Snohomish Conservation District Receives Two Regional Awards

Snohomish Conservation District was recently awarded the ‘2015 Northwest Area District of the Year’ by the Washington State Conservation Commission. The Northwest area includes ten Puget Sound conservation districts from Pierce County north to the border, and west through Kitsap, Jefferson and Clallam counties. It also includes San Juan Island and Whidbey Island conservation districts. 

According to Mark Clark, Commission Executive Director, the District has demonstrated a drive to innovate and re-create conservation district education and outreach with the development of Better Ground, a new branding and marketing program that began four years ago that includes a website (www.betterground.org), resource materials, how-to videos, and innovative social media aspects. The District has been at the forefront of increasing staff capacity statewide by their participation in technical and professional development programs that support other Washington conservation districts. The Board of Supervisors and twenty-four staff were also commended for their level of responsiveness and collaborative attitude towards promoting locally-led conservation efforts in the District, which includes most of Snohomish County and Camano Island.  

Monte Marti, District Manager, received the ‘Northwest Area Manager of the Year’ for his commitment to forming productive partnerships with a wide variety of groups including local Tribes, non-governmental organizations, municipalities and local citizen advocacy groups. Marti has been District Manager for five years and also serves as Chair of the Puget Sound Conservation District Caucus which includes twelve districts around the Sound. Marti also served as a District Supervisor for twenty-five years while working as a program manager at Verizon.