James Whelan

James Whelan

Klamath River Project Manager




Biography

James grew up in Ashland, Oregon, which is 45 minutes from where he is now working on Klamath River projects. Growing up, he and his family were loved to travel and explore nature, whether it was the reefs in Baja California, Mexico or the redwood rivers of the Pacific northwest. His love for fishing and exploring led him to his current career path.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology and marine sciences from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2020. During that time, he was a rattlesnake biologist with multiple publications as well as a researcher/diver for the marine science department. He is currently on track to complete his master’s degree from Cal Poly Humboldt, investigating outmigration survival of juvenile chinook salmon in the upper Klamath River basin in cooperation with NOAA and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.