Connie Mehmel is a retired forest entomologist with the US Forest Service, where she provided forest pest management training and technical assistance to Federal land managers in most of the state of Washington. A WSU Master Gardener since 2010, she teaches vegetable gardening and manages the flower, fruit and vegetable building for the Chelan County Fair. She is a board member of the Wenatchee Valley Chapter of the WA Native Plant Society. Besides working in her garden, she enjoys hiking, biking and cross-country skiing.