PRESIDENT

Heather moved to the West End in 2021, and her life immediately intertwined with salmon. An avid sauna enthusiast, she takes weekly cold plunges into a Sol Duc tributary and the Coho nibble her callouses. During the runs, she fishes to fill the freezer and pantry, with leftovers to handed out to the neighbors.

Heather joined the PCSC Board in fall of 2023, when she heard that the local nonprofit focused on habitat restoration was failing. As an attorney and business owner, she put set to rebuild the finances, restore relationships with state grant managers, and get the crew back to work.

TREASURER

Jim has managed tool and equipment rental stores across the Olympic Peninsula, but eventually returned to Forks, the town he grew up in and loves. He spends his time outside and dedicated to giving back to the community. Jim is the drumming backbone of the Richwine Road Band, who regularly donates their live music performances to support local nonprofit fundraisers. He also runs a roadkill recovery service, which salvages deer and elk carcasses to share with those in need of food. Jim joined the PCSC Board in 2024.

SECRETARY

Ellen was born and raised in Portland Oregon, where her family instilled a love of the outdoors from an early age.  From hikes in the Columbia River gorge, camping trips on the Wilson River to kayaking on the Willamette River, Ellen loves the outdoors. 

Ellen moved to the Olympic Peninsula in 2004 and is at home in the woods of Bear Creek where she lives with her husband Oscar and their children.  A naturalist at heart, Ellen loves trees, identifying plants, birds and insects, gardening and herbalism. All of which are intertwined with fish. Ellen joined the PCSC Board in 2024.

BOARD MEMBER

From working in fishing camps in Alaska, to switchboard operator in Forks, Wayne has always lived his life as a pioneer. His office is filled with pictures of his many fish and hunts, including the cougar that he got with his handmade yew wood bow and arrow.

Having seen the steady decline in fish population over decades, Wayne spends his retirement doing the practical but difficult work restoring fish habitat in the region. You’ll see him seven days a week, driving around in his pick up with a canoe strapped to the top, headed to the tributaries to check on the fish.

BOARD MEMBER

Paul has a nose for fish. He spent his childhood running the tributaries of the Sol Duc River, knowing each riffle, downed tree, and hole full of fish. He shares his God-given gifts with neighbors and friends, teaching them to fish and love these waters.

For years, Paul has been a dedicated volunteer of PCSC, ensuring that the enormous surplus to salmon and steelhead that return to our hatcheries are utilized and distributed to our community. He will easily fillet 80 to 100 fish in a couple of hours, delivering to the Forks Food Bank, Feeding 5,000, or other nonprofit groups distributing food. Paul joined the PCSC Board in 2021. 

BOARD MEMBER

Dave’s life has revolved around water. He served in the Vietnam war on the USS Enterprise, and is a third Generation Navy War Veteran. He is most connected to water at his family’s homestead, established in 1937 on the Sol Duc River, which includes an important tributary, Eagle Springs.

Eagle Springs was identified by WDFW SHHEAR program as prime salmon habitat. In 1998 a large culvert and fish ladder was installed. Over the 24 years of hosting this SSHEAR site, Dave has put in thousands of hours of labor, including tree planting, spawning gravel placement, and nutrient enhancement. The results have been impressive. In 2022, 50 female Coho spawned at Eagle Creek, proving its efficacy as salmon habitat.

Dave has been documenting progress at Eagle Springs on his YouTube channel The King of Sol Duc. He includes regular updates about the site and amazing underwater footage of spawning Coho. He joined the PCSC Board in 2022.

WSC is an international conservation organization with offices in Forks, that works to protect wild salmon, steelhead, char, trout and the ecosystems on which these species depend.

Visit their website here.

Trout Unlimited’s Mission is to bring together diverse interests to care for and recover rivers and streams across America. TU has designated the West End Rivers as part of their Priority Watershed for habitat restoration projects.

Visit their website here.

Named after a tributary to the Sol Duc river, Bear Creek Builders sponsored the PCSC Fish ‘N Brew Beer Garden. Arian Goodson, owner, grew up on Bear Creek and he enjoys being able to donate his time and labor to PCSC restoration projects.

Headquartered in Forks, 10,000 Years Institute develops watershed invasive species removal, ecological and toxicological studies, and habitat restoration.

As a sixth grade science teach at Forks Middle School, Kim takes deep responsibility for the education of the future of salmon habitat. In connection with PCSC, Kim created “Salmon Camp” a six week program for thirty 5th and 6th graders to learn all about Salmon.

As a science teacher at Forks Elementary School, Katie takes responsibility for the education of our future custodians of salmon habitat, and serves as a teacher for PCSC Salmon Camp.

Oscar has spent his life swimming the creeks, rivers and lakes of the West End of the Olympic Peninsula. He loves the opportunity to give back to the land, planting trees and volunteering on salmon habitat restoration sites.

As PUD Commissioner and Geology Professor, Phyllis and Dan care deeply about water on the West End. They were the first sponsor’s of PCSC’s first Fish N Brew event.