Sue Rooney

Sue arrived in the Pacific Northwest by way of Boston and Colorado, ultimately choosing to make her home in Seattle due to its natural beauty and proximity to open spaces. Holding a degree in Natural Resource Management and having a natural capacity for storytelling and hospitality, Sue found work on board small ships that cruised the Inside Passage between Seattle and Alaska. During these years Sue began a lifelong journey weaving stories about the wildlife, climate, and wilderness that underpins our regional economy, culture, and history for travelers from all over the world. 

Sue’s love of the natural world and deep curiosity of place-based storytelling led her to regions beyond Alaska, including the Columbia and Snake Rivers, Mexico, and eventually Antarctica and the North Atlantic. Her professional journey provided her with deep human connections, elevating her understanding of local and regional perspectives on land use, wildlife and fisheries management, and the spiritual connections held by people regarding their communities, landscapes, cultures, and, remarkably, salmon. In time, her work pivoted to nonprofit leadership in watershed conservation and salmon recovery as well as with the people experiencing homelessness in Seattle.  

Sue admits with transparency and humor her complete lack of knowledge about salmon in the early days of her life in the Pacific Northwest. However, today, the topic of salmon is never far from her conversations. For Sue, as it is for so many of us in salmon country, there are few stories about our region that aren’t somehow connected to the most iconic fish in our bioregion. “Long Live the Kings” isn’t just a clever statement. It’s a calling, a duty, and a deeply held mission.