About Chris
Conservation is not just an office, it's a way of life.
I have been a beekeeper for 10 years. I served on the King Conservation District (KCD) board for 5 years, first as an Associate Supervisor and later as an elected Supervisor, also served as vice-chair and auditor. I was also the first openly gay, Black Supervisor in the state. During that time when I was a Board member:
* I leveraged my broad contacts at the King Council to increase funding and support for KCD programs.
*As an auditor, I championed fiscal responsibility for district operations to support KCD programs to better address concerns from the county.
*I worked closely with the state and county elected officials on election reform for conservation districts throughout the state, replacing the exclusionary, racist practice with a more inclusive, transparent process that is more accessible to all voters.
* I served as the Area Director for the Northwest region with the Washington State Conservation Association and brought forward the first DEI resolution.
* I led board initiatives to bring clarity to critical issues of leadership, management, and staffing, helping to hire a new executive director.
* I worked with the board to create a stronger, more community-focused district.
* I played a key role in helping the board address leadership, finance, and operations issues.
* I encouraged community members to turn their lawns into habitats with native plants to support pollinators that play a vital role in our ecosystem and growing food.
* During COVID, I brought vaccine access to district employees and the surrounding communities.
I am running for the (KCD) Board of Supervisors again to promote a stronger sense of community and make conservation everyone’s priority. As your elected Supervisor, I will continue to bring strong leadership to KCD, raise awareness of the district and its programs through continued public advocacy, and actively support programs and initiatives critical to conservation throughout the county, including my beekeeping and love of pollinators.
Let’s all work together to promote conservation and give the earth a chance to breathe. I ask for your vote.
Endorsements
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See Chris featured on PBS's Out & Back with Alison Mariella Désir, "We've Always Been There" 2024 (click on photo to see video)
Conservation requires those involved to connect with nature and find ways to conserve, repair, and build spaces altered by human activity. Policies are good, but action gives life.
Beekeeping is more than just collecting honey. It’s about making space for all the pollinators that will share the space with honey bees. Avoiding the uses of pesticides, planting native plants, flowers, bushes and trees are key to supporting pollinators, not just in wetlands and habitats in rural spaces, but in our backyards.
I transformed my West Seattle yard into a wildlife habitat, gave community presentations on conservation in urban spaces, and led community pollinator walks. I support the "leave the leaves" method for yard care during winter, encourage buying native and pollinator-friendly plants through the annual bare-root sale hosted by the KCD as well as supporting local nurseries.
I encouraged community members to turn their lawns into habitats to support pollinators amidst their rapidly declining population. As urban sprawl and new housing developments grow, they often come at the expense of pollinators. Owners and renters can engage in conservation by planting native species rather than a grass lawn to promote beneficial insects, rather than applying pesticides to have
Conservation is not just an office, for me, it’s a way of life.
I am involved with:
Puget Sound Beekeeping Association
Here are some of the many pollinators that thrive in my garden, a Certified Wildlife Habitat.