Q&A with Eugene Wier, Restoration Program Manager

We recently sat down with Eugene Wier from our office in Ashland, Oregon, to ask him a few questions about his work at The Freshwater Trust.

Tell us what you do at The Freshwater Trust?

I implement water quality trading (WQT) programs, recruiting, designing, building, and stewarding the riparian projects that these programs are built on.

What’s the most important thing you’re working on right now? 

The last project for the City of Ashland WQT Program, which will be the second full program I have implemented here in the Rogue River basin.

A lot of small actions done well add up to a life well lived.

What’s something that’s happening at the organization right now that you are very excited about?

I’m excited to see how we have grown the geographies where we work and through that we are learning a lot of new skills, including groundwater management approaches and floodplain reconnection projects.

What do you love about working for The Freshwater Trust? 

What’s not to love about fixing rivers for a living? I love the places we work, and working with the team we have built to accomplish our mission.

With a solid base of observational knowledge and a community of collaborators, great things are possible.

Last book you read or movie you watched? 

I just finished Chris Ralph’s Fists full of Gold, where I learned a bunch about my latest hobby, metal detecting for gold nuggets, or “nugget shooting” as it’s called. Another super fun hobby to do along the edge of a river or stream.

Last place you traveled?

I’m always on the go, mostly around the west over the past couple years. I just made a trip to the Yuba River in California to do some nugget shooting and trout fishing over Thanksgiving weekend. Before that, I was out on the coast in the Smith River watershed observing fall Chinook spawning in crystal clear waters of the South Fork Smith while hiking the Craigs Creek Trail with my son Drake.

A quote you live by?

A lot of small actions done well add up to a life well lived.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Packing a backpack for a long summer walk on the Pacific Crest Trail.

What’s the number one piece of advice you have for someone trying to get into this field? 

Start with as much field work as you can get, spend time observing the resources you’re interested in managing, and build a network of people who care about similar things. With a solid base of observational knowledge and a community of collaborators, great things are possible.