In 1976, Chris moved to the Tri-Cities with her husband as he transferred with Battelle Corporation. Chris raised two boys and later also went to work for Battelle. She retired from her computer programmer position at Battelle in January of 2000.
She joined the Friends Group in 2000 and has been an active and valued member since. She keeps several databases for Friends, serves as Board secretary, and has donated hundreds of volunteer hours on various projects. Chris developed a love of the outdoors early in life. She was raised on a small farm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. She has gone on Audubon birding trips to Australia, Peru, Costa Rica, and Panama. She has also been on two Earthwatch Projects. Each project lasted two weeks. Each participant had to pay $1,500 to volunteer on the research teams. One trip was in 1997 at Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico studying migratory land birds. The most exciting for her was in 2000 working on the Whooping Crane reintroduction program near Kissimmee, Florida, with cranes that had been raised at Patuxant Wildlife Research Center.
Chris enjoys gardening and weaving. She has belonged to the Desert Fiber Arts organization since the 1970’s. She is the third generation weaver from her family on one of her several looms.
by Gary Hagedorn, Friend & Refuge Volunteer