Shaping the Landscape: DU’s Chris Bonsignore Retires After a Quarter Century of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest

After nearly 27 years of service with Ducks Unlimited (DU), Chris Bonsignore is hanging up his field gear, but the region he helped shape will carry his legacy for generations.

Bonsignore’s journey with DU began in October 1998, fresh out of grad school at the University of Washington, where he studied wetlands and waterbirds in the Klamath Basin. A fellow student who had worked with DU in the Great Plains introduced him to the organization. After an interview and a tour with DU staff and volunteers, something clicked.

“I was always someone who wanted to make an impact,” Bonsignore said. “What drew me to DU was realizing the scale at which they operate. It wasn’t just about science. It was about policy, partnerships and people. DU approaches conservation from every angle. That really hooked me.”

Bonsignore’s first job was as a biologist in Sacramento, working on projects in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. In his first year, he secured a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant and was already building the partnerships that would become a hallmark of his career. In 1999, he moved to Portland, Ore. where he worked on projects in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, helping to launch DU’s first true Pacific Northwest (PNW) program.

Early in his time as a DU biologist, Bonsignore traveled to the Yukon Delta to survey ducks, a life-changing experience. 
“You’re 100 miles from nowhere, living in a tent, and the only way to get there is by float plane,” he recalled. “It was the wildest thing I’d done up to that point.” 

Immersed in one of the most important waterfowl breeding areas in North America, Bonsignore saw firsthand the scale and significance of DU’s work. 

“That experience showed me how essential Ducks Unlimited is,” he said. “Honestly, that’s what kept me here. The DU model is just an amazing model.”

From there, his path took him to Spokane, Wash., where he spent the rest of his career. 

“Before we opened the PNW office, DU had a limited footprint up here,” he said. “Most of the work was coming out of Sacramento. But we started building new relationships, especially with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and we really started blazing trails.”

Bonsignore recalled an early project for an Oregon farmer who was at risk of losing his farm. He came to DU seeking help. Bonsignore put a plan together, secured the conservation easement and delivered a restoration project on the man’s family farm. 

“They invited me and my kids out to see it afterward,” Bonsignore said. “It was the first time I truly saw how this work changes landscapes and lives. That easement and restoration saved his farm. And that showed me that this work is way more than just ducks. This is saving people’s lives. This is about protecting family legacies.”

That sense of purpose only grew as Bonsignore took on more leadership. In 2010, he became DU’s manager of Conservation Programs in the PNW. Under his guidance, DU expanded into eastern Washington, southern Idaho, and eventually into Utah, a state that had previously seen inconsistent investment in wetlands conservation.

“There was a time when DU wasn’t delivering any wetland conservation projects in Utah, and none of our partners were either,” Bonsignore said. “There was no funding, no DU staff and no infrastructure. But that changed when the Great Salt Lake water crisis hit, it made everyone realize how urgent this work is.”

Bonsignore helped build Utah’s program from the ground up, hiring new staff and pushing through early challenges to establish DU as a major force in the region. One of his proudest moments came when he spoke at DU’s national convention for the first time, sharing the story of Utah’s conservation rebirth with a room full of supporters.

“To be part of that story, that rebirth, is something I’ll always carry with me,” he said. “I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished in Utah.”

Despite all the projects, grants, and partnerships, what Bonsignore says he’ll miss most is the people.

“I’ve worked with the most passionate, dedicated people out there,” he said. “DU isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. That’s what makes this place special.”

That life will now take on a new shape in his retirement. Bonsignore continues to live east of Spokane and owns a small farm to the west of the city. In the coming weeks, he’ll be putting his skills in wetland conservation to work on his own property building ponds and starting restoration work, a full-circle moment for someone who’s spent a career restoring wetlands for others.

“I can look out my living room window and see a conservation project,” he said with a smile. “It’s the coolest thing. I never imagined this would be how my career played out, but I’m so grateful it did.”

From Bellevue to the Yukon Delta, from Portland to the Great Salt Lake, Bonsignore has left a permanent imprint on the landscape, and on the lives of countless people and wildlife along the way.

The Pacific Northwest wouldn’t look the same without him.

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing wetlands, grasslands and other waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has restored or protected more than 19 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science, DU’s projects benefit waterfowl, wildlife and people in all 50 states. DU is growing its mission through a historic $3 billion Conservation For A Continent capital campaign. Learn more at www.ducks.org.
 
Media Contact:
Molly Jarone
(916) 903-9199
mjarone@ducks.org