Vignette: Rebecca Flitcroft, Research Fish Biologist, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR

Growing up in a southern Oregon timber town in a family strongly rooted in logging, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has always been part of my life. The conflicts which embroiled the USFS during my youth are etched in my memory. I vividly remember when the northern spotted owl Strix occidentalis caurina was listed as federally endangered. Mills closed and parades of coffins rolled down the streets with proclamations that the end of federal timber harvest would spell the end of towns like ours. In college, I learned more about public land management for natural resource sustainability. Recognizing the importance of economics in environmental issues, I studied both environmental science and economics. Graduate degrees in fisheries (Ph.D.) and geography (M.S.) honed my expertise on aquatic ecosystems and their spatial context. Yet, my timber-town roots still color how I relate to the world. Understanding the relationships among ecological and economic values of fish, forests, and watersheds—and trying to find a balance—is a recurring theme in my work.