Claire has been a resident of Corvallis on-and-off since 2005, when she came to the area for a graduate degree in Forest Science at Oregon State University. She has worked professionally as a research soil scientist in forest, rangeland, and field crop systems, specializing in soil carbon and nitrogen management. For the last ten years she worked for the USDA Agricultural Research Service, conducting research and outreach on soil conservation practices, most recently in Pullman, Washington. She wants to help both city and rural folks in Benton County find ways of being able to contribute to land conservation.