March 22, 2021

After more than 30 years of working in the conservation field, Paul Dye, program strategist at Washington Sea Grant (WSG), retired this month. Dye’s work has spanned the protection and restoration of bottomland hardwood forests, subtropical coral reefs, and marine habitats of the Pacific Northwest. Before coming to WSG, Dye worked at The Nature Conservancy, most recently as the director of marine conservation for Washington. He joined WSG in 2016 as the assistant director for outreach, leading outreach staff in providing advisory services to coastal communities. He then transitioned to a new role of program strategist, providing vision and leadership as he guided the outreach program, mentored outreach specialists, and liaised with partners.

Dye announced his retirement to staff in an email, including the following note:

“I came to WSG to up my contribution to Washington’s coastal communities. WSG has always been effective, and yet I believe our organization has evolved remarkably over the five years that I’ve been here. We have all contributed to the achievements and the learning that comes from reaching for ambitious goals. Our awareness of one another and what we each bring to our collective mission has grown. And we have embraced a more inclusive sense of who we are and who we work with. That’s both a consequence of new and more diverse leadership and a credit to all of us for leaning into the change. I am proud to have worked here with you. And so I know that when I step off the canoe, Washington Sea Grant’s journey will continue. Thanks for letting me paddle with you for a while.”

In typical Covid-era style, WSG staff celebrated Paul’s retirement on Zoom. Staff shared stories of working with

Can you spot the real Paul? A few extras were present when WSG staff gathered on Zoom to celebrate his retirement.

Paul over the years, an played games such as writing Paul-themed haikus and giving typical Paul-isms a marine theme: “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” became “there’s more than one way to fillet a fish” and “all hat and no cattle” became “all boat and no engine.”

We will miss you, Paul — but we all look forward to seeing you out on the water as you paddle toward your new horizons!