Steve Richmond, owner of Garden Cycles, is a master in the field of ecological restoration. He talks with Sally about the complexities of responsibly eradicating—or managing—the invasive plants that threaten our island’s ecology.

Fascinated by native plants and committed to supporting the environment, Steve became a Native Plant Steward in 2003. Shortly afterward, he started Garden Cycles, a small ecological restoration company, traveling to his jobs by bicycle in West Seattle. After meeting his wife at a dance at Ober Park, he eventually moved to Vashon.

As one of the area’s most experienced professional stewards, Steve also created the educational website seedrain.org to provide free information for others seeking to manage invasive plants. “Seed rain” refers to the seeds that fall and spread—often carried by birds—allowing invasive plants to continually reinfest native forests.

Steve’s path to ecological restoration was anything but linear. He earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington, with a minor in Russian Language, and studied at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. Earlier in his career, he worked as a news photographer for legacy print media and served as the founding director of a Russian-language program in the former Soviet Union before making a midlife transition to ecological restoration.

Described as “the most experienced practitioner who actually does the work,” Steve, now 66, continues his professional fieldwork on rural Vashon Island—and still enjoys cycling to work.

Visit Steve’s educational website at seedrain.org, or learn more about his business, Garden Cycles, at gardencyclesllc.com.