Teams
The gardeners of the grounds and wetland teams are responsible for the holistic care of the entire campus landscape and outdoor built environments. This includes ongoing maintenance and improvement of all landscaped and natural areas, trails, sidewalks, roads, parking lots, sports fields and courts.
The 58 acre campus wetland restoration area maintained and managed as a fully functional flood plain wetland and campus living laboratory by the wetland team. The grounds and wetland teams are also the first responders in the case of inclement weather such as ice, snow, flooding and windstorms. In addition, campus waste is an important part of the grounds teams daily routine. They collect waste from all outdoor receptacles and perform a daily litter pick of the entire campus. The team also manages on-site composting and facilitates the responsible diversion of scrap metal and wood. The teams regularly collaborate with students and faculty and host volunteer opportunities through the Office of Community Based Learning and Research, UWB and Cascadia classes, or via individual student initiative.
We are proud to have eliminated herbicides, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers from our campus environment in favor of organic land care since the spring of 2006. We strive to put our human energy in line with the forces of nature to provide all with a peaceful, educational, inspirational, and healthy public space.
If you have any questions or concerns in regards to ground and wetland maintenance please contact uwbfs@uw.edu.
Tyson Kemper, Grounds Supervisor
I came of age in the garden working for my father's small landscape business in Vancouver, Washington and later went on to earn my Bachelor's degree in Botany and English from the University of Washington and a Master's degree in Forest Resources from the University of Idaho. This collective education provided me opportunities to wander, observe, and learn from the wild spaces of the Pacific Northwest while working as an environment consultant and later as a rare plant botanist for the Washington Natural Heritage program. I have since come full circle and found my place beside the buttercups in the garden again. It has been a pleasure building the campus gardens organically since 2006.
Grounds
Adrian Ionescu, Gardener Lead
I was born in Romania, European Union and graduated from Horticulture University in Bucharest. For 12 years, I had a business in Romania growing and processing medicinal herbs to sell to pharmacies. I came to the United States in 2005. I have worked for UW Bothell since 2011 and am an active King County Master Gardener. I am proud to be a gardener at UW Bothell, to be part of a great team.
Tim Maurer, Gardener 2
I've been with the UW Bothell as a gardener since 2001. To be a part of a great team of gardeners and contributing to the beauty and health of our campus has been a great source of inspiration and joy... I really like my job!
Robby Wrench, Gardener 2
I moved to Seattle from Michigan in 2013. I had worked as a residential gardener in the Seattle area before joining the grounds team at UW Bothell. I have taken classes at both South Seattle CC and Edmonds CC in the horticulture programs and have pursued continuing education to grow as a gardener. I am a volunteer Rare Plant monitor with Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation and Coastal Monitor at Deception Pass State Park with COASST. I am passionate about sustainable gardening practices, gardening for wildlife and the conservation of native pollinators through the use of native plants and organic landscape design and management. I have been a gardener here at UW Bothell since 2015.
Wetland Team