Contact & About Us
Mailing Address:
Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory
P.O. Box 3533
Sunriver, OR 97707
Facility Address:
57245 River Road
Sunriver, OR
General Phone
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541-593-4394 |
| Administrative Offices |
541-593-4442 |
Observatory & Astro Store
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541-598-4406 |
| Fax |
541-593-5207 |
Year-Round Staff
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Jay Bowerman, Principal Researcher
Jay is Sunriver's second "Resident Naturalist" and served as executive director of the Nature Center between 1973 and 1999. He continues to work for the Nature Center as Principal Researcher and has been an author on more than a dozen scientific articles on amphibian biology. Jay has a M.S. in Biology from University of Oregon. Besides his research, Jay continues to volunteer at the Second Tern Thrift Shop which he and his wife Teresa help start in 1989, and plays banjo in a local bluegrass band.
frogs1 (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Bob Grossfeld, Observatory Manager
Bob first came to the Observatory as a volunteer in 1990 after receiving his BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and became the Manager of the Observatory in 1998. He has advanced the teaching of Astronomy and the outreach of the organization throughout the greater Northwest community. He is a distinguished member of NASA/JPL Solar Ambassador program since 1998 enjoying the benefits of the advanced programs offered by the organization. Since 2007 he has also been the principal instructor in Astronomy at the Central Oregon Community College. Bob continues his education through special programs offered through NASA and MIT. Bob is a hearty outdoorsman and enjoys the skiing and boating opportunities offered by Central Oregon.
bob (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Rob Bingham, Nature Center Manager
Rob has been with us since February of 2009. As Nature Center Manager he is responsible for both daily operations and long-range planning. Rob has a strong focus on continually improving the outstanding exhibits, live animal displays, and educational programming that the Nature Center is known for. Rob has a broad background in evolutionary ecology and received his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from U.C. Berkeley. In his free time, he enjoys numerous outdoor activities with his wife and dogs.
rob (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Jennifer Curtis, Lead Naturalist
Jennifer joined the Nature Center as a seasonal naturalist in June 2011, providing nature education and interpretation as well as leading various outreach programs in central Oregon. Jennifer received her M.S. in biology from the University of Central Oklahoma in 2010 with a focus on the behavior and endocrinology of the Eastern collared lizard. Jennifer has several published manuscripts and is a successful grant writer. She has a passion for practical hands on teaching through nature. In her spare time Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors with friends, traveling, and creating art.
jennifer (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Susan Briles, Operations Manager
Susan has been the Executive Assistant for SNCO since 2008. She lives in La Pine with her husband Kevin, daughter Sonja, two dogs and a gecko. Susan also has a son who is a fishing guide in Sitka, AK. She is a Central Oregon native, growing up in Bend. Susan moved to Eugene to attend UofO, lived in Portland for awhile, but couldn’t resist the lure of Central Oregon and moved back. When she is not working at SNCO, Susan enjoys hiking, boating, camping and snowshoeing.
susan (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Carolyn Maxwell, Administrative Assistant
Carolyn joined the SNCO team in August 2011. A native of Oakland, California, Carolyn has a B.S. in Biological Science, and several years office administration experience in the public and private sectors including work with nonprofit organizations and nature centers. Carolyn and her husband, Ray, moved to Sunriver in 2010. When not working, Carolyn enjoys spending time with her three grown children, camping, hiking, and gardening.
office (at) sunrivernaturecenter (dot) org
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Kris Paris, Maintenance
Kris is in charge of maintaining buildings and grounds for SNCO. Before joining the team in 2008, Kris constructed furniture. He is also skilled in car mechanics. Kris enjoys camping and spending time with his family. With two sets of twins his other “job” that brings him great joy is being a full time Dad.
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Our mission is to inspire present and future generations to cherish and understand our natural world.
Vision Statement
The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory will be every person's gateway to an expanding world of information in the natural sciences. By focusing on education, research, and conservation, we will be recognized as Central Oregon's foremost authority on the natural sciences. Our financial base will be broad and diverse
The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory is committed to the pursuit of excellence. We believe the quality of the personal relationships shared by visitors, volunteers, and staff is imperative to our success as a viable organization. We adhere to the highest professional standards and value teamwork, communication, trust and respect. Our volunteers and staff are a team that value dedication, quality, honesty, integrity, responsibility, and creativity. We value and respect individual effort and personal growth, but it is as a team that progress is made and goals are met.
