I’m a proud native of the ‘golden rollin’ hills of California’, as the folk musician, Kate Wolf so eloquently sang of, in the heart of the gold country. I was lucky to grow up amongst pine-clad mountains and free-flowing rivers, but it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns, and so I found deep solace in nature during an otherwise tumultuous childhood. Some of my earliest memories included capturing grasshoppers, praying mantises and crawdads, and keeping them as pets in mason jars. And I was always outside – riding my horses and tending to my Noah’s Ark of sheep, rabbits, cats, dogs, birds, and fish.

As an adult, I’ve been lucky to find ways to combine my passions for nature, travel, art, and education. After college, and armed with a Master’s degree in Biology, I became a field biologist, getting paid to hike, camp and ski in order to tag trout, net sharks, identify insects, chase pollinators, press plants, collect weather data and dissect…well you probably don’t want to know! Over the years, I’ve held a variety of fantastic field biology jobs that have included such exciting adventures as being chased by a moose, having bears steal my food and puncture my tires, escaping from lightning storms, and being stung by jellyfish.

As much fun as this was, I eventually realized that I could affect an even greater societal change by educating folks about the wonders of the natural world in hopes of inspiring them to preserve it. So I settled down from the gypsy life of a field biologist and began my work as an environmental educator. I love sharing stories about the natural world with people young and old through multi-disciplinary techniques that incorporate art, music, dance, and writing.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY LIFE STORY

“We only conserve what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught”
– Baba Dioum

Christine’s Official Biography

Christine Elder is a lifelong naturalist, artist, and educator. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology, with an emphasis on ecological principles, and a certificate in Science Illustration from the University of California. She also completed three summers of graduate studies at the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, focusing on botany and pollination biology.
In her years as a field biologist, she worked on projects to restore habitats, monitor endangered species, studied climate change, identified deep-sea marine invertebrates, and surveyed plant and animal populations, including the threatened West-slope Cutthroat Trout and the California Legless Lizard.
She has more than 20 years of experience in environmental education, working in informal field settings with such organizations as the National Park Service and Forest Service, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the Nature Conservancy in which she developed interpretive displays, gave campfire programs, led nature walks, trained docents and taught children’s activities. She has also taught in schools, ranging from stints as a high school and college biology professor, to developing and teaching cross-curricular programs that integrate the arts and sciences.

In Christine’s current work as an environmental educator, she teaches workshops, leads nature sketching retreats, and offers online classes.
She has an insatiable drive to travel and observe wildlife in their native habitats. She’s been blessed to observe calving glaciers and breaching whales in Alaska, courting alligators in Florida, giant river otters in Peru, howler monkeys in Honduras, and pygmy elephants in Borneo.

Since 2012, her travels have taken her all over the Western Hemisphere co-leading international nature tours.
When not traveling or teaching, Christine can be found in her art studio, creating illustrations for her own projects and for clients as part of her work as a scientific illustrator. Learn more about these services and view praise for her work from clients.
She resides in central Oregon, sandwiched between the 10,000-foot volcanic peaks of the Cascades and the high desert where pronghorn antelope roam and sage grouse dance. Christine firmly believes in giving back and supports a variety of environmental conservation and education programs throughout the year.

 

“It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness”
– Chinese proverb

Still curious to learn more?

Here’s where I share the fun (and sometimes embarrassing) tidbits about me that only my friends know ( like the time I rescued a lobster). Come on over to my Just For Fun page!

Giving Back

Giving back to my community and supporting conservation organizations are baked into my business model. I routinely donate a sizable percent of my revenue as well as volunteering for a variety of non-profits and animal rescue organizations. Learn more here.