Last week, the world lost a staunch defender of nature as Chris Wilson, Conservation Ecology LLC, returned to the stars. Chris dedicated his life to his passion, documenting the biggest and smallest species in the US and making a plan to protect them.
He was the first conservation ecologist for the North American Land Trust, where his pragmatic approach to understanding the importance of protecting all species and landscapes was honed. His life’s work was a quiet but steady pursuit of knowledge to understand habitats and the common and rare species that lived in them, and pragmatically connect the dots of management, human impacts, and protection.
For the last seven years, we were honored to have Chris working across NALT preserves throughout the southeast where he greatly expanded his mission by adding eDNA surveys, bat acoustic monitoring, and stunning photography of protected areas. He was the best of the best.
He will be missed, but will be remembered when we see flocks, slithers, and footprints in the wild, or calls and cries from the forests. Thank you, Chris, for your dedication and love of wild things.
All photos credit to Chris Wilson, Conservation Ecology LLC.
In memoriam, written by NALT Southeastern Program Director and dear friend, Patty Kennedy
