Our Purpose:
The Edmonds Environmental Council was formed to engage constructively with local and regional governments, to educate, and to campaign for the preservation of human health and protection of our natural environment. The EEC will be a strong voice to protect natural areas, to ensure clean water, and to promote a healthy environment critical for people and wildlife.
Our Mission:
Our Mission is to educate and inform the public on these critical environmental issues, and to constructively engage with local and regional governments challenging them on the unintended consequences of poor policy decisions. When policy is based on incomplete, inaccurate, or misleading information, resulting in harmful and destructive decisions, we will engage.
Who is the EEC?
The Edmonds Environmental Council is a voluntarily run, registered (501)(c)(3) organization. We have no paid staff and the board works uncompensated. 100% of our funds go towards the projects.
At a minimum, the EEC will hold one Annual Meeting inviting all EEC Members to attend and participate. We intend these to be “hybrid” meetings with both in-person and remote access via Zoom. Meetings will be announced through email.
Meet the Edmonds Environmental Council Board of Directors:
Joe Scordino, President and Secretary.
Joe Scordino retired in 2007 after a 32-year career with NOAA Fisheries where he studied and managed marine and anadromous fish, marine wildlife, and salmon habitat restoration. In his last ten years with NOAA, he was the Deputy Regional Administrator supervising over 150 professional fishery and wildlife biologists in the Northwest Region (WA, OR, ID). Joe implemented the “Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund” which provided upwards of $100 million per year to west coast states for salmon recovery and restoration programs. Joe has been the project leader of the Edmonds Stream Team for the past 10 years working with community members to monitor and enhance Edmonds watersheds and restore salmon. More recently he has led the Edmonds Marsh Volunteer Restoration Project along Highway 104.
Joe has lived in Edmonds for the past 44 years and raised 4 kids and now has 10 grandkids who love to get out to Edmonds’ beaches, the Marsh, and the wooded areas of Edmonds and repeat grandpa’s favorite slogan – “Its an Edmonds Kind of Day”.
Diane Buckshnis, Vice President and Treasurer.
I moved to Edmonds 24 years ago after spending over four decades in banking, auditing, financial regulation and international regulatory development while living in Lithuania for two years and then six-months in Kazakhstan after the breakup of USSR. I had an ideal childhood in a historically designated neighborhood in SE Portland called Ladds’ Addition where we lived in a lush environment of Elm tree lined streets with many circle beds of roses, and floral and native shrubs. I spent my summers on the Oregon Coast and learned the value of coastal beauty.
Edmonds has an extremely unique environment that I learned about while sitting on the regional Salmon Recovery Councils – WRIA 8 (Water Resource Inventory Area 8) and Puget Sound Partnership Salmon (PSP) Recovery Council. I was afforded this opportunity as I was on Edmonds City Council from 2010 -2023. I am still working with the WRIA 8 Grant Funding Committee (2015-2024) to provide the legislative insight on the grant requests for State and Federal funding. This volunteer work afforded me accessibility to many scientists, lawmakers, environmental agencies and concerned environmentalists and I learned a lot! As most know, Federal and State funding is always targeted towards transportation and growth management leaving the environment dragging behind. Many times, the Tribe Elders at PSP would comment about this conflict and its impact on our waterways as their lives depend on fish. While I understand the importance of transportation and growth aspects and welcome them, in Washington, the “regional aspects of growth” continues to be siloed in each local jurisdiction. With Edmonds being a coastal community, our creeks and streams carry the brunt of stormwater runoff and excess sediment is ruining our watersheds. Our Perrinville, Shell, Shellabarger, and Willow are already damaged, deteriorated or compromised.
Because of the mess caused by all these Housing Bills, I want to continue to work towards protecting our natural habitat and environment for future generations as unintended consequences are never looked at in these “spurts of zoning”.
John Brock
John retired after 36 years of end-user and developer software support. Growing up in Edmonds, he enlisted in the US Coast Guard after High School. College followed where he completed a degree in Civil Engineering technology. John worked for an Edmonds based engineering, survey, and planning firm until making a career move to a software development company in 1988. John and his wife live in Woodway where he holds a position on the Town of Woodway city council. John is a regular volunteer in the Edmonds Marsh restoration effort.
After living for nearly 30 years in south Seattle and commuting to work near north Lake Union, my wife and I wanted to escape to a quieter neighborhood and be closer to family. We looked in Edmonds and in Woodway. Driving into heavily forested Woodway, slipping under the tree canopy into the deep forest shade, the stress and noises of the city quickly melted away. Luckily, we found a suitable home. It needed a lot of work, but we both knew we could be happy here. I love the small-town feel, the quiet, spacious homes, the wonderful tree cover, and close proximity to family. Our home quickly has bec a family gathering place for holidays and birthday celebrations. I am so very glad we moved here.
Dianna Maish
The Northwest has been my home and Portland Public Schools was my beginning as an elementary school librarian and language arts teacher. Later I was a graduate school adviser at the University of Washington. Volunteering has been a connection to our community, a cherished experience. I served on the Shoreline Historic Preservation Board when we acquired National Historic Preservation status for the Fircrest Chapel and saved the tree surround. I worked to contain fossil fuel expansion in our state, served on Sierra Club committees, and I am presently involved in the marsh restoration.
It has been my beloved place since retirement – living on Puget Sound with the mountains surrounding us, the marsh within the city, parks and trees to shade our streams provide “forest bathing”. We have an environment very worth protecting and restoring for future generations.
Ken Reidy
Ken moved to Lynnwood in 1967 and graduated from Meadowdale High School in 1977. Ken and his wife settled in Edmonds in the early 1990’s and raised two sons. Ken has enjoyed a 42-year career in accounting and is still making sure the books balance.
Edmonds has stunning beauty and a wonderful, mild climate. I like our rain and all the good that comes from it. I love that I can experience the outdoors daily. I often go for a run or walk early in the morning and greatly enjoy greeting others who are out doing the same. I am thankful that so many people care deeply about our city and its future.
Clinton Wright
Clint worked for State Liquor Control agency full-time while earning degree in Sociology from UW. Left job as Asst. Store Manager of State Liquor Store and worked as Snohomish County Family Court Investigator for five years. Changed careers after marriage to a fellow Social Worker and worked in the Automotive Service Dept. at Sears and Roebuck for twenty eight years in various Automotive service, sales and management roles. Thus, have lots of experience in both Public and Private Sectors of the economy.
My current wife (first wife deceased) and I live in the home my parents purchased new here in 1961. I was 13 when we moved here from Nebraska and was the last sibling of three still living at home. My first wife and I purchased the house from my mother in the late 90’s when she had to go into assisted living. My second wife and I were Edmonds High School graduates, me in ’64 and her in ’65. I had no idea places like this even existed until I moved here and fell in love with the place it was then. I’d like to see Edmonds protect it’s clean water supply and honor it’s Environmental gifts with the care and rehabilitation that they deserve, before it’s too late to save them.