A NOTE FROM JAYME:

The past year has been characterized by a lot of uncertainty, change, and a sense of shifting ground. I haven’t been immune to these things, and after a lot of reflection and careful thought, over a long period of time, I’ve made the decision to leave PCD.

This chapter happens to close just a few weeks before my 23rd work anniversary. I am extremely proud of the long list of accomplishments I can put my name on in these 23 years. Growing the Stream Team program. Building the rain barrel program. All the children I had the pleasure of teaching about stream bugs, salmon, plants, and the water cycle. The thousands upon thousands of plants I helped get in the ground. All the volunteers who planted those thousands of trees. The relationships and partnerships I have built and nurtured.
I’m honored to have been a small part of our state’s salmon recovery movement. My first job at PCD was as an intern working on a project to showcase a fish ladder built on Tacoma’s Puget Creek. That turned into a position recruiting volunteers to participate in salmon recovery projects as part of an early statewide initiative called People for Salmon. Then the Pierce Stream Team for many years. And most recently, being part of the team that made the South Prairie Creek Preserve project go from dream to reality. It’s been quite a ride, that’s for sure.

This work is hard, and it doesn’t get done alone. To every volunteer who came out on a dark, cold, wet Saturday morning – you’ve been an inspiration. To the many incredibly smart and dedicated colleagues – I’ve learned so much from you. To everyone who has helped me along the way – your support and kind words mean the world. And to everyone working, in their own way, to make our community better and our world healthier, cleaner, and safer – thank you.
 
Best,
Jayme

A NOTE FROM RYAN MELLO, PREVIOUS PCD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Jayme Gordon has committed 23 years of service to the Pierce Conservation District. From the days of a very small team, where small contracts with other organizations and cities were the way the district funded its services to now a larger organization with more sustainable revenue, Jayme has been central to the program delivery all along the way. She started at the District as a Volunteer Coordinator and quickly moved up and managing the Stream Team program, which is designed to engage community members in water quality monitoring, citizen education and hands-on open space stewardship opportunities. 

The District is sad to see our long-time Habitat Improvement and Environmental Education Program Director, Jayme Gordon leave to start a new chapter. Thank you Jayme for all you’ve done to serve the people and environment of Pierce County over the past 23-years. Good luck on your next venture!

Over the years, Jayme has taken on more responsibilities of supporting the start-up of the district’s Environmental Education program, ongoing maintenance and stewardship of our habitat sites, new Shore Friendly Pierce Program and the district’s involvement in more and more landscape scale habitat restoration initiatives. One of the things I enjoyed most is watching Jayme’s interactions with volunteers and community members. At every event, whether it be a Conservation Celebration or volunteer restoration event, individuals would greet Jayme like a family member and be excited to see her. She sincerely appreciated every volunteer that she interacted with as she knew volunteers were the heart of the district’s success. Her dedication to the mission of PCD and energy to develop and grow the programs is truly appreciated. Happy trails Jayme and you can rest assured your many contributions to the district have been significant, meaningful and will have an impact for decades to come.

Previous PCD Executive Director, Ryan Mello