I began my natural resources career path working for the Washington and California Conservation Corps and the Conversation Volunteers Australia, where my love of the outdoors grew exponentially with each adventure. After my Corps days ended, I pursued a job with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the forestry crew marking and cruising timber in eastern Washington. I later took on the role of planning and environmental coordinator, leading field office NEPA teams, developing resource management plans, and serving as a facilitator for the Spokane District. While working for the BLM, I received my Bachelor of Environmental Studies and Master of Natural Resources degrees.

I started with Hampton in 2018, and enjoy working with forestry managers on ecological forest restoration across Washington state. I currently represent the forest products industry multiple National Forest Collaboratives and task forces. I work closely with environmental groups, tribal representatives, recreationalists, community members, and state, local, and federal agency representatives to build a common vision for National Forest land, accelerating landscape scale restoration, creating local jobs, and reducing litigation.

But why does Collaboration matter? In the face of constantly shrinking National Forest staffing levels and budgets, collaboratives in Washington State, and beyond for that matter, focus on building capacity within national forests; providing educational opportunities; and giving an economic boost to rural communities that rely on steady, family-wage jobs in the forest sector. In fact, for every one job at our mills, two other jobs are created in the community. From truck drivers to school teachers, loggers to coffee baristas, forest restoration through collaboration supports these small, but mighty industry-reliant towns. The main focus of collaboration is to restore National Forests to a healthy, ecologically resilient state, while increasing sustainable timber harvest (active management!) on National Forest land. Creating a resilient forest means that it can withstand disturbances such as insect, disease, and wildfire.

In Washington, forest collaboratives achieve this by analyzing, and bringing to fruition, landscape-level restoration projects that aim to increase the pace and scale of restoration in our heavily forested and densely, overstocked state. These types of grassroots, community partnerships are made possible by folks committed to collaboration. Through collaboration, groups in the state develop best management practices and work to find a common vision for forest restoration. In the Darrington Collaborative this means the environmental community comes together with local loggers, STEM educators, citizens, Hampton Lumber and other forest stewards to develop restoration projects we all see benefits from on the Darrington Ranger District. The Darrington Collaborative also partners with Schrier, Cantwell and Murray’s staff, local tribes, the Department of Natural Resources, and local forestry contractors. And guess what, we’ve all become great friends--that is collaboration at its finest!

The important thing for folks to learn from Washington State collaboration is to focus on finding common ground. When I first started in 2018, the first thing I did was ask others who had collaboration experience what the one thing I should know was. Their response? To get to know everyone you meet in collaboration on a personal level. Never miss an opportunity to share a meal or drink after a meeting. Learn about someone’s kids, their personal passions, what makes them uniquely them. In doing so, no matter how far apart your professional opinions are, you can always respect and listen to them in collaboration. Best advice I’ve been given yet (Thanks Emily)! At the end of the day, collaboration is about people; people doing everything we can to restore forest health and ensure the longevity of our cherished forests.

In my spare time, I enjoy traveling to new places, music and dancing, dancing, and dancing, hunting sunshine, hiking, being on or near the water, and chasing after my twelve nieces and nephews. I also enjoy volunteering with Glacier Peak Institute (GPI), a Darrington local STEM+ nonprofit, in an effort to get kids outdoors and learn about the natural world, finding their confidence, and fostering a strong sense of place while they grow.