About Us
Gig Harbor & Key Peninsula Land Fund
Committee
The Gig Harbor & Key Peninsula Land Fund Committee is a fund of the Great Peninsula Conservancy. This volunteer committee is made up of a diverse group of community residents committed to conserving land in our beautiful communities!
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Committee MEMBERS
Robyn Denson is a member of the Pierce County Council and former Gig Harbor City Councilmember. She is a long-time advocate for environmental causes and believes whole-heartedly that open spaces are important for the health of a community – people, plants and animals. Robyn was a founding Board Member of Harbor WildWatch, served four terms on the Gig Harbor Parks Commission and 2 terms on the Pierce County Conservation Futures Citizens Advisory Board. Robyn also wrote and managed two successful grant applications in 2021 for the conservation of North Creek Salmon Habitat Site Phases 1 & 2 (sales pending). In her former life, Robyn was the Development Director for several large non-profit organizations and has also served as non-partisan policy staff for the Washington State House of Representatives.
Michael Behrens is a Professor of marine ecology at Pacific Lutheran University. His current research focuses on the larval ecology and restoration of native oysters, and community-based monitoring of rocky beaches in the South Puget Sound. Much of this work is now in collaboration with Harbor WildWatch and University of Washington - Tacoma. He received his BS in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and PhD in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. In addition to his job, Mike has worked with environmental education and conservation programs in California and Washington, most recently serving various roles with Harbor WildWatch. Through this work and his love outdoor recreation, Mike has expanded his view to the connections between the land and our waters. He is excited to work with Gig Harbor Land Conservation Fund to help identify land to protect the organisms and ecosystem functions that they provide.
Margarita Leas grew up in Colombia, where she graduated with an advanced degree in Business Administration and Marketing. She worked as a marketing executive at Suramericana de Seguros, one of the largest insurance companies in South America. In 2001 she met an American military member. They dated for a year, and she moved to the United States 19 years ago to start her new life. Since her husband served in the Coast Guard, they moved often, living in 5 different states before settling here in Washington. Within a year of moving to the United States, Margarita created Cultural Nexus LLC after realizing she could use her skills and bilingual ability to help Hispanic families adjust to American societal expectations and integrate into the American School System. Margarita and her family moved to Gig Harbor in 2018 where they have put down roots and hope to flourish in, and contribute to, this culturally vibrant community.
Lucy Zhou currently serves as Treasurer of the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation. She has co-chaired many Tacoma Moon Festivals and annual auctions of CRPF since joining the board in 2014. This experience has also taught her that it’s never too late to get involved in the local community. Lucy has enjoyed living in Gig Harbor for 11 years and she loves to walk along the harbor and hike in the woods in her hometown. She regards it as an honor to serve on the Advisory Board for the Gig Harbor Land Conservation Fund, contributing in a small way to preserving the natural beauty of Gig Harbor. Lucy worked for many years as a biomedical research scientist in academia. She holds a PhD in molecular biology from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor's degree in medicine from Shanghai Medical University (now Fudan University).
Diane Marcus - Jones has over 30 years of professional Natural Resource and Land Use planning experience with governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and consulting companies. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Natural Resources Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master of Science degree in Forest Ecology and Planning from the University of Washington. Prior to retiring, she worked for Pierce County as a Senior Planner for 17 years focusing on agriculture and forest lands. At Pierce County she oversaw the Transfer and Purchase of Development Rights program; a program which conserves properties of significant natural and cultural resources in perpetuity through conservation easements. She was also a founding board member of the Peninsula Heritage Land Trust (which is now a part of the Great Peninsula Conservancy). Diane and her family have lived in the Gig Harbor area for 40 years and she is dedicated to conserving the natural and historical beauty that abounds in this region.
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Chris Rurik is a writer and naturalist on the Key Peninsula, where his family first put down roots in the 1930s. His popular Substack newsletter, Infinite Peninsula, gives folks the chance to tag along on his "naturalist-spy" explorations of "everything wild, lost, and rewilding" in our corner of the South Salish Sea. He places particular emphasis on landscape history and intergenerational knowledge. A sought-after leader of birding and nature walks, he works closely with Key Pen Parks and Great Peninsula Conservancy on a number of conservation issues. His journalism for the Key Peninsula News has won several awards. Born and raised in Gig Harbor, he has seen firsthand the rapid development of what he jokingly refers to as "the quaint fishing village." He lives with his wife and kids on forestland near Key Center.
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Want to Get Involved?
Do you have a skill you believe will benefit the Fund? Email us at ghlandfund.com. We need folks to help with fundraisers, administrative work, etc. and of course we'd love to get you on a list for our newsletter and upcoming events!
PresS
9.17.2024 Tacoma News Tribune - New Trails coming to 50 acres of Preserved Salmon Habitat
9.12.2024 Gig Harbor Now - Phase IV Purchase is Last Piece of Puzzle for Conservation Area
3.21.2024 Gig Harbor Now - North Creek - Quality over Quantity
3.11.2024 Gig Harbor Now - Environmental Salvagers Beat Buldozers to Native Plants
1.21.2022 MSN News/Patch - Gig Harbor Conservation Effort Aims To Preserve Natural Beauty
1.18.2022 Gig Harbor Now Article - New land conservation fund targets pockets in and around Gig Harbor
1.18.2022 Tacoma News Tribune Article - Is there Gig Harbor land you want to stay undeveloped? This nonprofit fund wants to know
2.2023 Gig Harbor Living Local Jan/Feb 2023 - Gig Harbor Celebrates Environmental Conservation See page 34 for a spread about the North Creek Salmon Heritage Site with photos of one of our clean-up events!