With a long track record of working in natural resources management and conservation in the Umpqua Basin, Eric Riley was a natural fit to join Pacific Birds as our Umpqua Oak Partner Liaison. While he has lived in the Umpqua area for over 20 years, his previous work spanned beyond oak landscapes, focusing on watershed monitoring and salmon habitat restoration.
Growing up in San Jose, CA, Eric shared that he spent a lot of time outdoors with his father, who introduced him to fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and other activities. This ultimately spurred him to pursue a degree in ecology and systematic biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, and a career in conservation. His desire to serve his community and the landscapes people rely on continued to drive his work throughout his career. Eventually, after working with the government, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations, he set out on a new adventure, starting his own consulting business in 2022.
In his current role with Pacific Birds, he gets to do a little bit of everything, including site visits, coordinating with partners, meeting landowners, and guiding monitoring efforts, with the ultimate goal of accelerating oak restoration and conservation in the Umpqua Basin. “It’s all about people and relationships,” he says when it comes to building new partnerships, in and outside of conservation. Some of his favorite parts of the work he does are getting connected with landowners (and people in general) and bringing together diverse groups of people to achieve common goals and meet conservation needs. Luckily, these are both big parts of his role and some of his projects, including developing a new strategic plan for the Umpqua Oak Partnership to guide investment and the establishment of new projects in the area.
Outside of his work in the Umpqua, he has plenty to keep him occupied, including continued service in the Oregon Army National Guard, a 4 ½ acre farm (with sheep and chickens!), and a position on the local rural fire district board. In addition to his farm, he tends to a large garden (when time permits), a swath of 22 fruit trees, and his honey bee colony with his wife. Despite this, he’s looking forward to someday winding down and spending even more time with his family and giving back to the community.
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