An Interview with Nick Kilby

In March, we welcomed a new stewardship coordinator, Nick Kilby, to our team in Bend. Nick brings a strong foundation in restoration ecology and experience stewarding public lands. His work will include coordinating and leading volunteer stewardship trips and implementing projects that improve habitat health and support the wildlife that depend on these unique landscapes.

Get to know Nick in this brief interview below, and learn more about his prior experience, what drew him to Oregon Natural Desert Association, and his personal relationship to grizzly bears!

What were you up to before joining ONDA as stewardship coordinator?

Before I joined ONDA, I worked for the City of Bend as an Environmental Resource Technician. I like to think I acted as the city’s voice for the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act, as I worked to ensure that the city and developers complied with environmental permits and guidelines. Before that, I worked for the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other nonprofits as a part of their wildlife survey and habitat restoration teams.

What drew you to the stewardship coordinator position with ONDA?

I had worked alongside the ONDA stewardship team in 2022 and 2023 on some of their restoration projects on the Crooked River. I was able to witness firsthand ONDA’s incredible volunteer community and dedication to restoring desert habitats. It’s this passionate community and technical focus on restoration of key desert waterways that drew me to this position.

What are you most excited about as we begin this year’s volunteer stewardship trips?

I am looking forward to getting out on our stream restoration projects with our awesome volunteers. There’s nothing better than working with good company in a cool stream in the middle of Oregon’s beautiful desert landscapes.

Is there a high desert critter you are most excited to try to spot?

Yes! There are so many critters I am excited to see, but probably most of all, I’d love to see a ferruginous hawk atop its nest. Many ferruginous hawks have ground nests or will nest atop boulders unlike other raptors, which I think is so neat!

Tell me one thing about yourself that might surprise people.

While working for the Forest Service on the Caribou Targhee National Forest, I had the opportunity to survey grizzly bears! During those surveys we would put GPS collars on the bears, so I was able to get up close and personal with these beautiful and powerful creatures.

We’re excited to have Nick on our team and look forward to our community meeting him in the desert this spring!