Ashley Tunstall, Ducks Unlimited Southeast Oregon Regional Biologist
Ashley Tunstall serves as the Southeast Oregon Regional Biologist for Ducks Unlimited, working across Lake and Harney County to restore wetland habitats and support waterfowl habitat conservation efforts. Her work combines scientific expertise with community engagement, creating solutions that benefit both wildlife and landowners.
"I work across southeast Oregon ... primarily assisting any willing landowner with wetland restoration and water management on their property for the primary benefit of waterfowl habitat conservation," she explains. Beyond restoration projects, Ashley participates in "various groups throughout the region for landscape scale conservation planning and problem solving."
Ashley's journey began at Louisiana State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and Management with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology in 2021. During her undergraduate years, she gained valuable experience studying macroinvertebrate communities in Prairie Pothole wetlands.
"That was how my life as a waterfowl scientist began, and it set me on a path to becoming a student trained in the wonderful world of waterfowl," she recalls. "Many hours bent over a microscope identifying and counting tiny aquatic insects brought me to my undergraduate research, which expanded my horizons into the realm of statistical analysis, project management, and critical thinking."
After graduation, Ashley worked with various wildlife species across the United States, including "white-tailed deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, northern bobwhite, waterfowl, songbirds, and bats." Eventually, she joined Ducks Unlimited headquarters as a Conservation Science Assistant under senior scientist Mike Brasher, where she helped develop the duckDNA project in partnership with geneticists from the University of Texas El Paso.
Her current position came about somewhat serendipitously: "One day while cruising the job boards for my next step, I stumbled on the listing for the SE Oregon biologist, applied, and the rest is history."
Ashley's love for nature began in childhood. "In my earliest memories, I remember feeling a deep kinship and tug towards the natural world," she shares. J.R.R. Tolkien's works, with their "anti-industrial, 'power of nature' messaging," deeply influenced her developing conservation ethic.
Her family nurtured this connection through birding expeditions. "My mother, her sisters, and my nana were all avid birders, traveling together as a family to witness major migration events. There was always a pair of binoculars and an Audubon Field Guide poised on the back window sill."
What Ashley values most about her work is creating win-win scenarios. "I am fortunate to get to work in a space that provides benefits not only to the waterfowl we target, but also to the landowners and land managers that live on and cultivate the land," she says. "It's not always the case that conservation work can so perfectly match the goals of the folks that work the land."
Her position requires adaptability and positive engagement. "It is important in my position to always be a positive voice in the room and to think on your feet," she notes. "The wheels of restoration work churn slowly, but everything can change on a dime when site conditions change, structures fail, funding falls through... you have to be ready to change your plans quickly and deftly."
Ashley emphasizes that partnership is essential to her work. "My job could not function without my partners. Our relationships with local communities and natural resource professionals are crucial to seeing quality conservation work come to fruition," she explains.
These collaborations, like participating with the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative, enhance outcomes through diverse expertise: "By collaborating, we bring a variety of perspectives to the table, and make sure to find conservation solutions that benefit the most land and the most people." She appreciates how these interactions contribute to her own professional growth, saying, "I learn something new from all of my partners every day and am so thankful to them for sharing their brilliance with me. It makes me a better biologist each and every day."
Outside of work, Ashley maintains a rich variety of creative and outdoor pursuits. "I love to write, read, paint, embroider, hike, bird, fly fish, kayak, cook and eat delicious foods, play video games, play my drum set, and spend time with my loved ones," she shares. "I love being creative and using creativity to show my people I care, and I love a good story!"
