Whatcom Conservation District Staff

WCD Board
Partners



George Boggs, District Coordinator

George was hired in the spring of 1997 to fill the challenging role of District Coordinator. With two degrees, experience as a farmer, trustee of an irrigation district and attorney credentials, George is well qualified to meet this challenge. Assuming the Coordinator's position is a way to provide the farming community with leadership on the problems they face. George's diverse background and enthusiasm helps in the progress of preserving Whatcom County's natural resources. gboggs@whatcomcd.org



Chuck Timblin, Resource Technician - CREP & Livestock

Chuck has been with the District since 1988 as a resource specialist. Over the years he has worked closely with local farmers and landowners by providing technical and cost-share assistance for nutrient management plans and other resource management concerns. Chuck also contributes to two District newsletters, WHATCOM CONSERVATION NEWS and IN BALANCE, the annual plant sale, and other conservation education activities. Chuck’s education included extensive course work in both liberal arts and education and he earned a B.S. in horticulture from WSU. ctimblin@whatcomcd.org



Wayne Chaudiere, Natural Resource Specialist - CREP

Wayne has been with the District since 1996. His responsibilities at the District include Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) project management, geographic information system (GIS) mapping and technical assistance for manure composting, farm planning and compliance with the County's Critical Areas Ordinance. Education and experience include a B.S. in Forestry, international resource management as a Peace Corps volunteer, stream restoration, agroforestry, forestry, forest surveying and road design and water quality and quantity monitoring. chaudiere@whatcomcd.org



Dawn Bekenyi, Administrative Assistant

Dawn has been with the District since November 1991. She is the office quarterback- some of her responsibilities include bookkeeping , clerical support, and reception. Dawn is another long time Whatcom County resident- having attended Ferndale High and Whatcom Community College. She is a big fan of baseball and rodeos. dlb@whatcomcd.org



Beth Chisholm, Resource Specialist - Public Education

Beth has been with the District since June 1998. Prior to joining the District she worked for Whatcom County on Shellfish Protection Coordination. Her background includes Geology, macroinvertebrate and water quality training. As the public education coordinator her current projects at the district include stream surveys and restoration projects with students K-12, assisting landowners with small farm conservation planning, and coordinating the Stream Team volunteer program. She is enthusiastic about working with people young and old on conservation issues. bchisholm@whatcomcd.org



Chris Clark, Resource Specialist - Livestock

Chris joins the district team to help with nutrient management planning. Raised in the Skagit Valley, Chris worked for a family owned dairy in Burlington during high school. While earning a Biological Systems Engineering degree at WSU, Chris worked on a wheat farm, experimented growing forage crops on the Palouse and grew Holstein heifers. He enjoys working with farmers and solving problems with practical solutions. cclark@whatcomcd.org



Nichole M. Embertson, Ph.D., Resource Coordinator - Sustainable Livestock Production Program

Nichole recently joined the District to help with nutrient management plan implementation and to create a new Sustainable Livestock Production Program focusing on providing practical knowledge and solutions to environmental issues faced by livestock producers. With her masters from UC Davis and doctorate from Colorado State University in livestock environmental management with an air quality specialty, Nichole hopes to provide the needed leadership to make this new program successful. She has spent 2001-present working with livestock producers on a variety of topics including nutrient and waste management issues, air and water quality improvement projects, emissions quantifications studies, and identification of effective best management practices (BMP) to reduce environmental impacts. Her knowledge of dairy and livestock operations as well as air, water, and nutrient chemistry background will hopefully aid producers in further mitigating their environmental impacts and strengthen the agricultural industry within the community. nembertson@whatcomcd.org



Frank Corey, Resource Coordinator - Riparian Restoration

Frank Corey joined the District staff January 5, 2004 to coordinate riparian restoration projects in cooperation with Whatcom County Public Works. Frank will be coordinating the activities of two Whatcom County Sheriff’s Department crews working to re-establish native plants on drainage and flood control projects.

Frank spent the last four years working for the Washington Conservation Corps, implementing riparian restoration projects for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. Before that he spent many years growing and planting trees in nurseries and as a landscaper.

A Thurston County native, Frank has lived in Whatcom County for 20 years. As a child he split his summers between his grandparent’s 100 year old dairy farm in Oregon and his family property on the upper Nooksack River. After finishing Olympia High School, Frank earned an Associate of Science degree in Landscape Horticulture from South Puget Sound Community College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Western Washington University. fcorey@whatcomcd.org



Sonya Schaller, Natural Resource Specialist - CREP

In March 2004 Whatcom Conservation District welcomed Sonya Schaller to the District staff as a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) technician. Sonya works with the other CREP project manager to implement the program. Sonya received a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Washington University’s Biology Department after graduating from Omak High School in Okanogan County. Her previous five years of employment were with the USDA Forest Service doing fire and ecological field research based out of Seattle. She is interested in assisting landowners with conservation and habitat issues. sschaller@whatcomcd.org



Andrew Phay, GIS Technician/Cartographer/IT Admin.

Andrew came to the District straight from Western Washington University where he majored in environmental planning and minored in GIS. His cartographic and GIS skills have been used on most of the projects that have been done at the District. Andrew is the in-house network troubleshooter, database manager and the Webmaster for this website. Working along side NSEA Personnel, Andrew has also worked on stream projects with local schools. It allows the students to get a different look at the area around their schools and homes while helping them plan their projects. aphay@whatcomcd.org




This page last modified 8/25/2009

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