Trailblazer Hero: Jay Bowerman

While Jay Bowerman is largely retired, the octogenarian sure keeps busy.

Bowerman, 82, has recently authored two scientific research papers, which will be published by the Northwestern Naturalist journal. One paper details the nematode parasite that Bowerman has found at alarming levels in the bodies of Deschutes River bull frogs. The other is dedicated to the spotted tree frog.

“I still have a few more papers in me to get out,” said Bowerman, who has published more than 20 research papers. “But as a scientist at the end of my career, I can make a larger contribution by working with young scientists. By helping them find their way into the field of science and the joy of discovery and the whole discipline… It’s just extremely rewarding.”

Bowerman presently sits on the board of the Bend Science Station, which offers STEM programming for elementary and middle schoolers. But he spent the majority of his career in various levels of involvement with the Sunriver Nature Center. He became its executive director in 1973, steering the nonprofit for 20 years. Bowerman said he was honored to “carry out the vision that [original founders] Jim Anderson, John Gray and Bob Royston had put together.”

All told, Bowerman has been involved with the Sunriver Nature Center for more than four decades. He has led countless nature walks and discussions, often with children and adults alike.

One memorable regular attendee was Luke, who was 11 when he began showing up.

“He was a sweet kid,” Bowerman said. “He became deeply involved and he helped me collect data.”

Bowerman keeps in touch with his protegees throughout the years. That each young person Bowerman mentors becomes a scientist isn’t the point. Luke, for his part, long grown up, works as a medic for the Air National Guard, Bowerman said. He’s also married and is a father.

Bowerman said, “He’s such a success because of his fascination for the world in which he’s living.”

During his early years, Bowerman resembled the children he has long mentored. Indefatigably curious, the youngster would scamper along the McKenzie River banks near his parents’ farm outside Eugene. The family kept a cow, chickens, goats and sheep, the latter which kept the milkweed at bay.

“I was immersed in nature from a very young age, and we had an endless string of creatures from the local environment I guess you would call pets,” Bowerman said, listing off memorable raccoons that ingratiated themselves to the family.

Later on, Bowerman earned a master’s degree in biology at the University of Oregon. He specialized in salamander chromosomes. It was the late 60s and early 70s — the public’s interest in conservation was growing, he remembered. “Silent Spring,” a touchstone 1962 book by Rachel Carson that foretold the ills of pesticides, had gone mainstream. Earth Day was established as a national holiday in 1969. For his ecological inspiration, Bowerman reached for the works by Aldo Leopold, widely cited as a pioneer of modern ecology and conservation. Leopold’s 1948 “A Sand County Almanac” was transformative. Presently, Bowerman feels buoyed by the current national discussions about how to reduce consumption and mitigate Climate Change. Earth stewardship has become an altogether more intimate, generational handoff for Bowerman since he and his wife became grandparents.

Before setting off on an outdoor excursion with his three grandkids — whose ages range from five to nine — Bowerman is sure to bring a collecting net for whatever creatures they might find. Stoking their curiosity about the natural world is not just the hallmark of a caring grandfather, but also indicative of the transgenerational mentoring with which Bowerman has infused his career.

“Anthropologists use the term ‘culture’ to refer to the process by which information is gained, shared and retained therein,” Bowerman said. “In a society, the whole process of scientific discovery and sharing is what moves it forward in a positive way.”

Asked what Bowerman thinks will make up his legacy, he demurred.

“I don’t dwell so much on these types of questions,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve got a whole lot more pragmatic things to worry about.”

This article appears in Source Weekly April 17, 2025.