Scott Rockwell - Fish and Forest Biologist

 

Scott Rockwell
email scott
360.722.6571

Scott was fortunate enough to grow up in rural Thurston County, combing the beaches of south Puget Sound and catching glimpses of Mt. Tahoma and the Olympic Mountains on clear days. While living in north Florida after high school, he casually observed how large-scale Army Corps of Engineer projects, like the Intra-coastal Waterway, dramatically affect fluvial and coastal processes, and he decided to pursue an education in natural resources.

Scott graduated with a Bachelor's in Geography and Natural Resources Management from Huxley College of the Environment with a minor in Geology from Western Washington University.

Scott has worked in the field of salmon habitat conservation and recovery since 1999, and has worked in the Forest & Fish/ Timber, Fish & Wildlife (FFR/TFW) arena since 2005. His past employers include Whatcom County Public Works, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Stillaguamish Tribe's Forest & Fish Program is responsible for working with Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR), landowners, and other Federal, State, and local entities to ensure that Forest Practice rules are implemented on forested lands within the Stillaguamish River basin. Forest Practice rules are intended to protect the functions that create productive fish habitat, such as: establishing riparian stream buffers, accurately identifying fish habitat streams, proper construction and maintenance of forest roads, minimizing sedimentation of streams from harvest activities, and avoiding areas that might increase the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting. The program helps develop mitigation plans when forest practice activities degrade habitat conditions. The program participates in other FFR/TFW initiatives, such as long-term watershed monitoring, Tribal cultural resource protection, and Forest Practice rule making.

Scott assists with the planning, permitting and implementation of Tribal habitat restoration projects. He reviews permit applications moving through SEPA. He also assists with Chinook salmon recovery efforts, like Chinook brood stocking, spawner surveys, and is contributing to revisions of the Chinook Recovery Plan's Monitoring and Adaptive Management framework. Scott has worked as the Stillaguamish Tribe's Forest & Fish Biologist since June 2009.
Scott lives in Bellingham with his fantastic wife, super son, and fuzzy dog.