Field Tour - A 20+ Year Odyssey: Restoring Habitat Within a Superfund Area

Jenn Stebbings | Kathleen Hurley

Join us at the Port of Seattle’s Duwamish River Community Hub to learn about the complexities with building habitat within a Superfund site. The Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat is the culmination of over two decades of commitment from a diverse group of stakeholders. Port staff, regulators, local Tribes, and dedicated community members all worked together to make this dream a reality. After hearing about the project, take a walk to see restoration in action. For more information https://www.portseattle.org/duwamishriverhub

Presented by Jenn Stebbings | Manager | Port of Seattle

Jenn Stebbings provides technical support for the Port of Seattle’s maritime habitat and stewardship team. Jenn monitors the Port’s existing habitat restoration sites to document compliance with performance standards, manages long-term stewardship to ensure ongoing ecological benefit, and looks for opportunities to incorporate habitat elements into a highly industrialized port environment. Jenn also offers technical support for compliance with the Endangered Species Act, and engages in community outreach to share the Port’s environmental story with internal and external stakeholders.
Prior to coming to the Port of Seattle, Jenn worked for the Port of Tacoma as their biologist. She has a background in natural resources consulting, forestry, and linear construction projects. She has spent her 20-year career working on the balance between economic development and environmental conservation.

Kathleen Hurley | Senior Environmental Program Manager | Port of Seattle

Kathleen Hurley manages a portfolio of natural resource management and restoration projects focused on revitalizing the health of estuarine and marine environments for the Port of Seattle. These projects include habitat restoration planning and implementation, partnership development, strategic planning, policy, coastal science, stakeholder engagement, and facilitation. Prior to coming to the Port of Seattle, Kathleen worked at the crossroads of economic development, climate change, and natural resource management across the U.S. and on the ground in over a dozen countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. She worked for clients such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UNDP, and the World Bank on climate and environmental issues to identify meaningful opportunities for adaptation, mitigation, and conservation of natural resources.