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Brienne Townsend

Snohomish MRC

Brienne Townsend joined the Snohomish MRC during the pandemic in 2020, seeking a way to re-engage with the scientific community and bring data-driven insights back to her students. Brienne teaches Marine Science and IB Marine Biology at Edmonds-Woodway High School. With 20 years of experience teaching marine biology to students and experience at Friday Harbor Labs, Brienne has applied her knowledge of marine ecosystems to her MRC work. 

Brienne shared that her proudest MRC moments have come from her involvement in two key activities: "I absolutely love doing Crabber Outreach, where I hand out literature and crab-safe fishing gear every summer. We have fishermen who eagerly wait for us to distribute rot cord and crab gauges each year. I also have a strong passion for kelp monitoring. Kelp beds are crucial for the health of Puget Sound, and it deeply saddens me to see their decline. However, when I get out in the kayaks and see that there is still kelp in Edmonds, it motivates me to continue working to educate both the public and my students." 

As a lover of statistics and data analysis, Brienne hopes to make further contributions to the Snohomish MRC by analyzing MRC data and comparing it with other MRCs. Outside of MRC work, Brienne enjoys activities like sailing, kayaking, beachcombing, and birdwatching, all of which have helped form a deep connection to the Northwest Straits region. Born in Port Angeles and raised in Forks, Brienne brings a lifetime of coastal memories to her work, and she is committed to preserving the marine areas she cherishes. Looking ahead, Brienne hopes for continued collaboration and connection-building between MRCs to strengthen conservation efforts across the region.