For more than 20 years, the Coalition has advocated for funding for the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, protecting Washington’s parks, wildlife areas, waterways, and working farms. During his time on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Dicks supported strong funding for the LWCF and was one of Washington’s primary advocates for salmon recovery and clean up in the Puget Sound. He continues to consider the environment a strong priority.
As a child, Patterson spent summers on the banks of the Kootenai River near where her uncle was a forest ranger in the Kootenai National Forest. She called this time life changing, leaving her with a lasting passion for the outdoors.
“Outdoor recreation is essential to creating healthy communities,” said Patterson. “I am pleased to be working with the Coalition to ensure everyone can have opportunities to enjoy our state’s natural resources.”
New members are:
Norm Dicks (Bremerton)
Norm Dicks, a native of Bremerton, Washington, was elected to Congress in November 1976 and served for 36 years until his retirement at the end of 2012. Dicks has served on the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee during his entire tenure in Congress and became Chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee in 2007. He has now taken a job as senior policy counsel with Van Ness Feldman, a law and lobbying firm specializing in energy and environmental issues.
Sarah Patterson (Seattle)
Sarah Patterson is the Chief Operating Officer at Virginia Mason Medical Center where she is responsible for all operations of the clinic and hospital, as well as the Kaizen Promotion Office, Human Resources, Quality and Compliance, Patterson has extensive training in applying the Toyota Production System to healthcare including four study missions to the Shingijutsu Genba Kaizen in Japan.
Mike Stevens (Seattle)
Mike Stevens is the Washington State Director for The Nature Conservancy and has also worked for TNC in Idaho and New Hampshire. He co-founded the Pioneer Mountain Group, which designs and implements land and natural resource management and conservation projects and also served as President and CEO of Lava Lake Land & Livestock.
Bill Riley (Puyallup)
Bill Riley is Project Manager for Bill Riley Communities Family. He is also Past President of Washington REALTORS®. Riley is also a member of the Pierce County Association of REALTORS ® (Past President), Pierce County MasterBuilders, and the Building Industry Association of Washington.
Hans Zeiger (25th District, R-Puyallup)
Hans Zeiger is the Representative for the 25th Legislative District of Washington. He serves on the Transportation, Higher Education, Early Learning & Human Services, and Technology & Economic Development Committees.
Holli Johnson (Olympia)
As Legislative Director for the Washington State Grange, Holli Johnson directs the legislative priorities of the State’s oldest organization representing rural and agricultural interests. Previously, she was the Project Coordinator for the Babbit Newman Construction Company.
Larry Otos (Mount Vernon)
Larry Otos has been the Parks & Recreation Director for the City of Mount Vernon since 1990. Larry is past President and Legislative Director for the Washington Recreation and Parks Association and has also held leadership positions with Western Washington University, local organizations and has been involved in the School District.