About Gilly


GIL∙LY | NOUN


1. An ancient Gaelic term for a guide on an expedition in the wilderness or on a river.
2. A software platform that guides river restoration and preservation.

OUR MISSION

Guiding River Restoration and Preservation

The Four Corners Foundation (4CF) developed Gilly to tackle the pressing issues of water quality, water quantity, climate change, and population growth affecting watersheds across the West. Gilly enables conservation districts, watershed groups, nonprofits, agencies, and individuals to collaborate on creating sustainable, locally inspired solutions for water-related challenges.

Our Vision

Currently, the permitting process and its impacts are handled case by case. Gilly makes a more strategic, system-based approach possible, treating rivers and streams as interconnected systems. This "systems view" is essential as we face changes in water quantity, climate, and population.

At 4CF, we partnered with the Gallatin Conservation District to create a user-friendly system for the Gallatin Watershed, designed for adoption by conservation districts across Montana. Gilly streamlines the permitting process, collects and stores permit data, and makes this data easily accessible.

Gilly also features an interactive map-based tool for visualizing permit data and other relevant layers. This helps organizations make informed water decisions, coordinating use, restoration, and preservation at the watershed level. The map tool provides a geolocation context for permit data analysis.

Meet the Team

Our team brings a wealth of expertise and passion to the Gilly project, driving innovative solutions for river restoration and preservation. Their diverse backgrounds in software development, design, and stewardship ensure that Gilly is a powerful, user-friendly platform that addresses real-world environmental challenges.

Ephie Risho

Product Director

Ephie brings an extensive background in software development to the Gilly team. As a UI/UX designer for large and small companies and a wide range of use cases, he has an eye for the end user and the long term needs of the software. His many years of experience as an entrepreneur drive him to get projects moving on a tight budget, with tight deadlines, and in a way that solves real user needs. Ephie ensures that the Gilly software is built to spec and on budget with the biggest possible impact, user friendly, and effective in solving real user needs.

Karen Filipovich

Community Outreach Coordinator

Karen’s career focuses on providing outreach, analytical, and facilitation services to communities struggling to solve natural resource and public health challenges. Her background is in biology, political science, and public policy. Previously, Karen was the Director of Montana Watercourse at Montana State University. She also worked on climate change and energy related research at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Sharon Brodie

President, Four Corners Foundation

Ms. Brodie’s desire to help non-profit groups work together to solve common problems is the result of many years of frustration with a grant process that asks charitable organizations (and agencies) to work as partners while simultaneously competing against one another for funding. This system creates a “silo syndrome” that is characterized by a lack of shared information, project overlap, and competition for scarce funding resources. Sharon’s position at 4CF has given her the opportunity to address those problems with tools that encourage collaboration, eliminate costly program redundancy, and coordinate work across multiple groups. She stresses that 4CF’s intention with Gilly is not to compete with anyone but to elevate everyone. While others search for a competitive advantage, Ms. Brodie and the board of directors of the Four Corners Foundation search for a cooperative advantage. Their sincere wish is for everyone to succeed.

Gilly is a project of the Four Corners Foundation (4CF), in Gallatin County, Montana. 4CF was founded in 2003 as an advocate for the thoughtful and strategic use of water in the Gallatin River Watershed and beyond. For more information, visit 4cornersfoundation.org