30 Days of Biking, Day Three: Color

By Barb Chamberlain | Published April 3, 2014

Turquoise blue bike against electric blue bike rack shaped like a bicycleDay Three in the 30 Days of Biking, 30 Words, 30 Pictures series

Last night I started a list of words I thought might come up in the course of my 30 days/30 words/30 pictures adventure. The list quickly grew to 33 but it didn’t have the word that emerged in today’s biking: color. Wait–make that C–O–L–O–R.

First, the picture. This vivid shot of a blue bike at a blue bike rack shared on our Instagram account made me choose the word for today. I realized how much more colorful my relationship with my bike is than any relationship with motor vehicles I’ve owned. (I’m not one of those people who names her cars and they’ve all been very ordinary colors–white, green, blue).

My blue road bike’s lime green handlebar tape reflects my fondness for various shades of that color. They’re newly wrapped and the color is so intense it glows a bit, especially on an overcast day like today that provides a contrast. The bike itself isn’t a special color; it’s a middle-of-the-road blue with white accents that my sweetheart picked out for me.

Bikes offer color possibilities in accessories as well as handlebar tape. When I ordered custom bike bags from Swift Industries (handmade in Seattle), I thought about the color combination in terms of a future touring bike I might own, which would have to be a color that goes with the bags. If I already owned said bike it would be the other way around; I like things to match.


When I bought a more upright “Mary Poppins” bike I chose the silver one because silver’s a neutral and goes with everything in my collection of Po Campo bags (which I started buying specifically because they’re not black bags with a black interior in which everything gets lost).

El in our office has a bike that’s deep eggplant with orange accents and is building a bike for Mom with a bit of a steampunk motif that’s painted a lovely faded bronze-y gold. Our board member Angela Jones of Spokane has a black and hot pink road bike and absolutely everything matches, down to her shoes. Belles and Baskets co-founder Betsy Lawrence gets purple accessories to go with her purple bike, which she purchased because purple is one of her favorite colors. Even before my husband was on a race team, he chose a yellow helmet that went with the black and yellow of the road bike had then, and of course every team kit has a lot of thought put into the color and design. Color is such an expression of individualism via the bicycle.

Not that bike manufacturers give us all that many choices, mind you. There’s the sadly mistaken notion that simply painting a bike pink makes it appeal to women, for starters. Then you have the fairly limited range of color options in bike gear.

If I walk into Nordstrom’s to get a sweater–or into the men’s section to buy a tie–I have many color choices and they’re keeping up with fashion trends. An entire industry exists to forecast our colors and create those trends (explaining the tragic avocado green kitchen appliance era). So why is it that if I walk into most bike shops I’ll be able to choose from somewhere around 4-5 helmet colors (two of which will be black and white) and about the same number of bike frame colors (ditto)?

Companies like Nutcase and Bern are tapping into the desire for more individual expression through helmet color and design; I predict (hope for) many more color options in the future for every part of my bike. The handlebar tape makers have it figured out–I could get tiger stripes or hot pink/light pink leopard spots if I liked that sort of thing.

(As an aside, I joke that bicycling is the only endeavor in which men have long had more color options in clothing than women. That was before Nuu-Muu, a Bellingham company, started making great active-wear dresses designed for biking and running.)

I notice color more while riding since I have time to observe. The pale green of spring leaves now will deepen over the summer until it shades into the fall palette of yellow, orange, bronze, red, and brown. The spots of color that were emerging buds a couple of weeks ago are flowers now. The color of the sky varies with season as well as with time of day. A flash of color catches my eye and I notice the vivid coat on someone waiting at the crosswalk (and because I’m on my bike I can call out “Beautiful coat!” and be rewarded with a smile, because who doesn’t love an unexpected compliment on his/her color sense?).

 I suppose a bike post on color wouldn’t be complete without a mention of high-visibility (hi-viz) clothing and accessories. Here it is: They’re ugly. No one looks good in that lemony yellow-green. I’ve seen the studies that demonstrate hi-viz effectiveness in catching the eye so I’m not arguing against their use, but I ride in street clothes. It’s sheer coincidence that my beloved lime green is a hi-viz color.

Related Reading

Your Turn

  • Did you have much choice of colors when you got your bike? Did it matter to you?
  • Now that you have this particular bike do you pay attention to the color of your accessories?

 

Posted in Attitudes, Bike Style, Gear/Maintenance, News | 3 Comments

30 Days of Biking, Day Two: Flexibility

By Barb Chamberlain | Published April 2, 2014

Day Two in the 30 Days of Biking, 30 Words, 30 Pictures series

I didn’t choose “flexibility” as my word for today just because I didn’t make it to the noon yoga class at Salt Room Yoga a block away from our Seattle office, although it’s a factor.* Today made me think about the flexibility bicycling provides in my transportation needs. But let me start with yoga.

Peaceful sunset and bike with person sitting in lotus pose

This picture does not illustrate incredible yogic flexibility, but I don’t have that. As my dear friend and yoga teacher Betsy says, “You don’t get flexible to do yoga. You do yoga to get flexible.”

Yoga provides a great balance (yoga pun!) to bicycling since it provides weight-bearing exercise and helps build upper-body strength along with flexibility work that helps offset the repetitive motions of cycling.

The book Pedal, Stretch, Breathe by Seattle yoga teacher, author, and bicyclist Kelli Refer (@yogaforbikers on Twitter) nicely highlights the benefits of yoga and the postures that address the effects of bicycling on the body. You can pick up an autographed copy of her book in our Pioneer Square store or order from Kelli on her blog.

The mindset yoga helps you cultivate applies to bicycling too. You can stress out or you can rest in the moment and accept it for what it is, cultivating mental flexibility.

And now for the transportation flexibility bicycling provides that I appreciated yet again today–

If you drive in a city with one-way streets you know this moment. You’re at an intersection and the address you want is only about a block away. Except it’s at least three blocks away because you’re on a one-way street and you’ll have to execute two right turns or two left turns to get anywhere near your destination.

This morning at that kind of intersection my bike gave me all the flexibility I needed. I walked my bike up one block, crossed the street, and there I was–parked and inside in half the time it would have taken me to drive (not counting the hunt for parking that I get to skip.)

Now sure, I can park a car, get out and walk, and get where I’m going. But I will no longer have with me the vehicle that helps me get places faster and carries my stuff far more easily than I can with just my body to bear the weight. I’ll have to backtrack to where I parked, which introduces a hassle factor that constrains my choices about the next stop, and the next.

I’m also pretty well assured that my car parking spot will not be directly in front of the building I’m going to, whereas I can park my bike at a rack if one’s available, hitch it to a tall sign post, railing, or other fixed item, or in some instances bring it inside with me. Voila–parking flexibility! The combination of bike/walk and route flexibility with parking flexibility enables me to string together a series of brief stops very efficiently.

Bicycling has increased the flexibility of my thinking and assumptions about how I get from Point A to Point B in other ways. Because the pace of bicycling enables me to experience my surroundings much more deeply I’m more apt to explore. I try different routes, take a jaunt down a side street because I see an interesting sign, and experiment with options that I hope (usually in vain) will allow me to sneak around some of the hill climbs I face commuting in Seattle.

This afternoon in an attempt to inject flexibility into my homeward commute route since I’d already landed on my word of the day, I tried going an extra block up Pike before turning to get to Pine, where I climb in the bike lane to Melrose. Lo and behold, when I got to that next block (9th, for you Seattle dwellers) I realized I couldn’t turn left because–yep–it was another one-way street.

If I’d been in my car I would have gnashed my teeth. I also would have had to do quite a bit of fiddling around, going blocks out of my way in heavy downtown traffic, because this is at a spot with major buildings and a freeway that introduce black holes into the street grid. (Side note: I would have been adding all the while to downtown traffic congestion and air pollution while going exactly nowhere.)

Since I was on my bike I again exercised the flexibility of the pedestrian option that someone on a bike always has. My bike and I were only one block away from Pine, after all, and roughly 2 minutes later I was back in the bike lane and climbing.

It’s good to be flexible.

Related Reading

 Your Turn

  • How often do you find yourself taking advantage of the bike/walk option?
  • Do you experiment with different routes on your bike or have you fallen into a routine?

*Possible additional factor: Our whole family loves the movie The Incredibles, which we’ve watched countless times. Elastigirl’s powers are pretty cool.

Posted in Accessibility, Attitudes, Bike Parking, Seattle, Transportation | 3 Comments

Kate Johnston Joins WAbikes

By Seth Schromen-Wawrin | Published April 2, 2014

New Staff Position to Serve the Inland Northwest Community

???????????????????????????????It is an exciting time for Washington Bikes as we open our Spokane office. With consistent staff presence in the greater Spokane area, we will be able to support more community advocates, impact more local policies and projects, and encourage more people to get on the saddle.

To support the effort, Kate Johnston has joined our staff as the Spokane-based School and Family Programs Coordinator. She is a third-generation eastern-Washington cyclist who studied Urban Planning and earned her teaching certificate in secondary education from Eastern Washington University. She recently completed two years of work in the project management division of a global engineering firm and is now looking forward to focusing her energies back home in the Inland Northwest region.

For two years in a row, Kate has been the team captain for the winning corporate-division team in the 185-mile Spokane to Sandpoint Relay. In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoys the luxurious simplicity of living in a central location with both a bike lane and a bus-line right outside her front door.

Kate will be working with the Spokane Regional Health District and Spokane Public Schools to promote healthy and safe routes for children to get to school in communities around Spokane.  Over the next four years, she will work with school staff, parents, and students to promote biking and walking to school around seven elementary schools: Bemiss, Holmes, Logan, Moran Prairie, Seth Woodard (Spokane Valley), Stevens, and Sunset (Cheney) elementary schools.

She will also be partnering with Spokane Public Schools to more directly promote policies and activities that support wellness at school, such as healthy eating and active living. With this additional approach, we will be able to impact policies and school culture around active transportation. This is an effort made possible with support from the Empire Health Foundation.

In addition to these school-based projects, Kate’s presence in the Spokane region will support bike advocacy overall. Whether it is providing support for Bike Month, talking with communities about rail-trails, or working with city staff to promote better bike infrastructure, she will be a consistent face for us in eastern Washington. We are excited and look forward to this new era of Washington Bikes.

Kate can be reached at 509.280.5762  or kate@wabikes.org, and her office is housed with the Empire Health Foundation.

Posted in Education, Health, Kids, News, People, Spokane County | 1 Comment

Win a Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend!

By Louise McGrody | Published April 2, 2014
Photo: Wheatland Wheelers

Photo: Wheatland Wheelers

UPDATE: Raffle ticket sales have ended.

One of the most spectacular wine regions in the country is in our own backyard.

Walla Walla is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Mountains and is home to over 100 vineyards and wineries. It is where wine country, scenic beauty, bicycle adventures and small town hospitality intersect.

And we’re offering you an opportunity to experience it first hand with our Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend raffle. This package, good for two people and valued at $540, is for the weekend of June 20 & 21, 2014 and includes:

  • A two-night stay at the Inn at Blackberry Creek, a bed and breakfast retreat with rolling lawns, tall shade trees, and a spring fed stream. Once a Victorian farmhouse built in 1906, the Inn has been lovingly restored to its original beauty and offers three spacious guest rooms. It’s a perfect place to launch your bicycle adventures and is just steps away from historic Pioneer Park.
  • Inn at Blackberry Creek

    Inn at Blackberry Creek

    Two entries to the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic on June 21. The Ann Ride is organized by the Walla Walla Wheatland Wheelers and showcases the wheat fields, vineyards, orchards, and Blue Mountain foothills of this amazing region. Choose from 30-, 60- or 100-mile route options. The Ann Ride is fully supported and includes a spaghetti and meatballs feast at the finish line in Pioneer Park.

  • A $50 gift certificate good towards dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen. Travel blogger Daytona Strong calls Saffron one of her go-to restaurants in Walla Walla. With arguably the best food in Walla Walla Valley, she advises travelers to make a reservation early and be prompt because demand is high at Saffron.
Scenic views abound on the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic.

Scenic views abound on the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic.

Raffle tickets are $5 each and proceeds will be used to grow bicycling in Walla Walla and Washington. Use our online raffle form to purchase your chance(s) to win this Walla Walla Bicycle Weekend package. You can also sign up for the raffle at the Washington Bikes office in Pioneer Square and at our Spokane Bike Swap table on April 12 & 13. Raffle tickets will be sold until May11 and the winner will be notified by May12.

Special thanks to WAbikes members Kristin Kinnamon and Kristi Knodell for their generosity and making this raffle possible!

Posted in Adventure, News, Rides, Tourism, Travel, Walla Walla | 1 Comment

30 Days of Biking, 30 Words, 30 Pictures: Day One

By Barb Chamberlain | Published April 1, 2014

30 days of biking motivates me. It’s not just the satisfaction of checking the box every day on something I’ve committed to; if it were, I’d floss daily (said with the deepest respect for my dentist). Now that I’ve completed it twice successfully (April 2013, September 2011). and not completed it on other attempts (April 2011, April 2012), I’ve taken away some lessons and reminders from it. What I’ve gained makes it worth undertaking it once again.

Bike rack 3 loops

It doesn’t take much to tweak a basic loop and add some fun to bike parking. You’ll find this rack in downtown Seattle at 2nd and Union.

Further inspired by the January Project with its daily ride photos, despite my utter lack of photography skills, and by the idea of having one word stand alone, I decided to share one word and one picture each day that represent something about bicycling.

(Mind you, I’ll write more than one word. I’m just saying I’ll focus on one.)

April 1: Fun.

Why fun? Aside from the basic premise that “fun” provides a big portion of bicycling’s basic appeal and April 1 is April Fool’s Day, a couple of reasons:

First, when I rode to a meeting this afternoon I locked up at a bike rack that had a higher fun factor than the standard staples found throughout much of downtown Seattle. (Bonus points to the Seattle Dept. of Transportation that I can write that bike parking is “found throughout much of downtown Seattle.” Although more racks are always welcome this is not a complaint, just an aesthetic note.)

Speaking of flossing.... guess what kind of business is found inside the Redmond office building that sports this rack?

Speaking of flossing…. guess what kind of business is found inside the Redmond office building that sports this rack?

Fun, artistic, or whimsical bike racks add to the impression created by a neighborhood or shopping district. They provide a strong visual cue asking for my business; I preferentially shop, eat, and obtain professional services at places that invite me in this way. More bonus points if you sprinkle some fun on the parking as long as it’s still functional.

Second, and far more obvious, riding my bike is fun and that keeps me riding.

Today makes a great example. I worked at home in the morning, planning to ride to my meeting at the point in the day when the forecast told me I’d have some beautiful Seattle sunshine. But there’s always one more email, and then just one more, and by the time I left I had to grab an express bus to make it in time.

When I left the office at 7pm I considered just reversing that trip. After all, I’d already ridden my bike to the transit stop and from my meeting to my office in Pioneer Square–the box had been checked. But the sun was still shining, the air was mild, and I wanted to ride.

Bike rack shaped like a weiner dog, Spokane, WA

This “weiner dog” bike rack invites lots of people on bikes to stay and explore the Garland neighborhood in Spokane.

I set off north on First Avenue in downtown Seattle, then turned east on Pike. Taking this route brings me to a moment of truth: The transit stop at 6th and Pike. I can stop there, place my bike on the 522 or the 312, and read my Kindle for the next 30 minutes. Or I can keep riding and it’s just a few more uphill blocks to the Melrose Trail, and from there not that far to the University Bridge, and from there I can take the Burke-Gilman Trail (or give my bike a bus ride home).

The deciding factor when I reached that bus stop? Riding my bike was too fun to stop. Beautiful weather, the “whee” factor on the downhill sections that I knew lay ahead, feeling strong because I’m self-powered–all the things about riding my bicycle that put a smile on my face were there. That’s fun.

PS: Dear Surgeon General, Americans will take our daily prescribed dose of exercise as long as it’s fun.

Your Turn

  • What’s the most fun you’ve ever had on your bike?
  • Where is your favorite fun bike parking?
  • Send your photos of great bike parking in Washington to Louise@WAbikes.org, tag them #WAbikes #bikeparking on Instagram so we can spot them, or share with us via Facebook or Twitter. They’d make a fun pictorial blog post in future.
The city of Kent, WA, commissioned these leaf-shaped bike racks as public art for their downtown.

The city of Kent, WA, commissioned these leaf-shaped bike racks as public art for their downtown.

Posted in Bike Culture, Bike Parking, Events, News | 4 Comments

Three Reasons to Ride the Daffodil Classic

By Louise McGrody | Published April 1, 2014

daffodils - Mr UshApril in the Northwest is showery, flowery, and the time to ride the Daffodil Classic.

This is the 39th riding of the Daffodil Classic. Organized by the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club and slated for April 13, this ride will take you through scenic Orting valley and its surrounding hillsides. Riders will enjoy well marked routes with cue sheets and maps, support vehicles and fully stocked rest stops.

Here are 3 reasons to ride the Daffodil Classic:

  1.  This ride offers something for every type of rider. If you’re riding with youngsters or want to stay off roads, you can ride from 1 to 30 miles using the Foothills Trail. More ambitious? The Daffodil Classic offers 40 and 60-mile loops into the rural environs. Still not enough? Combine the loops for a century. You can preview the routes here.
  2.  They’ll feed you strawberry shortcake at the finish line.
  3.  This ride benefits bicycling. Proceeds from this ride help support WAbikes advocacy and education work, as well as local bicycle safety and education programs.

Ready to sign up? Use this online registration form to reserve your spot today. Register by April 10 for an early bird discount!

 

Posted in Rides, Tacoma | Comments Off on Three Reasons to Ride the Daffodil Classic

The 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap is Here – Order Your Free Copy!

By Elly Bangs | Published March 25, 2014
The 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap

Behold the 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap!

More than a decade later, I still recall the very first copy of SDOT’s indispensable Seattle Bicycle Guidemap that  found its way into my then-young hands. It was a constant companion through those warm Summer days and nights when I first left the sheltered inlet of residential streets surrounding my family’s house, and tentatively waded out into the roaring asphalt ocean that waited beyond. This map steered my handlebars through the unfamiliar urban fray and led me to the safe havens of bike lanes, low-traffic streets, commonly-cycled routes, and multi-use paths. It was with this map that I first truly explored my home city and its environs, and first came into my own as an urban cyclist — and it is no small source of pride and joy for me that, if you’ve ordered your free copy of the Seattle Bicycle Guidemap at any time in the past couple of years, it was I who mailed it to you.

The first run of the 2014 map arrived along with the first inklings of sunny weather. It handily indicates every multi-use path, bicycle lane, sharrow, signed route, and neighborhood greenway that presently graces the Emerald City — and comes with a wealth of information and tips to help you get around town.

The ink is barely dry on this marvelous publication, and we’ve already been strained by the unprecedented demand! If you receive your map this week, it was part of the teetering, head-high motherload that I carted over to our local post office on Friday amid the anxious stares of passers-by.

The 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap

I regret to say that this year the City has yet to print sufficient quantities of the map for us to hand it out by the whole box to local shops and libraries, as we have been glad to do in the past, and hope to do again soon. Plans for a second print run are in the works to meet the need. If you’d like to hand out bulk quantities of the map at your venue, please contact me (at elliott@wabikes.org or 206.224.9252, x300) so I can add you to my list. As soon as we have boxes on our shelves again, I’ll set one of them aside with your name on it.

You can still order your individual copy of the 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap through SDOT’s online form, and I’ll have it in the mail to you within a week (and don’t forget to include your name, full address, and zip code). You can also view and download an online version of the map. And if you’re ever in Pioneer Square on a weekday, feel free to drop by our storefront and check out this and other bicycling maps for areas around the state.

Happy cycling,

Elliott

Posted in Bike to Work, Commuting, Seattle | Comments Off on The 2014 Seattle Bicycle Guidemap is Here – Order Your Free Copy!

Bike Clubs for all Styles of Riding

By Louise McGrody | Published March 20, 2014

Today marks the first day of spring, April brings us 30 Days of Biking, and May is Bike Month with its many Commute Challenges and Bike to Work Day activities. Take a quick peek at our Rides Calendar and you’ll find bike rides happening all across the Evergreen State.

VeloFemmes - c_cramlich

VeloFemmes get ready to roll. 

Clearly there are plenty of reasons to ride your bike. If you’re looking for some encouragement and social companionship on your bike rides, then check into riding with a bike club.

Not all bike clubs are aimed at the go-fast, lycra-clad crowd. Consider Belles and Baskets of Spokane and Velofemmes of Tacoma. These groups–organized by women who want to inspire other women to ride bikes–offer casual, women-focused rides that are fun. In addition to bike rides, Velofemmes also host conversation nights and bike mechanic workshops.

Some senior centers, like Northshore Senior Center in Bothell, have bike clubs that organize rides suited for older adults. The Northshore Bike Club offers rides of varying distances and difficulty levels. The club also assists older adults who have been away from cycling to ease back into the activity. Refer to the Activities and Classes download for more information about the club.

Do you want to spend some time biking with your kids? Then Kidical Mass is the group for you! Launched in Eugene, OR in 2008, the Kidical Mass movement is spreading across North America. Kidical Mass is a family friendly bike ride through the community and usually includes a fun destination (think playgrounds and ice cream shops). KM rides are currently organized in Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma. EverybodyBIKE in Bellingham also offers family friendly bike rides in the summer. Contact your local bike club and ask if they offer family friendly rides. Some of them do.

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Club rides offer camaraderie.

If you are interested in riding competitively, then check out a racing group like Chinook Cycling Club in Yakima. Chinook is a member of the US Cycling Federation and they organize club rides and races, as well as a USCF sanctioned event. If you’ve ridden a few centuries and enjoy long distances, then consider getting involved with Seattle International Randonneurs. Rando events are not races, but there are time limits for completion which make them challenging.

If you’re looking for a more traditional bike club to ride with, we have plenty of those in Washington! Seattle-based Cascade Bicycle Club is the largest recreational bike club in the nation and offers daily rides to meet your abilities and comfort level. West Sound Cycling Club (Kitsap Peninsula), Wheatland Wheelers of Walla Walla, and Vancouver Bicycle Club are also examples of recreational bike clubs.

Do you prefer riding singletrack dirt trails over pavement? Some recreational bike clubs also organize mountain bike rides. But if you’re serious about dirt trails, you need to look into a group like Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. Evergreen is our state’s largest mountain bike advocacy and trail building group, and they also organize rides.

Be sure to look at the Bike Clubs page on our website to find a club (or clubs) near you. If you don’t see one that meets your style of riding, contact your local club anyway and ask if they’d be willing to offer your style of ride. Most bike clubs are eager to grow bicycling in their communities and, if you offer to help organize the ride, they may be willing to list it as their ride.

Photos by Carla Gramlich.

Posted in Bike Clubs, Bike Culture, Encouragement | Comments Off on Bike Clubs for all Styles of Riding

Washington Bikes Retail is Open for Business

By Louise McGrody | Published March 18, 2014

Photo by Louise McGrody

Washington Bikes recently hung our new shingle above our Pioneer Square location and our retail store is officially open for business!

You may recall an earlier blog post announcing our plans to convert a portion of our office into retail space. We want to take advantage of our Pioneer Square storefront to promote bicycling in the Evergreen State by offering bike maps, bicycle tours and rides guidebooks, and bike souvenirs and gifts–many of which are made in Washington. Revenue generated from this retail venture will be used to support our mission to grow bicycling statewide.

That transformation is complete and we invite you to drop by our store/office to say hi and browse. WAbikes members receive a 10% discount on all merchandise. Not a member? We’ll sign you up on the spot!

If you live beyond the greater Seattle region, you can use our online shop to purchase some of the items that we carry in our retail store. Check our website, tune in to our social media channels (we’re active on Facebook and Twitter), or sign up for email announcements to find out when we’re attending an event in your part of the state. We’ll let you know if we plan to set up a pop-up store at an event.

Thank you to Andy Goulding for designing our new sign and to Eric Abbott for patiently taking us through all the applications and reviews necessary to get approval to hang it above our door!

A sample of items available in our store

A sample of items available in our store

Posted in News, Seattle | Comments Off on Washington Bikes Retail is Open for Business

Board Transitions

By Louise McGrody | Published March 17, 2014

We’ve had some transitions on our board of directors recently. Joe Platzner of Bellevue, Joan McBride of Kirkland, and King Cushman of Seattle stepped off the board at the end of 2013. We appreciate their years of service and will miss their leadership.

In February, we welcomed three new members to the board: Marie Dymkoski of Palouse, Petra Vallila-Buchman of Seattle, and Mark Van Kommer of Yakima. All three are serving terms through 2016.

David McLean will continue to serve as the board president. Others serving on the executive committee include Brian Foley as 1st vice president, Liz McNett Crowl as 2nd vice president, Kirste Johnson as secretary, Tim Hennings as treasurer, and Ted Inkley as past president.

Check our Board Page to view their bios.

Posted in News, People | Comments Off on Board Transitions