Step 01
The observations
Across rural Washington and B.C., residents reported persistent atmospheric haze, unusual particulate fallout on snow, and health complaints clustering in specific corridors.
About
About the Coalition
A non-profit research and education organization studying geo-engineering contaminants in soil, air, and water, built to serve communities that mainstream environmental research has historically overlooked.
At a Glance
One organization. Independent by design.
The Coalition for Geo-Engineering Research is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, no industry money, no predetermined conclusions. Founded in 2025 by Wayne Burgess and his wife Vivianne in Pasco, Washington, we bring accredited laboratory science to community environmental questions in partnership with RJ Lee Group.
- Established
- 2025
- Headquarters
- Pasco, WA
- Status
- 501(c)(3)
Founders
Wayne & Vivianne
Co-Founders · Research & Community Programs
Communities have been telling us for years what they were seeing in their air and water. The Coalition exists to take those observations seriously, and to bring credible, independent science to the answer.
— Wayne Burgess
Wayne Burgess founded the Coalition for Geo-engineering Research in 2025 together with his wife, Vivianne. The focus was and is to investigate the presence and severity of high-altitude aerial dispersion particulate matter on First Nations land in both the USA and Canada primarily, but not exclusively, working with these communities alongside environmental researchers and laboratory specialists to examine persistent atmospheric and ground-level contaminants showing up in places that don't fit the standard industrial-runoff story.
Our approach is straightforward: take community concerns at face value, design careful sampling protocols, send everything through an accredited laboratory, and publish what the data actually shows, without political shading.
Our goal is to direct the Coalition's research priorities, manage partnerships with laboratories and research institutions, and lead community education programs across British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.
What's next
A First Nations mentorship program
We are keen to develop a mentorship program together with First Nations communities to assist in creating a template for extended future research on other reservations, and to train the youth to carry the banner of protection for the environment that is sacrosanct to their communities.
Founded
2025
Headquarters
Pasco, WA
Origin
How the Coalition came together
The Coalition wasn't built around a single grant or institution. It was built around a question communities kept asking, and a refusal to settle for hand-waving answers.
Step 02
The methodology
A scientific advisory protocol was drafted: standardized soil, air, and water sampling, with First Nations elders and frontline residents as co-investigators.
Step 03
The partnership
RJ Lee Group joined as the Coalition's analytical partner, providing the accredited high-altitude particulate analysis needed for credible findings.
Today the Coalition operates as a fully independent non-profit: funded by community grants, donor contributions, and in-kind laboratory support, never by parties with a financial interest in the research outcomes.
Cultural Mission
Built with First Nations & Indigenous communities at the center.
First Nations and Indigenous communities have monitored their lands and waters for generations, and have repeatedly identified environmental changes long before regulatory agencies acknowledged them. The Coalition treats this knowledge as authoritative.
Our cultural protocols were developed in consultation with elders and tribal environmental staff. Before fieldwork begins in any community, we seek consent, integrate local knowledge into our sampling design, and commit to sharing findings back through whatever channels the community prefers, public report, council briefing, school program, or all of the above.
Our goal is partnership, not extraction. The data belongs to the community.
Cultural commitments
- Free, prior, informed consent before any community sampling
- Local knowledge integrated into sampling design and interpretation
- Findings shared in plain language, in community-appropriate formats
- No publication that names a community without explicit agreement
Laboratory Partnership
Accredited high-altitude particulate analysis with RJ Lee Group.
The Coalition partners with RJ Lee Group, a leading independent laboratory recognized for industrial-hygiene and particulate work, to identify and analyze high-altitude aerial contaminants. Every Coalition sample is processed through documented chain-of-custody and reported with the analytical detail required for credible scientific and regulatory conversations.
Independent laboratory
RJ Lee Group operates outside of the agencies whose data we audit.
Particulate specialty
Recognized expertise in identifying micro- and nano-scale particulates.
Chain-of-custody
Every sample documented from collection to final report.
What sets us apart
Why the Coalition's research holds up
Four commitments that shape every program we run, from the smallest soil sample to the largest community education event.
Independent
No corporate sponsorship. No predetermined conclusions. Methodology and findings published openly.
Culturally rooted
Our research begins by listening, particularly to First Nations elders and frontline community knowledge holders.
Accredited
Through RJ Lee Group, every sample receives accredited, court-defensible analysis with documented chain of custody.
Community-first
Findings belong to the communities studied. Reports are written for residents, not just regulators.
Work with us
Bring credible science to a question your community is asking.
Whether you're an environmental staff member, a tribal council, a researcher, or a concerned resident, get in touch about a research collaboration.