Coulter will provide technical support on land use and development projects, environmental cleanup, long-range infrastructure, and wetland mitigation to ensure port projects meet all applicable environmental regulations. Coulter also will conduct port environmental audits, provide recommendations for environmental improvements, and prepare permit applications to ensure the port¹s compliance with local, state, and federal land-use regulations.

The Port of Vancouver currently has over 40 companies on port property and has 1,045 acres of land available for expansion and development. Larry Paulson, the port's executive director, says Coulter will report to the port's environmental manager, Patty Boyden, in the port's property and development department. "Nichole has a strong biological background with working experience at various federal and state agencies," said Boyden.

At Boateng and Associates of Mercer Island, Wash., Coulter was a field scientist and performed vegetation and mollusk surveys in the national forests of Washington and Oregon. She also served as the company¹s liaison to the United States Forestry Service. Prior to that, Coulter was a research assistant with the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pa., where she conducted environmental surveys in Fairmont Park, and performed a fellowship with the Environmental Protection Agency for three years where she worked on various environmental projects on the East Coast.