About Us

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Jen Vanderhoof graduated with a degree in Wildlife Biology from Kansas State University in 1992 and has been working as a biologist in some form ever since. She is a Senior Ecologist in the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks' Science Section, where she’s been since 1999. Previous employers have been the City of Seattle, where she was a biologist on the Cedar River Watershed, The Nature Conservancy of Georgia, where she worked on Red-cockaded Woodpecker projects, Oregon State University working on Spotted Owl projects in southwest Oregon, and as a fisheries observer for three winters in Alaska. At the County, Jen has often worked on wetland, riparian, and biodiversity projects. Jen's current work focuses on beavers, including permitting and policy; planting techniques; consulting on restoration design; consulting on challenging situations; and water storage in high-elevation systems of Western Washington. She is a Master Birder, long-time local diver, wildlife and underwater photographer, and current President of Beavers Northwest. 

Paul Schlenger is a fisheries biologist with 20 years of experience on salmon habitat restoration in the Pacific Northwest. He has a Master’s degree in Fisheries from the University of Washington where he worked on juvenile sockeye salmon ecology in Alaska. As a consultant based in Seattle, Paul works on restoration and resource management projects in freshwater, estuarine, and marine nearshore settings. He enjoys assessing site conditions and developing sustainable solutions to benefit the resources while working within existing constraints. Given the many benefits of beavers to water resources and juvenile salmon rearing, Paul is interested in finding creative solutions for landowners and beavers to co-exist in our watersheds.

Kathleen is a lifetime lover of wildlife, originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. Initially a political science student, she earned a BA in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College and an MA in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. Her diverse career track has taken her around the globe to Rwanda, Ethiopia, India, and other countries, most recently leading policy and advocacy work on sustainable energy and humanitarian assistance at the United Nations Foundation. In 2020 she migrated from Washington DC (the “other” Washington) to Seattle, where she currently serves as Northwest Representative for Defenders of Wildlife. Kathleen is passionate about creative solutions, co-existence with wildlife, and helping small groups of good people achieve positive change. In her free time she loves to travel, play with dogs, and curl up with tea and a good book. 

Catie is a Senior Product Manager at Adobe and a 2021 MBA and 2013 BA (Japanese) graduate of the University of Washington.  Her appreciation for the environment was sparked by both the influence of her great aunt who took her into the woods to dissect oak galls and by many years spent on the waterways of the Pacific Northwest as a coxswain on her high school and university rowing teams. Catie enjoys spending time in her garden observing the urban ecosystem and refining her macro photography skills at local botanical gardens, parks, and tidepooling spots.