After a Pacific Northwest start to life in Sitka, AK, Rebecca moved between Louisiana, Texas, Guatemala, and central California in her younger years. Her education includes a B.S. in Biology from George Fox University and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. Much of her working life has involved a variety of field positions such as bear management, songbird banding, bullfrog hunting, and air quality monitoring at Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks. In 2014, she returned to the PNW and, through the native plant and restoration program at North Cascades National Park, fell in love with restoration work. She is inspired and humbled by the commonplace occurrence of plants growing and building habitat for so many other creatures. Her free time can be spent floating the Skagit with her family, working on house projects, or helping plants grow both inside and out.

Rebecca can be reached at rrising@skagitfisheries.org.

Bengt began his restoration career right out of college. After an internship performing in-stream monitoring during the summer of 1999, he became the first AmeriCorps/WCC individual placement Skagit Fisheries employed. After his year of service, he moved to Maine to do another AmeriCorps year. Upon returning to the Northwest, he used his AmeriCorps education allowance to attend Bellingham Technical College, where he learned about land surveying, mapping, and GIS. In February of 2009, he began working full-time at Skagit Fisheries as a Watershed Restoration Technician. He loves the outdoor aspect of his job and finds the work fulfilling. Outside of work, he can usually be found wherever there is an Ultimate Frisbee game.

Bengt can be reached at bmiller@skagitfisheries.org.

Rose grew up exploring the mountains and rivers surrounding her hometown of Eagle, Colorado. She attended St Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, earning her BA in Environmental Studies and Political Science. After completing her degree, she moved back to Eagle and started her role as Community Engagement Manager for the Eagle River Coalition. This solidified her love and desire to protect rivers and all species that rely on them. She now finds herself living in Bellingham with her partner and black lab, Chloe, exploring the Pacific Northwest. When not working, you can find Rose on her mountain bike or baking. Rose looks forward to working to promote and protect salmon recovery in the Skagit River watershed.

Rose can be reached at Rsandell@skagitfisheries.org

Devon grew up spending most of his time outdoors exploring Washington’s many forests and streams, where he fostered a strong connection to the natural world. His care for the natural world led him to pursue a degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis on freshwater and terrestrial ecology at Western Washington University. After graduation, he gained experience with his time as a Chinook salmon spawner surveyor with WDFW, a WCC restoration crew member at NSEA, and a vegetation monitoring intern here at Skagit Fisheries. Devon currently develops and implements a plethora of different monitoring programs at Skagit Fisheries, including programs such as vegetation monitoring, spawner surveys, and eDNA.

Devon can be reached at dbedard@skagitfisheries.org.

Alina is originally from the desert mountains of northern New Mexico, but came to the Pacific Northwest in 2019 to study at Western Washington University, where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Science. Since graduation, she has been working to enhance and protect Washington’s natural resources. Most recently, she has enjoyed seasonal positions researching salmon with the Skagit River System Cooperative and managing exotic invasive insects with the Washington State Department of Agriculture. She is excited to continue working and growing in the beautiful Skagit watershed! When she’s not outside, you can find Alina tinkering with some new home improvement project, playing with her cat, or curled up with some knitting and a good book.

Alina can be reached at abulthuis@skagitfisheries.org.

Growing up in the suburbs of Denver, Meredith spent a lot of her time outside, whether it was digging in the dirt or adventuring through a creek. Her love for the ocean led her to Western Washington University, where she graduated with a bachelor’s in Environmental Science with a marine emphasis. Since graduating, she has worked as a vegetation monitoring intern with Skagit Fisheries, worked on the WCC crew with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Group, and, most recently, worked as an oyster farmer in the bay. She’s very excited to be back to doing the work she loves, helping to restore ecosystems on the beautiful Skagit River. In her free time, she enjoys playing music, crafting, and searching for tide pools at the beach.

Meredith can be reached at mmccannon@skagitfisheries.org

Kelly grew up in Utah, exploring the red rock deserts and learning to love and appreciate nature. After graduating with a degree in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, she was inspired to explore careers focused on people’s interaction with nature and understanding of the world around them. She has worked various seasonal jobs, including conducting visitor use surveys for the Forest Service and being a Community Program intern with NSEA. This eventually led her to become a white water raft guide in Washington. She instantly fell in love with the rivers of the PNW, and her love of working with people in the outdoors continued to grow. She is excited to continue to explore the rivers and continue to educate others with her role at Skagit Fisheries. In her free time, Kelly enjoys sea kayaking, rafting, skiing, and playing card games with friends.

Kelly can be reached at kwilliams@skagitfisheries.org.