Julie Vanderwal Email and Phone Number

I have worked at the intersection of ecological restoration and education for over 25 years. I graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in environmental technology and from Barstow College in child development / education. I’ve invested in teaching in outdoor and ecological education and public school contexts, working with all ages in Southern British Columbia, Northern California, South Eastern Quebec, and North Central Washington. As a Career and Technical Education High School Teacher, I worked with students to start a native plant nursery and a farm to table program. I also coordinated work-based learning and involved students in all phases of stream restoration.While working for a decade as Conservation Coordinator for the Okanogan Highlands Alliance, I developed and coordinated education and restoration programs. As part of that work, I led riparian planting in a system dominated by reed canarygrass and managed beaver dam analog (BDA) based restoration that successfully aggraded a deeply incised streambed. The team’s evolution of the BDA weaving technique inspired me to pursue hybridizing BDA methods with established streambank soil bioengineering treatments, which led me to collaboration with my mentor, Chris Hoag. While managing noxious weeds for stream and wetland restoration projects, as well as at home in the Okanogan Highlands, I have explored non-herbicide methods of re-establishing diverse native plant communities in wetlands, mixed conifer montane forest, and shrub-steppe environments. I'm comfortable working in several web design platforms, developing social media content, and have extensive public speaking and music performance experience. I've written, co-managed, and reported on about 2.5 million dollars in grants for non-profit organizations. Currently I’m working as a freelance consultant with contracts for various non-profit and educational organizations.