Meet Patrick Hutchins, MLT’s new environmental programs manager

Mountlake Terrace has a new person looking out for its stormwater and tree canopy: Patrick Hutchins, who became the city’s environmental programs manager in April. He replaced Stormwater Program Manager Laura Reed, who retired.

“The stormwater role was expanded to environmental programs manager because of the increasing workload related to environmental issues beyond stormwater,” said Public Works Director Gary Schimek. Hutchins’ main responsibilities in addition to stormwater are the implementation of the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan, management of the solid waste contract with Waste Management, and outreach to the community about environmental issues at large. 

“Patrick provides a unique mix of environmental science, wildlife science and environmental education to his role,” Schimek said. “He was the right fit because he stated that he preferred to work with business and residents through conversation, education and outreach to comply with our environmental requirements, rather than moving directly to enforcement. That is the type of attitude and work style we are looking for in Mountlake Terrace.”

Hutchins was born in upstate New York and his family moved to Sammamish a few years later. Since then he has lived in Fall City, Seattle, Bellingham and Spokane, gaining an appreciation for the state’s ecosystems. “I really, really love Washington,” he said. “I would have a hard time imagining living anywhere else.” 

Hutchins earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental education at Western Washington University and has worked in a variety of science education and volunteer engagement roles at places like the Seattle Aquarium and SR³ SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research. Most recently, he was the environmental compliance manager for civil engineering contractors working on WSDOT fish passage improvement and large-scale infrastructure projects.

During the application process for the environmental program manager job, Hutchins was impressed by the city’s commitment to the environment. “I was really excited about Mountlake Terrace because I looked over the Stormwater Management Plan and the Urban Forest Management Plan and I saw a city that really cared about the natural environment,” he said.

Collaboration with colleagues, residents, local businesses and other municipalities animates Hutchin’s work approach. “In my first two weeks,” he said, “I contacted Brier, Shoreline, Lynwood, Lake Forest Park and Edmonds, and said, ‘Hi, I’m the new stormwater coordinator. Let’s talk! We’re stronger as a community!’”

Likewise, he is keenly committed to seeking and incorporating residents’ feedback for the programs he manages. “We’re not sitting in our ivory tower, telling the community what we’re going to do,” Hutchins said. “Instead, we’re saying, ‘Hey, this is something we’ve identified as important. We’re looking for community input.’” For example, at this summer’s Juneteenth and National Night Out events, he asked attendees questions like, What’s your favorite part of Mountlake Terrace’s natural environment? What does a healthy environment in our city look like to you? What’s a barrier that your community has to supporting a healthy environment that we can help overcome?

Hutchins is heartened by residents’ high level of engagement with the city. “Our city contributes about twice as much volunteer time to parks and tree care as the state average and about eight times the hours of the national average,” he said. 

So, if you see Hutchins doing a stormwater inspection, surveying wildlife at Lake Ballinger or at a city event, don’t be shy – say hi and share your thoughts. Plus, he loves to help people identify plants and wild creatures, so let him know if you need ID help!