Lance Winecka
Executive Director
Lance Winecka was born and raised near the Puget Sound. Lance has worked for SPSSEG since 2001 and has overseen over 100 on-the-ground restoration projects. In 2007, Lance became the Executive Director for the Group and continues to build upon his experience to build better projects and to be more effective in salmon restoration. Lance lives in Olympia, WA with his wife and two kids.
Kristin Williamson
Salmon Habitat Restoration Biologist, Primary Project Manager
Cole Baldino
Salmon Habitat Restoration Biologist, Project Manager
Growing up with the dream of saving salmonids, Cole received a degree in coldwater fisheries biology from SUNY Environmental Science & Forestry in Syracuse, NY. He’s worked throughout the east coast restoring eastern brook trout habitat. After a lifetime of chasing wild steelhead, Cole has made his way to WA to restore salmon populations as a project manager for SPSSEG. His passion for implementing large wood structures and removing barriers to fish passage fits with the organization mission and team. When not saving salmon and trout, Cole is chasing them with his fly rod. Along with angling, Cole is an avid rock climber, mountaineer, hunter, and gardener.
Kylie ODriscoll
Salmon Habitat Restoration Biologist, Project Manager
Kylie received her B.S. in wildlife science from SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry in upstate New York. She worked in the restoration and wildlife fields all over the country before settling down in the PNW in 2020. She enjoys the complexity of habitat restoration and how there is always more to learn. Kylie is thrilled to be a part of the SPSSEG team, helping to rewild the rivers of the south Puget Sound. Outside of work, you can find her backpacking, foraging, skiing, climbing, and spending time with her dogs.
Casey Allen
Project Manager
Casey grew up in the greater Olympia area, going on to receive AAs for both firefighting and EMT-Paramedic and serving multiple regions of the Willamette Valley for more than 7 years. Subsequently, he went on to receive a BS in Biology from Portland State University, and taught and coordinated outdoor education programs for 10 years. While working on his Masters in Environmental Studies at the Evergreen State College (expected graduation 6/25) Casey served as the Operations Manager for the Deschutes Estuary Restoration Team, and is excited to bring his diverse work background, passion for the more than human world, and collaborative expertise to bear on SPSSEG’s projects in the Kennedy/Goldsborough Watershed (WRIA 14). In his free time, Casey enjoys spending time with his wife Marena, as well as biking, kayaking, bushcraft, camping, and generally spending time exploring and building relationships with our natural spaces.
Jessica Linkemyer
Education & Outreach Coordinator
Alex Arams
GIS Restoration Analyst, Field Coordinator
Alex is a fisheries biologist with 8 years of experience in salmonid habitat delineation, aquatic habitat surveys, restoration effectiveness monitoring, and fish passage prioritization assessments throughout rivers and estuaries in the Puget Sound and Columbia River plateau. He has a strong background in field work and sampling methodologies with fish abundance surveys (snorkeling, electrofishing, seining, eDNA sampling), land surveying tools (RTK GNSS/GPS receivers, total stations), UAV/drone mapping (orthomosaics, digital elevation models), and remote sensing techniques (through image analysis and ML algorithms). His work focuses on spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS) to support watershed assessments and data visualization for the variety of restoration projects led/managed by the SPSSEG project team. Alex also received a B.S. in Watershed Science from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY, and worked seasonally throughout New York, Oregon, and Montana before settling down in Olympia in 2019. In addition to counting fishes and walking streams, Alex enjoys walking long distances and wilderness backpacking throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Alex may be contacted at
Brian Zierdt
GIS Analyst / Data Administrator / Biologist
Harold Schmidt
Accounts Manager
Harold Started his career working in the Accounting Department for the A&P Tea Company in Montvale, NJ. After moving to the Pacific Northwest he has provided accounting services for a variety of organizations including retail stores, hotels, internet companies and non-profits. He has focused on providing back office accounting services for smaller organizations.
Harold & his wife Linda have a strong commitment to preserving the natural environment. They enjoy traveling though out Washington as well as up and down the West coast. They both enjoy documenting the region through their photographs.