Alison Studley Executive Director
Alison grew up exploring the rivers, farms, and mountains of the Skagit Valley. After receiving a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from UC Santa Barbara, Alison first started working for SFEG in 1997. In 1999 she became the Executive Director. Alison greatly values her role at SFEG and her role in helping to ensure that the Magic of the Skagit remains intact for future generations. Alison is the mother of two sons, Ervin and Zakary. When not working, she and her husband Drew delight in sharing new adventures as a family rafting, kayaking, camping, and exploring. She can be reached at astudley (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Why I Do the Conservation Work That I Do an article by Alison Studley (pdf)
Yuki Reiss Restoration Ecologist
Yuki was born in Kyoto, Japan and grew up in Seattle, WA. She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon, and an M.S. in Biology from Central WA University with an emphasis in fisheries population genetics. Yuki spent 16 years working in eastern WA for the Dept of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, and Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board. For the past 10 years Yuki has worked in Kauai, Hawaii on seabird habitat restoration, but she is happy to be back in the PNW reconnecting with salmon, trout, and cold-water streams. In her free time Yuki enjoys hiking, kayaking, scuba diving, traveling, playing ultimate frisbee, and spending time with her husband and two daughters. Yuki can be reached at kyreiss (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Lucy DeGrace Outreach Manager
Lucy joined the SFEG team in 1999 after completing a B.S. in Natural Resources at the Ohio State University and working in outdoor education with Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks. A native of Cincinnati, Lucy really enjoys teaching kids and adults about salmon and stream ecology. When not working, she enjoys birding, gardening, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband, cat, and bunny. Reach her at ldegrace (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Melody Meyers Finance and Operations Manager
Melody came to Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group with a background in both finance and business. She’s not a stranger to the non-profit sector, spending 25 years working within non-profit organizations. When she’s not crunching numbers and solving problems, Melody likes to quilt and spend time with her grandchildren. She likes to be outside, especially when she’s working out in her yard! You can reach her at accounting (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Rebecca (Becca) Rising Riparian Project Manager
After a Pacific Northwest start to life in Sitka, AK, Rebecca moved between Louisiana, Texas, Guatemala and central California in her younger years. Her education includes a B.S. in Biology from George Fox University and a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. Much of her working life has involved a variety of field positions such as bear management, songbird banding, bullfrog hunting, and air quality monitoring at Sequoia & Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks. In 2014, she returned to the PNW and, through the native plant and restoration program at North Cascades National Park, fell in love with restoration work. She is inspired and humbled by the commonplace occurrence of plants growing and building habitat for so many other creatures. Her free time can be spent floating the Skagit with her family, working on house projects, or helping plants grow both inside and out. She can be reached at rrising (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Bengt Miller Stewardship Coordinator
Bengt began his restoration career right out of college. After an internship performing in-stream monitoring during the summer of 1999 he became the first AmeriCorps/WCC individual placement Skagit Fisheries employed. After his year of service he moved to Maine to do another AmeriCorps year. Upon returning back to the Northwest he used his AmeriCorps education allowance to attend the Bellingham Technical College, where he learned about land surveying, mapping and GIS. In February of 2009 he began working full time at Skagit Fisheries as a Watershed Restoration Technician. He loves the outdoor aspect of his job and finds the work fulfilling. Outside of work he can usually be found wherever there is an Ultimate Frisbee game. Contact Bengt at bmiller (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Muriel Troka Restoration Technician-Crew Lead
Growing up in Concrete Washington, Muriel spent her childhood exploring the scenic Skagit River watershed. This inspired her to pursue a career outdoors, working to preserve and restore the land she feels strongly connected to. After completing a BA in Environmental Policy from Western Washington University, Muriel worked at a State Park, then served two terms with the Washington Conservation Corps, first with the City of Bellingham, then here at SFEG. Muriel finds field work fun and rewarding, and enjoys being able to swim in the river, play in the mud, and learn to ID new plant and animal species. In her free time, you may find Muriel camping, hiking, swimming, and cross-country skiing with her friends and family, and playing with Sitka, her rescue kitty. She can be reached at mtroka (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Kelin Doner Restoration Technician
Kelin grew up just south of Seattle, exploring the outdoors and looking forward to trips up to the Skagit Valley. She earned a BA in Biology from Lewis & Clark College. After spending some time living overseas, she returned to Washington to reconnect with the Northwest through a service term with EarthCorps prior to joining SFEG. In her free time, Kelin enjoys backpacking, climbing, foraging for mushrooms, and crocheting in the company of her two cats. Reach her at kdoner (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Holly Henderson Communications and Development Coordinator
Holly grew up in Snohomish, Washington, and has always loved spending time outdoors. She began her college career at Oregon State University, and in 2022 graduated from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Management and Leadership, focusing primarily on ecotourism and equitable outdoor recreation. Prior to joining SFEG she worked with a number of Washington wineries assisting with wine tastings and culinary courses. In her free time she enjoys paddle boarding on Lake Whatcom, exploring local beaches, and cooking. On cold winter days she can be found constantly checking the weather forecast for snow, and during the summer she’s out on the water whenever she can be. She can be reached at hhenderson (at) skagitfisheries.org.
Myrriah Crowley Habitat Restoration Coordinator
Myrriah grew up in the redwoods of California and moved to the PNW several years ago to explore this wild and biodiverse region. She started at Skagit Fisheries as a Riparian Restoration Associate AmeriCorps member after graduating from Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Science, emphasis in Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecology. Before moving to WA, Myrriah earned a degree in Horticulture with an emphasis on Organic Agriculture and Crop Production at Cabrillo College. She enjoys gardening, foraging, hiking, good food, and cold water; she is excited to keep building a relationship with the community that keeps our waters, salmon, people, and environment healthy and thriving here in the Salish Sea. Contact her at mcrowley (at) skagitfisheries.org.
2024-2025 Washington Service Corps (WSC) AmeriCorps
Devon Bedard Restoration Associate
Devon grew up spending a great deal of his time outdoors exploring western Washington’s many forests and streams, where he fostered a strong connection to the natural world. His care for the natural world led him to pursue a degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis on freshwater and terrestrial ecology at Western Washington University. After graduation, he gained experience with his time as a Chinook salmon spawner surveyor with WDFW, WCC restoration crew member at NSEA, and vegetation monitoring intern here at Skagit Fisheries. He is excited to continue growing professionally and build his knowledge of salmon and habitat restoration during his term as a WSC Habitat Restoration Associate. He can be reached at dbedard (at) skagitfisheries.org
Kelly Williams Education Associate
Kelly grew up in Utah exploring the red rock deserts and learning to love and appreciate nature. After graduating with a degree in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, she was inspired to explore careers focused on people’s interaction with nature and understanding of the world around them. She has worked various seasonal jobs including conducting visitor use surveys for the Forest Service and being a Community Program intern with NSEA. This eventually led her to becoming a white water raft guide in Washington. She instantly fell in love with the rivers of the PNW and her love of working with people in the outdoors continued to grow. She is excited to continue to explore the rivers and continuing to educate others with her role at Skagit Fisheries. In her free time Kelly enjoys sea kayaking, rafting, skiing, and playing card games with friends. She can be reached at kwilliams (at) skagitfisheries.org
2024 Seasonal Restoration Technicians
Ben Molenhouse
Ben was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. With a love for the outdoors, he moved to Washington state to pursue a degree in Environmental Science at Western Washington University, graduating just this past spring 2024. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, sailing, gardening, making music, and woodworking. Over past summers he has worked a variety of jobs including a forestry crew and eelgrass research crew. He is excited to be a part of the SFEG team and looks forward to contributing to restoring salmon habitat within the Skagit River watershed.
2024 Interns
Kat Martin Education Intern
Kat grew up in land locked Reno, Nevada for nearly twenty years. She moved to Washington in 2020 to pursue her passions of becoming a marine naturalist and full time marine life artist. She has an unfaltering love for all cetaceans, but has a special place in her heart for killer whales. Kat is currently attending Skagit Valley College to obtain a degree in environmental conservation. When Kat is not crafting art, watching YouTube, swimming, hiking, or studying, you can find her along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest searching for whales.
Kaia Olson Education Intern
Kaia is from Spokane, Washington, but grew up visiting the Salish Sea basin and developed a love for protecting it. She’s happy to be back in the area attending Western Washington University for environmental science—she’s particularly passionate about studying youth mentorship and environmental justice. In her free time, you can find Kaia exploring the outdoors on foot and by kayak, blasting music while cooking, or reading.
Lauren Schwartzenberger Education Intern
Lauren was born and raised in Spokane, WA. She grew up with a love of the outdoors and moved to Bellingham to pursue a degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University. She has a deep love for all animals and is excited to be taking her first step in ensuring the planet remains a safe and healthy place for all living beings. In her free time, Lauren loves backpacking, reading, climbing and foraging.
PJ Heusted Spawner Survey Intern
PJ grew up in Western Washington and despite a few attempts to leave, she keeps finding her way back. She got a BA in English Literature from Western Washington University in 2021, but after she realized that there is work to be done outdoors, she hasn’t gone back inside since. PJ worked odd jobs at immersive forest schools, in state parks, and two terms on the SFEG WCC crew before landing back in school for an AAS in Fisheries Science. Outside of work and school, PJ is often found running around on trails, curled up with her cat reading a good book, or knitting a variety of colorful accessories for herself.
