Conservation Program Manager

karin@thurstoncd.com

Karin Strelioff serves as the Conservation Program Manager at Thurston Conservation District.  She brings years of experience as a project manager, designer, and restoration specialist working in South Puget Sound on diverse projects.  She specializes in marine shoreline stewardship, green stormwater infrastructure / landscape design, PNW native plants, and conservation-focused land management.  

Karin’s role at Thurston CD includes leadership of the technical staff as well as grant writing and program development. She works on collaborative conservation initiatives including the Chehalis Basin Strategy.  She leads the Shore Friendly Thurston program and directs the Shore Friendly South Sound Initiative​, a strategic effort that supports marine shoreline stewardship and restoration throughout Mason, Thurston and Pierce Counties.

Karin received her Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington in 2013 and her Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University. Karin’s passion for conservation reflects her belief that every stewardship action, great or small, contributes not just to our own lives, but to the health and well-being of our families and the beautiful planet that supports us.

Educational Degrees & Certifications/ Licenses:

  • Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Washington
  • Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and English from Yale University
  • Shoreline Management / Stabilization Using Vegetation Certification
  • Designing Complete Streets Infrastructure in a Rural Community
  • SEED Design Certified (Social Economic Environmental Design® – Public Interest Design Institute)
  • Green Infrastructure Design Certification
  • Low Impact Development Certification

Recognitions & Awards:

  • 2016 Environmental Achievement Award – Hood Canal Coordinating Council (Recognizing success of the Shore Friendly Mason Program)
  • 2015 Partner Recognition – Capitol Land Trust (Recognizing Bayshore Preserve restoration project design and collaboration)
  • Sigma Lambda Alpha Honor Society (University of Washington, College of Built Environments)
  • 2013 Tau Sigma Delta – National Honor Society in Architecture and Allied Arts, University of Washington
  • 2013 Sigma Lambda Alpha Honor Society – Landscape Architecture
  • 2013 WASLA Merit Award – Graduate Thesis: “Making the Invisible Visible: Olympia’s Artesian Wells and Public Space Design”
  • 2013 WASLA Merit Award- Design/Build Therapeutic Garden
  • 2008 Letters of Commendation, Pioneer School District + Turning Pointe Domestic Violence Shelter
  • 2006 Partner of the Year, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group