By: Corey Gedrose

 

As Christopher Yee, a senior biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, sits in his office in Springfield, Oregon, he eagerly waits for the call from his superiors informing him that elk season has arrived and that there is a helicopter waiting for him to begin their yearly surveys. As part of Yee’s job, he must routinely deal with big game animals by observing and recording their movements in the Oregon wilderness. According to Yee, this field work is his favorite part of working for the ODFW.

 

Beyond the elk, cougars, bears and other animals, Yee plays a more important role that often goes unnoticed: handing out conservation easements to private landowners who are excited to help conservation efforts. Although it is not as exciting as flying in a helicopter overlooking the expansive greenery that is the state of Oregon, Yee says that this is one of the most important aspects of his job. “We are understaffed here at the office, so my duties as head of the Wildlife Habitat Conservation Management Program are just as important as keeping bears away from residential areas,” he claims. This program offers incentives to landowners that dedicate a large amount of time restoring native habitats and removing non-native invasive species.

 

According to Yee, his interest in the outdoors started at a young age. He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, where he barely had any contact with true wilderness. “Growing up in Michigan, the biggest tree lot I saw until I was about twelve had ten trees in it,” he explains. This made it difficult for Yee to take action on his interests. From there he moved to Montana, where he says he received his Bachelor degree.

 

 In Montana, he claims he saw things that he had never even known were out there. His education there allowed him to expand his horizons past Detroit. After this, he says he began moving all around the nation taking temporary jobs revolving around wildlife management. “When I landed in Oregon, I knew this is where I wanted to be, it is such a wild and diverse ecosystem that really sparked my interest to see what was out there,” he remembers.

 

Since becoming involved with the ODFW, Yee says that he hopes that he can expand the conservation easement program to more than just the sixty or so properties he currently manages and obtain a wider range of ecosystems to protect in the Eugene/Springfield area. He says that one of the ways he wants to do this is by obtaining many smaller properties in high-risk areas and creating wildlife sanctuaries within the constantly developing urban area. Yee hopes to accomplish this within the next ten years.