Farallon Project Scientist Ken Scott grew up hiking and skiing in the San Francisco mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona. “We lived in the country with a horse and chickens, surrounded by the Coconino National Forest,” he recalls. “Because I grew up surrounded by nature, I’m passionate about plants, wildlife, and saving the planet.” While visiting family in Washington, Ken fell in love with the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges and the natural beauty of the Puget Sound, and decided to pursue his love of the outdoors by becoming an environmental scientist.
After obtaining his degree from Shoreline Community College in Washington, Ken started his first job in the environmental field—where he worked with the scientists who would go on to start Farallon—while taking a full class load at the University of Washington and working weekends for a local talent agency. It was during this time he played the title character in the 2005 movie “Clawed, the Legend of Sasquatch.” After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Washington, Ken became an Environmental Scientist at Farallon.
An avid hiker, a backpacking consultant for JanSport, and a telemark skier, Ken is Farallon’s go-to field scientist for work in remote locations: he’s performed numerous Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessments in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, worked in
sub-zero temperatures in the Arctic circle, and worked in remote mountain passes in Washington's Cascade mountain range. One such project required him to use mule trains to haul out contaminated soil from a remote helicopter crash site in the Alpine Lake Wilderness outside Leavenworth, Washington. In addition to his full load of field work and project management, Ken also has helped to expand Farallon’s Natural Resources service line.
“Because my degree is in forestry and wildlife conservation and I’m a certified Wetland Delineator,” Ken explains, “I’ve been happy to see Farallon expand our Natural Resources service area. Over the last year, I’ve worked closely with our Portland office conducting wetland delineation and restoration projects, and I've recently assisted our Bend, Oregon office delineating volcanic soil and bedrock at a quarry near the Newberry National Volcanic Monument."
“I’ve worked hard and sacrificed everything to make my dreams come true,” Ken recalls. "I pretty much worked 20-hour days for 2 years straight without weekends at UW. In my 13 years with Farallon, I take pride in knowing I am protecting our environment and cleaning up our earth one contaminated site at a time. My motto is 'Never Quit Until a Job Is Done Right!'”
Ken worked with the Mountain to Sound Greenway project maintaining the Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest I-90 wildlife corridor. He also helped restore the Boeing Creek, Carkeek Park, and Cedar River watersheds; educated youth groups about wetlands and salmon restoration at the Shoreline Environmental Interpretive Center; and conducted plant tours at the Washington Arboretum. Currently, Ken is a member of the Puget Sound Mycological Society and a volunteer environmental scientist on the scientific board of IEEE Smart Village, which empowers off-grid communities in the developing world.