Friends is honored to have Elyse Woodruff join the Friends team as a new member of our Legal Review Committee! Elyse was first introduced to Friends through one of our European Green Crab community science trainings on Orcas Island this summer. Inspired by the presentation, she invited Friends to bring the program to her neighbors on Crane Island. The community event was a huge success, drawing participants of all ages, from preschoolers to grandparents, who were captivated by the science and call to action.
Elyse reflected:
“I was so impressed by the European Green Crab presentation given by Jess Newley in Eastsound that I wanted to help spread the word. So, I invited her to give the presentation to my neighbors on Crane Island, which is the largest of the Wasp Islands. We had a big crowd turn out, made up of all ages—preschoolers to grandparents—and Jess captivated everyone with her teaching skills and hands-on science approach. Crane Island is now poised to help stop the invasion!”
Elyse brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her role on the Legal Review Committee. She retired after a 26-year career with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, where she managed the legal aspects of the agency’s 1.2 million acres of habitat and recreation lands. Elyse holds a Bachelor of Science in natural resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from Yale University. Before joining Fish & Wildlife, she practiced environmental compliance law at a San Francisco firm and at the University of California.
Today, Elyse and her husband, Thom, live on Crane Island, where she serves as President of the Board for the island’s interior nature preserve. Her two grown daughters—an attorney and an archaeologist—share her and Thom’s deep appreciation for the San Juan Islands.
We’re thrilled to welcome Elyse and are grateful for her commitment to protecting the places and species that make the islands so special.
