Rain Shadow Consulting, founded in 2005 by Carson and Samantha Sprenger, provides an array of environmental and forestry services. With Waldron roots and a recent five-year residence on Shaw, Rain Shadow recently opened an office in Eastsound.

The company’s aim is to provide ecologically-based forestry and habitat restoration services throughout the San Juan Islands.

“Our goal is to bring a greater ecological focus to forestry,” said Carson. “By combining increased protection for unique ecological features (large snags, old-growth, large down logs), with an active approach to thinning young and overcrowded stands, we are helping shift the management paradigm from purely extractive to one based on resource stewardship and sustainability.”

Carson and Samantha both received their master’s degrees from the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources.  Carson’s research focused on local fire history and dendrochronology, while Samantha focused on native grasslands restoration and rare plant species.

With their own low-impact equipment and two- to three-person crew, Rain Shadow also conducts full-service tree and forestry work including fuel reduction, pre-commercial thinning, tree planting and chipping.

Recently, Rain Shadow Consulting completed a six year Garry oak habitat restoration project on Waldron in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The San Juan Preservation Trust. Other work includes Garry oak habitat and grassland restoration on Turtleback Mountain, sites near False Bay, and Turn Point. This work was recognized in 2012 when Rain Shadow received a Good Steward Award from the San Juan Stewardship Council.

Samantha and Carson have two small children who are enrolled in school in Eastsound.