Member Spotlight: Tony Petrillo, Jefferson MRC
As Tony Petrillo says, “everyone is a neighbor in Port Townsend”, so the fact that a neighbor lured him in to join the local MRC is no surprise. Joining the group was something of a stretch for him, though, since the groups he’s used to working with are groups of musicians and not committees. A solo consultant in the ocean engineering business, he works on plenty of ocean issues, but this was a learning experience in community participation….a way to, as he puts it, “develop connective tissue in the community”.
Not one to jump in just part way, Tony’s role on the MRC soon developed into representing the group on the Northwest Straits Commission and from there he was encouraged to join the Commission’s Technical Committee. You may wonder when he finds time now to do anything but this volunteer work, but remarkably he does a lot of other work and play.
As an engineer, he’s energized by the work he does – setting up seabed mapping projects, laying and repairing submarine cable – because it’s fun for the brain and gets him out on the water. Years ago he turned down a job doing satellite oceanography, recognizing that he’d rather be on a boat than behind a computer. Now he finds that the work he does often puts him behind a computer while on a boat, a happy medium.
In addition to his consulting business, Tony spends his time playing jazz as a vocalist and guitarist. Though his only formal music training was just 52 guitar lessons he took many years ago in Seattle, with copious notes and a lot of practice, he has taken the bits of knowledge and developed them over time to become an accomplished musician.
Tony has an ambitious perspective on the MRC and Northwest Straits Initiative: his goal is to see us finish the job of restoring Puget Sound so that it is done and we’re all out of business. With volunteers like him, somehow it does seem possible.
The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, authorized by Congress, is nationally recognized as an innovative approach to bring sound science and an ecosystem perspective together with citizen energy and entrepreneurship.
Volunteers from seven county-based Marine Resources Committees select restoration and conservation projects that meet performance benchmarks, attract diverse partners, and engage large numbers of community members in the process.
The Northwest Straits Commission coordinates these efforts and conducts regional projects. The Commission also brings together scientists and marine managers to help improve everyone's efforts to save Puget Sound.