Inside Conservation Northwest
Erin Moore Publications manager,
erin@conservationnw.org
welcome
Alison Huyett
New Citizen Wildlife Monitoring Project Coordinator
Alison Huyett is picking up where Kit left off. Welcome! She
is also the first Pacific Wolf Coalition organizer. Conservation
Northwest is a member of this wolf coalition dedicated to
recovering wolves in the Northwest. Other coalition members
are from northern California, Oregon, and national groups.
Alison will be working with them all.
After finishing her master's in environmental management
at Duke University, Alison found herself drawn to the Pacific
Northwest where she gets to play in the mountains and on
the water. While at Duke, she focused on community-based
conservation and human-carnivore conflict. She conducted
her research with the Snow Leopard Conservancy–India
Trust in Ladakh, surveying remote Himalayan villages. She
also worked as the assistant staff biologist for Rocky Mountain
Thank you
Alison with friend in India in the Himalayas. Ryan Thomas
Wild in Denver, Colorado, on habitat connectivity issues and
citizen science programs. In her free time, Alison finds any
excuse she can to be out in the mountains, either trail running,
hiking, climbing, or camping.
Mariann Carrasco
Understandably, summer is a slow time for financial
contributions coming in the door. Folks are out enjoying the
great weather, hiking and camping, and on vacations away
from home (as they should be!). That's why it was such a
lovely surprise when I opened the envelope containing an
unexpected full-team monitoring sponsorship gift from Mariann Carrasco this July. It was a generous and very welcome gift
during this slow time. Those moments are thrilling!
When I reached out to Mariann about what inspired her
sponsorship, I was awed by what I learned. I was delighted to
hear about her history and advocacy over the years. She is a
wildlife biologist by trade and has worked on key transportation packages, coordinated
agencies and private sector stakeholders in critical
land exchanges, and unbeknownst to me, actually
worked with Conservation
Northwest as a private consultant during her 35 years
in the field.
Julia Spencer Membership associate,
julia@conservationnw.org
"I think what you are doing is wonderful. I did some of the
first camera stations myself (and my crew) looking for wolverine, etc., in the 1990s. As a matter of fact, we were the first to
get money and do camera stations in the Interstate 90 corridor. Of course, technology has changed so much and I am sure
you are much more successful now than we were then, but we
had a blast doing it for a few years and had some great results
(wolverine in the Gold Creek valley, for example—a first). I
wanted to support the continued effort that you are doing as I
wish I could still be doing it! So I am helping you guys out as
I think what you are doing is so valuable," recounted Mariann
in her response to my inquiry about the gift.
Members like Mariann are the backbone of programs such
as our Cascades Citizen Monitoring Project. Along with
talented staff and volunteers, our members are making real,
on-the-ground progress for wildlife and wild places across
Washington. Mariann has been a valuable ally and supporter
throughout the years, and we cannot thank her enough for all
her important contributions! So, the next question is…will
you join us as a sponsor, too? See the previous page for sponsorship details or visit conservationnw.org/monitoring
Mariann Carrasco. Ken Carrasco
Keeping the Northwest wild
Fall 2013 21
