelle serves on the boards of the McCall Redevelopment Agency and the Rotary Club of McCall, as well as a subcommittee of the North Fork Payette River Watershed Coalition. She is also a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist. “I feel very strongly that you can make a difference locally, and that you should contribute what you can,” Michelle says about what drives her to be involved. An urban planner by training, Michelle had a 25-plus year career with the City of Crystal Lake in Illinois, culminating in her position as Director of Community Development. Along with promotion and development, preservation of local resources was central to her work. Under her leadership, the city oversaw the administration of one of the nation’s first watershed districts, planned projects for environmentally protected areas, and transformed an abandoned quarry into a multi-activity recreation area.
“Preservation and enhancement of open space were all part of my job,” she says. Michelle brings a wealth of other skills and experience, such as combing through the nuts and bolts of legal documents, including easements. She’s also a people person who enjoys engaging with members of the community, hearing their concerns and sharing knowledge—all of which will help her further PLT’s mission as a board member. Michelle says she’s been “blown away” by the people of McCall. “I’m struck by the breadth of experience and talent that’s in this community and the amount of interest in our shared community,” she says. “Over and over again, you see the extraordinary here. That’s special.” And she is upbeat about the role PLT has to play in helping McCall and the broader region work through the challenges posed by increased growth and development. PLT is “a recognized and respected partner with the county and the county commissioners,” says Michelle. “They have relationships with the Forest Service, BLM, Payette National Forest—all the players in town. And that only gets stronger and stronger each day.”
—Dawn Matus