A brief bio: My earliest garden memory is of crawling to the center of my mom's raspberry thicket to sit and eat the ripe berries that no one else could reach but me.  I've never forgotten the feeling I had inside that little world, and for most of my adult life I've grown my own patch of organic raspberries (as well as other fruits and vegetables) so that I can continue to eat fresh off the vine.  The power of the natural world has been the greatest inspiration for all other aspects of my life as well.  

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I am an environmental educator who has gardened organically for over 4o years.  Since the mid-1990's, I have taught gardening and nature programs for children and adults, and sustainable gardening classes for adults throughout the Puget Sound region.  I enjoy reaching a wide range of audiences, from preschool and elementary students to college students, and from new gardeners to professional landscapers.

From 1997-2017, my landscape design and consultation business specialized in wildlife-friendly and child-friendly gardens, edible landscapes, and more.  Besides designing dozens of private gardens for homeowners, I have designed public landscapes at Bradner Gardens Park and Magnuson Community Center, school gardens at Orca @ Whitworth K-8, Sand Point Child Development Center, and Sand Point Elem. School, and a nature play area at the Mika e Dete Orphanage in Pleven, Bulgaria.

From 2005-2017, I also worked for the Seattle Dept. of Parks & Recreation as the director and lead educator for Magnuson Nature Programs.  My staff and I, and volunteer docents, provided hands-on environmental education for children and families via nature camps, classes, field trips, and guided nature walks.  During that time, I also taught garden and nature classes for the 70th & Sand Point Child Care Center, Jane Addams K-8, and Sand Point Elementary.

I "semi-retired" in the fall of 2017, when I began spending much more of my time in the desert southwest.   I continued teaching in-person and online sustainable gardening classes for adults and families throughout the Puget Sound region until 2023, and am now living and teaching only in the Desert Southwest. 

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Education and Training:

• Edmonds Community College - Assoc. of Arts Degree in Horticulture/Landscape Design  

• WSNLA - Certified Professional Horticulturist (CPH)

• National Wildlife Federation - Certified Landscape Professional

• Seattle Tilth - Master Composter

• WSU/King County - Master Gardener

• Seattle Audubon - Master Birder

• Plant Amnesty - Master Pruner

• Seattle Public Utilities - Stormwater Management/RainWise Certification

• Arbor Day Foundation - Nature Explore Training

During the past 30 years, I have also attended dozens of conferences and workshops on a wide variety of topics, including: Children's Garden Design and Program Planning, Outdoor Classrooms, Community Gardens and Coalition-Building, Volunteer Management, Horticulture Therapy, the Soil Food Web, Integrated Pest Management, Plant Disease Diagnosis, Native Plants and Peoples, Salmon-Friendly Gardening and Water Quality, Orchard Mason Beekeeping, Drip Irrigation, Trunk and Root Exams, Slope Stability, Mosses and Lichens, Planting under Established Trees, Year-round Food Gardening, Planting for Pollinators, Gardening as You Age, and more.

One of the best things about nature and horticulture is that you can never know it all!  Besides attending organized educational events, I consider each day to be another exciting opportunity to learn.

Professional Experience:

• Coordinator and lead designer for the Arivaca Pollinator Pathway Project: January 2023-present*

• Sustainable Gardening Educator for municipalities and other entities in the Puget Sound area: 1997 - 2023. Clients included: University of Washington Botanic Gardens, Seattle Public Utilities, Cascade Water Alliance, Woodinville Water District, and other members of the Saving Water Partnership, the Snohomish County Dept. of Public Works and Snohomish Conservation District, Washington State University, Seattle Dept. of Neighborhoods, King and Snohomish County Master Gardener Programs, Molbak’s Nursery, City People’s Garden Store, the Green Gardening Program, Sky Nursery, the King Co. Natural Yard Care program, City of Bellevue, City of Federal Way, Green Gardening Program, Washington Native Plant Society, Seattle Tilth, and garden clubs throughout the Puget Sound area.

• Member of the Magnuson Children's Garden Committee, and co-designer of many of its garden features: 2003 - 2023*

• Lead garden educator for the 70th & Sandpoint Child Care Center preschool classes: 2006 - 2017

• Director and lead educator for Magnuson Community Center Nature Programs: 2005 - 2017

• Lead garden educator for Sand Point Elementary School: 2014 - 2015

• Lead instructor for the "Adventures in the Garden" after-school program at Jane Addams K-8 (now Hazel Wolf K-8): 2012 - 2014

• Designer of Sand Point Elementary School Native Plant Garden: 2014

• Landscape Designer for public and private gardens in King and Snohomish Counties: 1997-2017

• Designer of Magnuson Community Center Resource Conservation Landscape: 2011

• Member of the Magnuson Park Habitat Committee: 2011- 2014*

• Designer of Sand Point Child Development Center children's garden: 2009-2010

• Designer of Orca @ Whitworth K-8 School Garden planting plans: 2008

• Designer of nature play area at the Mika e Dete Orphanage in Pleven, Bulgaria: 2008*

• Environmental Educator for Seattle Tilth: 2007 - 2009

• Designer of Magnuson Community Center Bird-friendly Landscape: 2007

• Member of the Kruckeberg Botanic Garden Foundation Education Committee: 2005- 2010*

• Co-Founder and leader of the King Co. Master Gardener School & Youth Committee and the Resource Library/Teaching Kit Clinic: 1999 - 2004*

• Designer of the Bradner Gardens Park Winter Garden, and co-designer of its Sensory Garden and Children's Garden: 1998-2001*

• Coordinator and lead educator for the K-6th grade Garden Program at First Place School 1997 - 2000*

• Coordinator and lead educator for the 2nd Grade Garden Program at Dunlap Elementary School: 1995 - 2003*

• Arivaca Dancehall restoration project coordinator: 2021 - 2023

• Building restoration, remodeling, and rental property consultant: 1980 - 1997

* denotes work done pro bono or as a volunteer

Volunteer Awards:

• Received King Co. Master Gardener Program Coordinator's Award: 2023

• Awarded "Washington State Master Gardener of the Year" 2005