New team members at Conservation Northwest
Conservation Northwest / Jul 02, 2020 / Our Staff
Meet Brian Stewart, our Cascades to Olympics Coordinator, and welcome back Heather Hutchison, now our Special Events and Public Engagement Coordinator!
You may remember Heather Hutchison, who was previously our Development and Events Associate. After taking a one-year cycling trip through North and South America, we’re glad to bring her back on the Conservation Northwest team as our Special Events and Public Engagement Coordinator.
New faces at Conservation Northwest
Brian Stewart, Cascades to Olympics Coordinator
Where are you from and how long have you lived in the northwest?
I have spent my entire life in the Northwest. I was born in Portland, Oregon in May of 1979 and moved to Seattle, Washington four months later. I spent many years in the North Seattle and Lynnwood areas. Roughly six years ago, I moved to Southwest Washington and now reside in unincorporated Lewis County in a small town called Onalaska.
Why conservation northwest? what about this organization appeals to you?
My passions and academic interests have mostly been focused on habitat and landscape connectivity, with a deeper focus on fragmentation caused by roads and anthropogenic infrastructure. My interests and expertise lineup perfectly with the work that Conservation Northwest has been doing in the region for many years. In fact, there is no other organization in the region that engages with the environmental issues I believe to be the most important for creating, restoring, protecting, and maintaining a resilient and healthy landscape, like Conservation Northwest does. I feel it is a natural marriage of aligned conservation ideologies and scientific interests that have drawn me to the Conservation Northwest family.
what do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
There are four main activities I enjoy very much in my free time. One, playing music, I enjoy drumming, singing, playing the piano and writing songs. Two, I love camping, specifically along the Hoh River and on Mt. Rainier. Three, I love games, board games, video games, all sorts of games. Four, the guiltiest of all my pleasures are theme parks, especially the one run by a world-famous mouse in Anaheim, California.
Who is your environmental hero?
There are so many inspirational and well-known people that have contributed to public lands, conservation, naturalism, activism and related sciences—people like Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, Bob Marshall, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, David Brower, Donella Meadows, Charles Darwin and many more. However, the real heroes in my eyes are everyday people that work to create positive change in their communities and environments. Volunteers, citizen scientists, indigenous communities protecting their cultural and physical landscapes, and people that make everyday sacrifices to enrich their communities through environmental work. Every single day, millions of environmental and social heroes do the heavy lifting of environmental work, by giving of themselves to enrich others and protect and conserve the ecosystems that have given Earth’s lifeforms such a magnificent place to live. If you are engaged in environmental work on any level, then you are in my mind, the everyday hero that makes conservation and environmental stewardship possible.
Heather Hutchison, Special Events and Public Engagement Coordinator
Where are you from and how long have you lived in the northwest?
I was born and raised in Packer country (Green Bay, Wisconsin). I’ve also had the opportunity to live in Washington, D.C. during college and abroad in Ecuador for five formative years. After nearly four years in Seattle now, I can officially say that the Pacific Northwest has by far been my favorite place to live.
Why conservation northwest? what about this organization appeals to you?
What originally drew me to Conservation Northwest was the breadth of the organization’s work and its ability to affect real, sustainable change by working with local farmers, communities and agencies to negotiate practical alternatives and minimize negative impacts for all stakeholders. This community-centric and pragmatic, cooperative approach is both rare and essential and is something I value highly in an organization. During my first few years with Conservation Northwest, I have seen the staff’s commitment and pragmatism in every operational aspect, and appreciate the opportunity to work with so many inspiring individuals. Conservation Northwest’s track record and reputation across the Northwest shows how important its work is and how effective their strategy is for turning comprehensive conservation policy into action.
what do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
Since moving to the Northwest, I’ve been exploring the wide range of outdoor activities available within a couple hours of home. On a day off, there’s nothing I’d rather do than be in the mountains, whether that be hiking, climbing or snowboarding. In the city, you’ll likely find me cycling, rock climbing, or frequenting my favorite breweries and/or ice cream spots.
Who is your environmental hero?
Moi Enomenga, a leader of a Huaorani Indigenous group in Ecuador (a group that has largely isolated itself from other groups), for his persistence and fortitude in taking on international oil interests to fight for the land and forests that belong to the Huaorani tribes of the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. As oil companies began to encroach on Huaorani territory and leave the Huaoranis without a home, Moi sought international support (including speaking at the United Nations) to secure protection of the land for the Huaorani’s future and the future of the Amazon. Like countless other Indigenous communities around the world, Moi’s work to save the rainforest, livelihood and way of life on which his culture relies is inspirational and a greater sacrifice than I will ever have to make. With Moi’s sacrifice in mind, his story is a constant reminder of what we owe to those people and communities without a voice or access to resources for change.