Meet Jessie Israel, Puget Sound Conservation Director

Jessie Israel

Jessie Israel

In addition to leading our work to clean up and restore Puget Sound, I am the chief architect for advancing our work in urban areas. A fourth-generation Seattleite, I am excited to help make our cities more resilient and livable and develop natural solutions to stormwater and pollution.

As a public servant, consultant and nonprofit leader, I have a 21-year track record of bringing together groups to invest in local community development, environmental and equity issues. I have trained around the world on building public-private partnerships and developing sustainable communities.

More posts about Jessie
Microsoft Programmers Come Together to 'Hack for Good'
Microsoft Programmers Come Together to 'Hack for Good'
Room for Nature in Our Cities
Room for Nature in Our Cities
On International Women's Day, these women in science inspire us
On International Women's Day, these women in science inspire us
Making history in Puget Sound and in our kitchen!
Making history in Puget Sound and in our kitchen!
Puget Sound: Outside Our Doors Inside the Radio
Puget Sound: Outside Our Doors Inside the Radio
Climate Change on the Radio
Climate Change on the Radio

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Happy #EarthDay! The 1st celebration of Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Celebrate your love for the Earth, for nature and for Washington. Washington State Parks are free today! There are over 100 state parks in Washington. Find a park near you by clicking the link in our bio.
"Nature doth thus kindly heal every wound. By the mediation of a thousand little mosses and fungi, the most unsightly objects become radiant of beauty. There seem to be two sides of this world, presented us at different times, as we see things in growth or dissolution, in life or death. And seen with the eye of the poet, as God sees them, all things are alive and beautiful." Henry David Thoreau . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @thecolleague
From our Yellow Island Steward @mattaxling: "Are you getting sick of wildflower photos yet? I hope not bc the bulk of the #yellowisland wildflower bloom is still a few weeks away." . . Follow Matt for for more updates from our Yellow Island Preserve this spring as the wildflowers do their sun salutations! #northwestnature
They see me rollin', we #winning. How are your green commute choices a #WinForEarth? Bring your ideas to the table & you could win a trip for two to the Yucatan! Post a photo or video of your earth-friendly commute by April 30, tag it with #WinForEarth and you could win an exclusive trip with our scientists. Whether you roller blade or bike to work, it all adds up to a world of good.
When hiking in the woods in the Pacific Northwest, area residents will sometimes run across Trillium flowers, a three-petal flower usually white, sitting above pointed leaves. Trillium are described as “spring ephemeral” flowers, meaning they are wildflowers that develop the aerial parts (i.e. stems, leaves and flowers) of the plant early each spring and then quickly bloom, and produce seed. The leaves often wither, leaving only underground structures (roots, rhizomes, and bulbs) for the remainder of the year. While they are beautiful to look at they are also extremely fragile, and picking them seriously injures the plant by preventing the leaf-like bracts from producing food for the next year, often effectively killing the plant and ensuring none will grow in its place. . . . #northwestnature by 📸 @friendsoftahoma
“Witnessing is not flowing with the current of the river but observing the flow from the bank of the river.” Amit Ray . . . #northwestnature by @schlemur
“One gram of moss from the forest floor, a piece about the size of a muffin, would harbour 150,000 protozoa, 132,000 tardigrades, 3,000 springtails, 800 rotifers, 500 nematodes, 400 mites, and 200 fly larvae. These numbers tell us something about the astounding quantity of life in a handful of moss.” Robin Wall Kimmerer, "Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses" . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @northwestvision
A spring trip to the coast, mixed with unexpected sprinkles or torrents and the hope for a sunbreak: This is quintessential Washington. Always pack an extra layer. . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @coryzanker
“The coast is an edgy place. Living on the coast presents certain stark realities and a wild, rare beauty. Continent confronts ocean. Weather intensifies. It's a place of tide and tantrum; of flirtations among fresh- and saltwaters, forests and shores; of tense negotiations with an ocean that gives much but demands more. Every year the raw rim that is this coast gets hammered and reshaped like molten bronze. This place roils with power and a sometimes terrible beauty. The coast remains youthful, daring, uncertain about tomorrow. The guessing, the risk; in a way, we're all thrill seekers here.” Carl Safina . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @ryanfloodphoto
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! There are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs, and new species are still being discovered. They range in size from a few millimeters to 12 inches long and can weigh up to just over 3 pounds. If you've seen one nudibranch, you haven't seen them all. They come in a wide variety of colors and shapes — many have brightly colored stripes or spots and flamboyant appendages on their head and back. . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @carlyvester
At first glance, this photo of an evergreen tree looks like a tropical plant. . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @pink_bloom_studio
Did you know that most of Mount St. Helens is younger than 3,000 years old? The fact that this particular mountain blew its top in 1980 wasn’t exactly a surprise; before explorer George Vancouver named it after a fellow Brit, the local Cowlitz tribe called it Lawetlat'la, or “The Smoker.” . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @mikehikespnw
“Long, blue, spiky-edged shadows crept out across the snow-fields, while a rosy glow, at first scarce discernible, gradually deepened and suffused every mountain-top, flushing the glaciers and the harsh crags above them. This was the alpenglow, to me the most impressive of all the terrestrial manifestations of God. At the touch of this divine light, the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and stood hushed like devout worshippers waiting to be blessed.” John Muir . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @irma.pnw
Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone. . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @nickmillward_
"Where the glacier meets the sky, the land ceases to be earthly, and the earth becomes one with the heavens; no sorrows live there anymore, and therefore joy is not necessary; beauty alone reigns there, beyond all demands." Halldór Laxness . . . #northwestnature 📸 by @hellomynameisbrad

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