Conservation District Staff

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Paul Andersson, District Manager
Pronouns: He/him, Email: paul@sjicd.org

Paul joined the Conservation District in 2021 and is responsible for the successful coordination of all programs and staff under the Board of Supervisors. He brings experience managing small businesses and environmental programs for government, non profit and private sector organizations throughout the Puget Sound. Paul is a resident of Orcas Island, where it is easy to see and enjoy how the work of the Conservation District and its strategic partners have had a profound impact on land preservation, water quality, agriculture, energy and recreation for generations of islanders. Prior to joining the CD, Paul served as the District Manager for the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District and as a climate and energy program specialist for City of Bellevue. He has a BA in English Literature from Iowa State University and a MBA in Sustainable Business from Presidio University. 

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Tony Fyrqvist, Finance Manager

Pronouns: He/him, Email: tony@sjicd.org

Tony joined the San Juan Islands Conservation District as the Financial Manager in 2020 after more than thirty years in community banking. Tony brings a wealth of finance experience to the district as well as ties to the San Juan Island community. Originally from a small island in Finland, Tony and his wife, Lisa, raised their five children in Friday Harbor, where he has been an active participant in local society. Tony has coached youth sports for the region, including baseball, roller hockey, and soccer. At home, Tony and Lisa actively compost household organic matter, and he rides his bike to work, regardless of the weather. Tony obtained his undergraduate degree from California State University, went on to complete his Master’s degree in International Management at Arizona State University, and attained his MBA from Seattle University.

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Pauline Chiquet, Natural Resource Planner

Pronouns: She/hers, Email: pauline@sjicd.org

Pauline joined the San Juan Islands Conservation District in 2022 after earning her NRCS certificate as a Natural Resource Planner and working with the Whatcom Conservation District. Despite her  BA in Art History from Yale University, Pauline decided to pursue a career in food and agriculture. She received a certification in farm management on small-scale vegetable and livestock operations from the Organic Farm School on Whidbey Island in 2018. In 2019, she opened her own farm in the Skagit Valley and served as a consultant for farmers and gardeners, with a particular focus on fertility management and soil best practices for regenerative systems. She is a certified Soil Food Web Lab Technician, specializing in soil microbiological testing for biological soil balancing. Pauline lives on Orcas Island and enjoys immersing herself in the waters of the Salish Sea, swimming, diving, and paddle boarding.

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Bruce Gregory, Senior Planner

Pronouns: He/him, Email: bruce@sjicd.org

Bruce is a long-time resident of San Juan Island. He and his wife, Colleen Howe-Gregory, own and operate Mitchell Bay Farm. Their farm has agricultural production in grass raised lamb, Kiwifruit, Asian pears, Cane berries, figs, vegetable production, bee keeping and small round bale haylage. Bruce is a past member of the SJC Noxious Weed Control Board, and served as a member of the USDA Farm Service Agency County Committee for six years. He was a founding member of Island Grown Farmer’s Cooperative that operates the first USDA inspected mobile slaughter unit established in the U.S. He also served as a board member of the Northwest Agricultural Business Center in Mt. Vernon, WA. Bruce has a bachelor’s degree from Boise State University, and Post-Bac from WWU and was a participant in the two-year WSU/Kellogg Foundation/Holistic Management statewide program. Bruce has helped other farmers and forest landowners with resource planning through his work with the San Juan Islands Conservation District as a certified USDA-NRCS Resource Planner since 2007 and works part-time now.

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Kai Hoffman-Krull, Forest Health Manager

Pronouns: He/him, Email: kai@sjicd.org

Kai is a certified NRCS Natural Resouce Planner after studying forestry and literature at Yale University, where he also received a certificate in Business Plan Development from the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Western Washington University College of the Environment, and has coordinated research projects in agriculture and forestry with the University of Washington, University of Montana, and Oregon State University in the San Juan Islands since 2014. He has co-authored peer-reviewed articles in Biogeochemistry and Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment, and has written extensively for publications such as Growing for Market, Civil Eats, New Society Publishing, The Sound Consumer, Rodale Institute, and Stone Pier Press. Kai is also a certified US Forest Service C-Level Sawyer and a certified US Forest Service C-Level Sawyer Instructor/ Evaluator in chainsaw bucking and ground processing.  He lives on Waldron Island, where he enjoys trail running, growing food, and managing his forest for biodiversity, plant resilience, and carbon sequestration 

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Kelsey Kittleson, Program Coordinator

Pronouns: She/hers, Email: kelsey@sjicd.org

Kelsey works at the District coordinating the the San Juan Islands Youth Conservation Corps Program, engaging local youth in outdoor field experience and environmental education. While she is originally from Northern Idaho, Kelsey has spent time in the islands since childhood. She holds a BA in Environmental Studies from Western Washington University's College of the Environment. She is actively involved in the community through her work with the Youth Conservation Corps, Stewardship Network of the San Juans, and Leave No Trace collaborative outreach. Kelsey is passionate about working and learning with local youth and is continually inspired by the collaboration and community-oriented spirit that exists among the islands. Kelsey splits her time between San Juan Island and Anacortes and loves to explore the local lands and waters by snorkeling, kayaking, boating, and spending time with loved ones.

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Laura Pitts, Natural Resource Project Manager

Pronouns: She/hers, Email: laura@sjicd.org

Laura became an Orcas Island resident in 2018 after joining the Camp Orkila staff as an Outdoor Environmental Educator. Her passion for conservation soon led her to serve an AmeriCorps term at Moran State Park, where she built a trail and led hundreds of volunteers through other stewardship projects. Before joining the district, Laura was a regulatory specialist and biologist for shoreline development in San Juan County, where she assisted property owners in implementing sustainable practices and mitigating environmental impacts. Laura grew up deep in the heart of Texas and obtained a BS in Environmental Science from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. In her down time she enjoys hiking, foraging, gardening, or just relaxing in the sun with a good book.

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Cathi Winings, Natural Resource Planner

Pronouns: She/hers, Email: cathi@sjicd.org

Cathi has worked for the District as a natural resource planner since 2019, providing forestry technical assistance, coordinating the Voluntary Stewardship Program, and coordinating GIS projects. Originally from Wisconsin, she moved to Washington in 1998 to work at North Cascades National Park. After 15 years of work with the NPS, she moved to Johns Island to join her husband and start a family, and eventually moved to San Juan Island in 2014. Cathi holds a B.S. and M.S. in Geography from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and Western Washington University, respectively. She has many years of planning and environmental compliance experience as a natural resource manager with the NPS, where she also performed hazard tree surveys, soundscape monitoring, invasive plant management, and fire incident GIS. Cathi enjoys hiking, gardening, knitting, and sewing, and hopes someday soon to backpack with her family in the mountains. She and the kids spend the summer traveling between San Juan and Johns islands to visit their dad where he works at Camp Nor’wester.

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Walt Andrews, Natural Resource Project Manager
Pronouns: He/him, Email: walt@sjicd.org

Walt joined the District is 2023 and manages SJICD's Island Marble Butterfly recovery efforts. He is an ecologist with broad interests in conservation, biodiversity, agriculture, and the social nature of how we conserve the communities and ecosystems of the San Juan Islands. Walt has a background in ecology, conservation, and land management. He has a B.S. in Ecology from the Evergreen State College and has worked in the biological sciences in ecology and agriculture. Walt also coordinates the IMB Volunteer Program and does research at WSU San Juan County Extension. Walt lives on Lopez Island. He enjoys finding ways to improve habitat, good science, raising chickens, and live music.

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