WHO WE ARE:

The Leadership Team

Marjie Fields

As a grandmother, I care deeply about the future of our planet. My role in the EMEA is to support relationships with decision-makers regarding estuary restoration. By facilitating communications with within the organization and with the community at large, I think we can extend our reach and educate other citizens about the importance of the marsh.

 I am a retired college professor with a doctorate in child development. But my undergraduate degree in journalism is much more useful for this job.

Bill Derry

 With a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in forest resources, Bill Derry brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the EMEA. He served on the board of directors for People for Puget Sound for six years and is currently president of Pilchuck Audubon. Bill has consulted with local and state governments in watershed planning, stormwater utility creation and planning, salmon habitat planning and restoration, and more.

 In his spare time, he skis, plays soccer, and performs rock music with The Sidekickers for dances, weddings, and parties.

Kathleen Sears

 My love of the Edmonds Marsh began in 1960 when my mother, drawn by the natural beauty and excellent schools in Edmonds, accepted a job teaching science and we moved to an apartment just a couple blocks from the marsh. I loved the outdoors and wasted no time exploring my new home. Observing marine life along the waterfront and searching for frogs along the edges of the marsh occupied my early years in Edmonds. After retiring from a long career teaching at international schools in Kenya and Malaysia and then at Lakeside School in Seattle, I was eager to rekindle my connection with the marsh and support its return to a functioning estuary that supports salmon.

 My role in the EMEA is spreading awareness and appreciation of the marsh through community outreach. 

Greg Ferguson

Greg graduated from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in aero- and astro-engineering. He then began a career as—go figure—an aquaculture engineer. Over the next 45 years, he built and operated private salmon hatcheries and was a salmon restoration engineering consultant for the Yakama Nation and Columbia River PUDs, working on projects like the one described in The Methow Coho Story.

Now an Edmonds Steward, Greg does environmental work for the future of his grandkids and their kids and their kids’ kids…

Laurie Sorensen

Laurie Sorensen feels strongly that we need to start now, right here in Edmonds, to counter the effects of climate change. She wants her grandchildren and their children to be able to experience orcas and salmon. Her background in business administration for non-profits, with organizations as diverse as child abuse prevention and the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, suits her well in her position on the EMEA leadership and outreach teams.
Now retired, Laurie is an award-winning artist with a permanent exhibition of her works at the University of Western Australia. On your next walk through the Edmonds Marsh, you might find her painting the marsh!

Jane O’Dell

 I was raised to follow the Girl Scout mission of leaving every place better than you found it. It is a privilege to work with other Edmonds community volunteers to help the Edmonds Marsh Estuary regain its role as a fish nursery and wildlife habitat, as a functioning part of the hydrology of Puget Sound and our local watershed, and as a source of refreshment and education to benefit us and future generations.

Support Team for Community Outreach, Political Advocacy and Restoration Planning

Ron Eber

Ron Eber organized his university’s first Earth Day in 1970 and then was Sierra Club National Campus Coordinator from 1970 to 1971. He received a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon. Then, he went on to a 30-year career with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development as their Rural Lands Policy Specialist and Legal Policy Coordinator. He helped found the Sierra Club’s Oregon Chapter in 1978 and coordinated campaigns for wilderness protection and political efforts to block mining in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Retired in Washington State, he served on the Washington Boundary Review Board for Kitsap County and other planning advisory committees.

Ron has published articles about John Muir, as well as others on conservation history in the United States and the Pacific Northwest.

Alan Mearns

 The Everett Herald calls Alan Mearns an “ecological inquirer” and “a birdwatcher with purpose.” Now retired, Alan was a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As a member of the agency’s emergency response division, he assessed how oil spills and other disasters -- natural and manmade -- affect the ocean. He’s a data guy and has kept records of birds in his yard and his neighborhood for more than 20 years. Alan is especially concerned about the effects of climate change on birds and their habitats.

 He serves as science advisor to the EMEA.

Al Snapp

For 35 years, Al headed the arts department at Lakeside School where he taught theater and graphic arts and web design, while developing a course in digital media and co-leading the community service program. After he retired, he pivoted to active environmental protection work. Al came to the EMEA after completing the Community Action Training School course with Sound Salmon Solutions.

Al says: “As a native Northwesterner and for 30 years an Edmonds resident, I have enjoyed being an explorer of the many outdoor treasures here in Washington. I found Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates to be a great team doing important habitat restoration advocacy work.”  Al is currently the web designer and webmaster, being helpful wherever he can, hoping to help create a better future for our exceptional Edmonds and for the natural treasures here and around the Northwest.

Ellen Blackstone

 An Iowa girl, Ellen started birding at the age of 6, later helping her father with his “bluebird trail” of more than 40 boxes. Raised in that culture of conservation, she now puts her passion to work for birds and nature. She edited Seattle Audubon’s newsletter, Earthcare Northwest, for five years and was lead editor on BirdWeb.org. She volunteered with the Seattle Peregrine Project for many years. After almost retiring, she worked 17 more years for BirdNote, writing, editing, and working on the website.

 When Ellen moved to Edmonds in 2021, she headed straight for “the marsh people” and was delighted when she found such an amazingly passionate and capable group of people in the EMEA.

Bernie Busch

 After 40 years as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, Bernie retired and hit the beach. Thanks to the WSU Beach Watcher program, he’s been volunteering on the beach and in the classroom in Snohomish County schools. Leading walks during low tides, Bernie shares his knowledge of beach life and offers conservation information about the Salish Sea. Bernie also sought training with the Seattle Aquarium in 2009 as a naturalist interpreter and continues volunteering weekly there. Since moving to Edmonds in 2019, he has been a docent with the Edmonds Discovery Program, volunteering at the sea-life touch tank at the ranger station on Olympic Beach.

Off the beach, Bernie’s other interests are photography, graphic design, guitar, and travel. And he shares his expertise on the EMEA outreach team.