Meet Our Staff

The Whidbey Island Conservation District currently has a modest staff of two full-time and three part-time employees. For information or assistance about our programs & services - farm & ag assistance, forest stewardship, Firewise & wildfire preparedness, water resource management, backyard & habitat conservation, native plants, or other questions related to natural resource conservation on your land, please call or stop by our office located in the historic Williams House at 1 NE 4th St., Coupeville. Our general working hours are Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Note that our office is not accepting walk-ins at this time due to health guidance for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.

​Have a general question or comment, but not sure who to direct it to? Here are several ways to contact us:

• Request assistance by filling out our request form below  
• Email wicd[at]whidbeycd.org​ 
  
• Call us at (360) 678-4708 and leave a voicemail     

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Ready to get started?

WICD's Natural Resource Planners provide no-cost technical assistance for all Whidbey Island residents and landowners.
Do you need assistance on your property with a natural resource challenge or goal?
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Please note that we are currently undergoing some staff transitions, so may have a few weeks delay in response to your request. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter, and encourage you to explore the resources on our website in the interim.

Request Assistance

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Current Staff Profiles

JOSH MONAGHAN
INTERIM DISTRICT MANAGER
Josh joined the District team as interim District Manager on a part-time, temporary hire in mid-March 2021. Prior to his work with WICD, Josh worked for over 24 years in various levels of leadership, most recently serving as Director of Stewardship Programs with the King Conservation District in Renton, Washington where he was responsible for  farm, forest, and riparian programs, and a team of 18 staff.  WICD welcomes Josh to the District! 

​Josh is available remotely Monday - Friday.

Email JOSH

Kelsi Mottet
NATURAL RESOURCE PLANNER
Emphases:
​Agriculture, Forestry, Firewise
Kelsi joined the District team in fall 2016 and served as the Marketing, Education & Outreach Coordinator for three years. In 2019, she transitioned into the role of Natural Resource Planner, offering technical planning assistance with an emphasis on forestry, farm and ranch operations, and coordinates the Whidbey Island Firewise Program on property wildfire preparedness. A sixth-generation Whidbey Islander from Coupeville with a family history in agriculture, forestry, and the trades, Kelsi has over thirteen of years experience in the fields of natural resources and education. She is a graduate of Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, and holds a Masters of Education with a Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership & Administration.
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Kelsi is available remotely Monday - Friday.

Email Kelsi

Gwendolyn Hannam
NATURAL RESOURCE PLANNER
Emphases: 
Water Management, Bluff & Shoreline, Farm
Gwendolyn joined the District in Spring of 2019 and has over ten years of experience as an environmental biologist, including five years as a Lead Biologist Scientist in the Water Management Section for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Utilizing her BSc. Oceanography (U. Washington, USA) and MSc Taxonomy and Biodiversity of Plants (U. Edinburgh, Scotland), most of her career has been based around water quality, land use & development, endangered species, water resource management, and environmental critical areas. Gwendolyn’s desire to serve her community in a non-regulatory role has brought her an opportunity to contribute her expertise and knowledge to the District as a Natural Resource Planner.

Gwendolyn is available remotely Monday - Friday.

Email GWENDOLYN

Shared Regional Technical Specialists

Whidbey Island Conservation District is one of 45 conservation districts in Washington state that serve its 39 counties. We are part of the 12 Puget Sound Conservation Districts and, as such, have access to technical specialists, including engineers and foresters. These technical specialists focus on providing services to landowners in multiple conservation districts areas, but are vital parts of the localized conservation district team. 

Stacey Dixon
SHARED REGIONAL DISTRICT FORESTER
Stacey joined the District team in spring 2021 and serves as Forester for both Island and Snohomish counties, providing forest stewardship and timber management assistance, with an emphasis on forest health. Stacey's time is shared between Whidbey and Snohomish Conservation District, facilitating a regional and coordinated approach to forest management. Stacey earned her Masters in Forest Resources from the University of Washington and subsequently worked as the Forest Manager for the University of Washington’s Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest. She holds a BS in Society and Environment and a minor in Forestry from the University of California, Berkeley. She was born in Fort Bragg, California and grew up in a coastal redwood forest.

Stacey's availability can be determined by emailing her directly. See button below.

Email STACEY

Tom Slocum
SHARED REGIONAL DISTRICT ENGINEER
Tom is the Washington conservation districts’ Northwest Region engineer, providing licensed professional engineering services to San Juan Conservation District and its counterpart districts in Skagit, Whatcom, and Island counties. Tom’s background includes over twenty years of experience in the environmental field working with public agencies and consulting firms at the local, national, and international level. Tom is particularly interested in natural habitat restoration projects and has assisted individual landowners, non-profit organizations and public agencies in obtaining funding for, permitting, designing and managing construction of scores of such projects. He has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Northeastern University, and a law degree from Seattle University.

Tom's availability can be determined by speaking with our Interim District Manager, Josh Monaghan, about your project needs.

Former District Manager, Matt Zupich (left) and Outreach Coordinator, Shannon Bly (right).

Former Farm Planner Erin Borden representing the District at an event in 2019.

Thank You for Your Years of Service!

Erin Borden - For nearly 2 years, Erin served as the District's Farm Planner, and retired in May 2020 to spend more time with family. 

Matt Zupich - After nearly five years serving two years as a Natural Resource Planner and two years as District Manager, Matt Zupich has moved on to the next phase in his career as of March 2021.
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Shannon Bly - For nearly 2 years, Shannon has served as the District's Outreach Coordinator, but has taken her passion project to the next level as the new Food Hub Manager of the Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative as of March 2021.

Sandy Welch - After nearly 15 years of dedicated service to our District, Office Administrator, Graphic Designer, and Native Plant Sale Manager retired in April 2021 to pursue the next stage in her life's journey.  

We thank Erin, Matt, Shannon, and Sandy for their time and contributions toward helping achieve the Conservation District mission and wish them well!

Former Office Administrator Graphic Designer, and Native Plant Sale Manager, Sandy Welch (third from left), stands with loyal volunteers at a 2017 Plant Sale Event.