Hello to the Mosses: Getting to know Amanda Bullis

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Hello to the Mosses: Getting to Know Amanda Bullis

Above, Amanda on the Sol Duc Falls Trail in Olympic National Park. Photo by Christopher Bullis.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with Amanda Bullis, who joined the WEAN team as Engagement Director on February 7. Amanda is WEAN's second full-time staff member and will lead member engagement, external communications, and education programs. The following is an excerpt from our conversation.

—Marnie Jackson

Marnie: What drew you to a career in environmental advocacy and action?

Amanda: This is a great question that I have been thinking about for a while, especially as I embark on this journey with you all. My favorite children’s book as a child was The Wump World, published in 1970 by Bill Peet, which is fundamentally a story from the point of view of a fictitious animal species about how pollution can have a massive impact on the natural world. The final frame of the book is a baby wump—kind of a cross between a capybara and a sheep—watching a sprout grow through the concrete after experiencing the complete annihilation of their planet through industrialization, and that image has always stuck with me as a sign of hope for us as a species.

I believe that we can learn to be better and heal the earth through thoughtful action.

From a citizen standpoint, I believe that environmental issues—effects from climate change, shrinking biodiversity, pollution, development—are the major issues of our lifetime, and I am so honored to be in a position to discuss these issues with my community, gain greater awareness and understanding, and find constructive solutions that benefit people and the ecosystems we interact with and inhabit.

We have impact, there are unintended consequences to all human action, and it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and each other on how we can be better neighbors to the plants, animals, and organisms with whom we share our home.

Above, Amanda Bullis. Photo by Nara Gaisina.

Marnie: What are you excited about working on with WEAN?

Amanda: So many things! I am excited to start telling stories highlighting the unique ecosystems of the island through a variety of modalities, to amplify the activism and science happening in our communities, to share Marianne and Steve’s wealth of knowledge and experience with the public, and to gain a deeper understanding of the environmental/policy issues that impact Island County. Stay tuned!

Marnie: Can you share some past experiences that got you ready for this opportunity?

Amanda: I had the privilege of working on a documentary, aired on PBS, as a student at Rutgers University following ocean scientists working with glider robots to measure ocean temperature and altimetry across the Atlantic Ocean. It was through this project that I fell in love with telling science stories. I was also so curious about the science that I joined the biological research team tracking the growth of goose barnacles on the glider. A few years later, I went back to work at Rutgers with my mentor, Dena Seidel, as she worked to build a filmmaking program utilizing narrative storytelling to amplify scientific research. More recently, I have worked as a writer for tech and science-related companies. I love simplifying complex concepts, and I’m looking forward to utilizing this skill to help WEAN communicate with people around some very important issues.

Marnie: What excites you most about communication or storytelling?

Amanda: Connecting people with large concepts, sharing and amplifying lived experiences, and the limitless potential of the imagination.

Marnie: What has it been like to work with the WEAN founders, Steve and Marianne? What will you do together?

Amanda: I love working with Steve, Marianne and Marnie because I enjoy being in rooms with people who are smarter than me. They are all incredible people with so much knowledge, ingenuity, and passion — which I find deeply inspiring. Steve and Marianne have graciously agreed to podcast with me about their activism, ecology, and the policies that are impacting the island, so we’re going to start there. We also discussed finding ways to tell stories about the history of different plant species on the island, including how some invasive species have found their way here, some species that Steve and Marianne have discovered, and how the community can participate in data collection (more on that soon, hopefully!).

Marnie: Can you tell me about one of your most beloved wild places?

Amanda: The Hoh Rainforest. I go every year to say hello to the mosses, trees, elk and, most of all, the Hoh river. Before I moved to the Pacific Northwest (from New Jersey, please forgive me), I had no idea that the PNW was home to the largest temperate rainforest region in the world, and I’m still not over it. The intense majesty of the rainforest humbles me; I am constantly in awe of the Spruce trail, a place teeming with the drama of the cycle of life in all stages of birth, growth, death and decay.

Marnie: How do you see the future of WEAN being different from its past? How do you see it being the same?

Amanda: WEAN has been a bedrock of environmental activism in Island County for almost four decades, and I see the future of WEAN building on the solid foundation that Steve and Marianne have built with an eye toward participating in the creation of a more sustainable, ecologically conscious island community committed to lowering human impact on the environment.

Marnie: What's something surprising about yourself that readers might not know?

Amanda: I modeled for Montreal photographer François Brunelle and the Museum of Civilization in Quebec City as a representation of the Etruscan goddess Turan for a very cool exhibition called “My 2,000 Year Old Double” in 2018. My facial features matched more than 95% with a tiny balsamarium from the 3rd century B.C through facial recognition software and I was one of 25 people chosen out of 108,000 people to be a part of this very cool project connecting modern humanity to the relics of antiquity. So, I have an ancient twin!