Cascadia Conservation District
Serving Chelan County

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead


 

Links:

Committed to Conservation

The Cascadia Conservation District is self-governed by a volunteer Board of Supervisors who oversee the work of ten dedicated staff members with a broad range of expertise. Both are committed to the wise use of natural resources and understand the value of voluntary, locally-led conservation in our communities.

Members of the Board of Supervisors serve three-year terms and work to establish priorities, set policy and supervise District staff. The Board consists of three members elected by District voters and two members appointed by the Washington State Conservation Commission through an application process. The Board may also consist of associate members appointed by current Board members. Associate members may attend board meetings and weigh-in on issues, but are not granted voting rights.

 

Board of Supervisors

The Cascadia Conservation District Board of Supervisors holds regularly scheduled meetings on the third Friday of every month at 1:30 PM. Meetings are open to the public. For updated meeting information visit our Meetings & Events page.

Junell Wentz, Chair

Amy Bridges, Auditor

Amy Bridges is a lifelong resident of the Wenatchee Valley coming from a long line of orchardists and growing up playing in apple bins and climbing trees.  Graduating in 2020 with a degree from the University of Washington in Integrated Social Sciences with a focus on environmental activism, local conservation efforts became a natural next step. Amy joined the Cascadia Board of Supervisors in April of 2020.  Passionate about keeping our waterways clean, her primary goal is lowering our communities dependence on single use plastics.  Amy enjoys yoga and growing a variety of plants and spending time with her daughter. 

Dillon Miller, Vice Chair

Dillon was born and raised in Cashmere and is a 4th generation local farmer in the Cashmere/Dryden area. 

 

Kurt Hosman, Member

 

As a central Washington native, lifelong resident, and former conservation worker, Kurt supports Cascadia’s efforts to provide environmental education, and to actively preserve and enhance our local natural resources in a non-regulatory role. When the chance arose to apply for a one-year interim position as a supervisor (2021-2022), Kurt thought it would be a good opportunity to help that mission.

 

Pete Teigen, Member

Pete was born in Idaho with family roots in agriculture. His maternal grandparents were wheat farmers and his paternal grandparents were ranchers in Montana. He has lived in Leavenworth with his wife and kids since 2014. Pete has a master's degree in public administration from University of Washington and brings several years of natural resource work experience to the Board. His work experience includes facilitating a forest health collaborative and running a salmon restoration grant program. He has long appreciated voluntary conservation programs aimed at supporting local landowners and agricultural producers. He is interested in supporting forest treatments with private landowners and communities. 

 

Josh Koempel, Associate

Larry Cordes, Associate

 

Contact information for each employee is included below. Employees are listed in alphabetical order by their last name. Visit our Contact Us page for mailing information.

 

Staff Members

Mark Amara

Archaeologist

Bio coming soon!

Kirk Beckendorf

Environmental Educator

 

He grew up on a dairy farm and small ranch in Texas- where he earned a B.S. in agronomy and a secondary science education certification from Texas A&M University. Since then he has lived in Wyoming, Alaska, Oregon, Washington D.C. and Tennessee (where he earned a M.S. in science education). He has taught middle school science for 20+ years in rural and suburban schools. In Washington D.C., Kirk helped develop education programs, resources and grants for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He is thrilled to be out west again. He loves to travel and enjoy the outdoors.

Kathleen Deason

Administrative Assistant

Kathleen began working in natural resources with the initiation of watershed planning in the Upper Columbia Region in 1999. She has worked to bring stakeholders together in a voluntary, collaborative setting to improve communication, address issues, and implement actions to improve natural resources in the region. She has worked to manage a watershed planning program, develop and implement projects, and to provide contractual and fiscal administration. She has worked for both local government and non-profit organizations in the Upper Columbia Region. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Planning from Western Washington University and is a graduate of the Washington State AgForestry Leadership Program, Class XII. She enjoys being in the outdoors and renovating houses. After taking time away to raise a family, she is excited to be back working at the Cascadia Conservation District!  

Patrick Haggerty 

Forestry Program Manager

Patrick Haggerty began his career on a dairy farm, and after pursuing an education in natural resource management he found himself exploring the world through work as a commercial fishermen, wildlife biologist, fisheries biologist, wildland fire fighter and forester. At Cascadia he utilizes his diverse experience to provide technical assistance and conservation planning for landowners to assist them in the wise stewardship of their natural resources based on sound science. His work currently focuses on improving forest health across landscapes, and helping communities prepare for and recover from wildfire.

Valerie Hampton 

Financial Coordinator

Playing in the woods, riding horses, fishing, and outdoor science classes in grade school gave Valerie an early appreciation for nature. Education at Central Washington University in Journalism/Public Relations and experience in bookkeeping formed the backdrop to Valerie’s introduction to resource conservation. In 1996, Valerie started with the District as a part-time secretary. Her interesting and varied tasks now include assisting with grant invoicing, financial reporting, payroll, benefits, budgeting, contracting, staff support and policy development. Married, with two adult children and one grandson, Valerie enjoys family time, cooking, and word games.

Alex Harwell

Resource Specialist II

Originally from bluebonnet and hurricane-rich gulfcoast Texas, Alex originally began working seasonally in the Pacific Northwest in 2008. Jumping around raft and sea kayak guiding, trail building, and teaching, Alex followed her passions and went back to school to graduate in 2015 with a Master’s in Environmental Horticulture and Ecological Restoration. Since then she has been working full time helping to achieve lasting sustainability goals through the reconnection of people to place through inclusive, innovative and integrated restoration approaches. When not at work you can find Alex wandering Cascadia: collecting seeds, wildcrafting, and deepening her own connection to place.

Joe Hill

Forest & Community Resilience Specialist

Joe Hill comes to Cascadia with 12 years of wildland firefighting, fire, and forest management experience, with work spanning forest resiliency, fire suppression, and prevention. Joe’s work has taken him across the country, from being a Hotshot crew member in Idaho, to being part of a Wildland Fire Module in Colorado, to helping run a prescribed fire engine in South Carolina, to collecting forest inventory data for an environmental consulting firm in Oregon. Most recently, Joe served as a Fire Engine Operator on the Wenatchee River Ranger District and has been based in the Leavenworth area since 2017. Joe holds a degree in Forest Management from Oregon State University, with a focus in Wildland Fire Management. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Joe enjoys skiing, rock climbing, trail running, and road biking, and is excited to spend more time developing a fire resilient property outside Leavenworth and building a home from the ground up with his partner. 

Mark Ingman

Resource Specialist II

Mark grew up hiking and camping throughout the Pacific Northwest. His education and background are in water resources, project management, and small-scale agriculture. At Cascadia he partners with landowners to enhance their streamside habitat through installing beaver dam analog (BDA) structures for recovery of salmon in the Entiat and Wenatchee watersheds. In his spare time Mark enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two boys and also growing fruits and vegetables in his garden.

 

Elizabeth Jackson

Resource Specialist II

Originally from the East Coast, Elizabeth moved to the Wenatchee Valley in 2014 with a passion for fish and wildlife and working with people.  Elizabeth has over ten years of experience in resource management at non-profit, state, and federal levels and five years of experience in conservation planning.  She earned a BA in Environmental Science from Clark University in 2009 and a master’s certificate in Wildlife Management from Oregon State University in 2019.  Elizabeth enjoys the beauty of North Central Washington and devotes herself to preserving our natural resources for future generations.  In her spare time, she enjoys traveling with her husband, hiking with her dogs, and opening her home to foster animals.

Lucas Lachica

Resource Technician II

Originally from Virginia, Lucas has slowly been making his way west before settling in Central Washington. After graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University with a BA in Environmental Studies in 2017, Lucas has pursued a career in conservation for the last 5 years. First moving to Austin, TX to work with the Texas Conservation Corps and then landing in Reno, NV working as a natural resource technician with tribal fish and wildlife biologists. Lucas is excited to explore the beauty of Central Washington and join the community to learn about local conservation issues as the District’s Habitat Restoration Technician. When not at work, you’ll find him spending time with his growing family and enjoying the outdoors fishing, hiking, and camping.

Kim Lancaster

Archaeologist 

 Bio coming soon!

Recipient of the 2023 Conservation District Partner of the Year from WA Association of Conservation Districts.

Amanda Newell

Education & Outreach Specialist

Amanda Newell manages the education and outreach programs for Cascadia Conservation District. Some of these efforts include: a quarterly newsletter, coordinating the Kids in the Creek & Kids in the Forest outdoor education programs, managing the Firewise program, as well as participating in many outreach and education events throughout the year, such as: Earth Day Fairs and the Wenatchee River Salmon Festival. She also coordinates our annual photo contest and creates the natural resource stewardship calendar. Amanda has a Bachelor's degree in Communication with a Minor in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University. She also enjoyed study abroad terms in Costa Rica and Italy. In her free time Amanda enjoys world travel, outdoor recreation, spending time with family & friends, especially her daughters and husband. Amanda has been with Cascadia since October 2010.

Nada Wentz

Office Assistant

Cascadia Conservation District hired Nada 11 years ago for the position of Office Assistant. As an Office Assistant her duties included receptionist, clerical, filing, taking meeting minutes, Board meeting schedules and prep, and mailing of correspondence.  She has held clerical and bookkeeping positions prior to becoming a mom, but she chose to stay home with her four children until they were grown. While at home with her family, in-home daycare and piano lessons helped with the family income. She enjoys canning fruit, sewing, card making, knitting and baking. "Raising a family has deeply ingrained the need for good stewardship practices, not just financially, but in taking good care of all that we need and enjoy.  She considers herself blessed to be allowed to work for Cascadia Conservation District and with the staff."

Ryan Williams

Executive Director

Ryan has a combined 13 years of experience with Washington State Conservation Districts working on conservation programs. This includes 11 years at Snohomish CD and 2 years at Mason CD. Ryan has worked in habitat restoration projects in rivers, is a certified conservation planner and is active with the statewide Center for Technical Development and is a graduate of the AgForestry Leadership program (class 40). At Cascadia CD he will work with the District’s many different conservation programs as Executive Director. In his free time, Ryan enjoys fly fishing, brewing beer and working on restoring his classic car.

Isobel Woolner

Forest & Community Resilience Specialist

Isobel is originally from Portland, OR but has lived and worked all over the West. She has experience working in Timber and Silviculture for the Forest Service on the Willamette, Mt. Hood, and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests - mostly recently on the nearby Cle Elum Ranger District. She’s excited to bring her forestry experience and love for beautiful Central Washington to Cascadia, where she hopes to foster sustainable stewardship of our natural resources while serving the community. Isobel is honored to engage in creating healthier and more resilient ecosystems. She enjoys birding, hiking with her dog Bandit, gardening, and foraging for wild edibles.