Melissa Petrich

Water Quality Specialist

Expertise

• Aquatic ecology
• Water quality
• Pollution reduction
• Outreach
• Science communication

Melissa grew up in Olalla, Washington and is extremely excited to be working with South Sound community members as a Water Quality Specialist. After working and learning in different areas of California and the Mountain West she is excited to be living and working back in the community she grew up in. She most recently worked as a Water Quality Specialist with Pierce County and previously with Washington Department of Natural Resources where she supported Trees for Stormwater programing, collaborated with health departments on pollution prevention, worked with community members on participatory science projects and pollution prevention techniques, and collected environmental and biological data in the nearshore. She is passionate about building community resilience in regards to the climate crisis and community health, gardening with native plants, and eelgrass and kelp. She holds a BA in environmental studies from the University of San Diego and an MS in environmental science from Montana State University. In her free time she enjoys playing outside in the mountains and on the water with her family and friends. Some of her favorite activities include skiing, climbing, biking, reading sci-fi novels, and baking tasty treats.