Alaska Conservation Blog

In November we welcomed Sonya Wellman to the Alliance as our new Development Director.  Sonya is originally from Anchorage and grew up here before leaving the state to go to the University of Oregon and then relocating to Washington State in 2006.  She moved back to Anchorage early last year.

Sonya loves many things about Alaska including the can-do attitude of the people and how laid back Alaskans are.  She especially loves the history of the area and she enjoys the outdoor opportunities that are always available and very close.  When asked about differences and similarities she sees between Alaska and other states she says ‘I have to be honest – Alaska is a breed all of its own—and I love it.  I found some similarities in

Seattle, Bellingham and Vancouver, but Alaska is a wild card in any equation.’

Conservation in Alaska is vital to Sonya given the beauty and abundance of natural resources.  She feels that if we aren’t proactive about protecting our environment, it will take much longer for it to recover later.  Sonya is also a big advocate of eating and buying local foods whenever possible.  She always wants to know where the food she is eating came from and where the waste from the production of items she purchases is going.  Other causes she is passionate about include stopping the widespread use of rape in Congolese warfare and human trafficking.

Sonya was attracted to the Alliance because of our belief that a healthy environment and a strong economy go hand in hand.  She was looking for a development opportunity in the non-profit realm but wanted the challenge of working on issues she previously had not worked with.  The part of her job that she enjoys most is meeting new people and branching out into different aspects of fundraising.

In her spare time, Sonya is working on completing several pieces of fiction, one set in Alaska just prior to and during World War II.

Welcome Sonya!

Dave Theriault joined Alaska Conservation Alliance and Voters in November as our new Legislative and Outreach Director.  He is currently in Juneau getting ready to represent the conservation community to the legislature there!

Dave has been in Alaska for a number of years but he does not originally hail from Alaska.  ‘I was raised in Maine where the winters are cold, the lobsters are delicious, and people like to put R’s in words that don’t need them and take out R’s in those that do,’ says Dave.  He’s found a home in Alaska and loves the small towns and the colorful people that live in them.  About the differences between Alaska and other states, Dave says ‘People take their trucks more seriously here than almost anywhere else I’ve been; lift kits rule the streets.’   He also feels that Alaska is far more culturally diverse than anywhere else he’s lived and finds that Alaskans are very eager to share their hobbies with others.

Dave would like to see Alaska learn from other parts of the U.S. and develop a sustainable economy. He worries that Alaska’s fisheries will be destroyed or be plagued by the same problems that Maine’s fishing fleet experienced. When asked about other issues he feels strongly about, Dave expresses a wish for Alaska to expand their early education opportunities.  Dave attributes much of his current successes to a great education beginning with an excellent preschool program and thinks that many Alaskan children are missing out on the benefits.

Dave is excited about joining the Alliance team because he enjoys working in state politics and loves that he will, in addition, get the opportunity to focus on issues important to him.  He is especially thrilled about working directly with legislators and their staff.  To him, trying to get a bill passed is an intellectual and social challenge and he loves the exhilaration of it.

One thing that you might not know about Dave is that he was an amateur engineer as a child.  He and his brother once tried to dig a hole to China in the field behind the house where he grew up.  His father quickly ended their ambitions after they had dug about 5 feet as he didn’t like the idea of the boys designing structural supports before they were 10. 

Welcome Dave! To read more about Dave, please click here to be directed to our staff bios.