Pronouns: she/her/hers
Karen grew up in Germany enjoying nature while hiking, rock-climbing and skiing in the Alps. After earning her degree in Geography she worked on several environmental planning projects and impact statements. Her love for the wilderness brought her to Washington state, where she volunteered for three seasons as a backcountry ranger in the North Cascades. While volunteering as an interpreter in the Seattle Aquarium and as a beach naturalist, she discovered her passion for sharing her love of nature with children and adults. This passion led her to become a beach ranger for the City of Edmonds. In her 11 years working as a ranger Karen visited hundreds of classrooms and led the students on beach or forest walks. Her favorite part was to instill excitement in the students about discovering nature, especially for those that rarely have the opportunity to get outside with their families. Karen was thrilled to join Islandwood as an Urban School Program educator at Brightwater in 2018 where she loves to inspire students to learn about science and how to solve environmental problems in their community. Currently, Karen is part of the team delivering 90-minute schoolyard programs about stormwater and wastewater systems all over King and Snohomish county.
Outside of work you will often find Karen sea-kayaking, hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing with her family.
Education: M.S. in Geography and Minors in Biology, Geology and Soil Science, University of Hamburg and University of Tübingen, Germany
IslandWood acknowledges that the land on which we gather is within the ancestral territory of the suqʷabš “People of Clear Salt Walter” (Suquamish People). Expert fisherman, canoe builders and basket weavers, the suqʷabš live in harmony with the lands and waterways along Washington’s Central Salish Sea as they have for thousands of years. Here, the suqʷabš live and protect the land and waters of their ancestors for future generations as promised by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855. While the majority of our work takes place on Suquamish and Duwamish (dxʷdɐwʔabʃ) land, we also conduct programs on the land of the Snohomish (sduhúbʃ), Puyallup (spuyaləpabš), Muckleshoot (buklshuhls), Skokomish (sqoqc’bes), and S’Klallam (nəxʷsƛ̕ay̕əm) peoples.
IslandWood is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our tax ID number is 31-1654076.
4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 206.855.4300