Bio

Charles Gifford Post

Charles Gifford Post is an ecologist and outdoorsman, CSR marketing consultant, sits on the Grants Advisory Board for Protect Our Winters, is a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, and a Fellow at the Explorers Club. Inspired by the natural world, Charles spent nearly a decade studying at UC Berkeley and working as a research scientist earning his B.S. and Masters degree in Ecology. Since then, Charles built a bridge between his science background and creative ventures through his podcast, The Traverse, with Chris Burkard, award-winning films, and widely published writing and photography spanning topics from the decline of kittiwakes in the Norwegian arctic to the beauty and fragility of migrating raptors across North America. In 2018, Charles launched an ecological brand consulting business in which he helps diverse clients ranging from Dometic, GORE TEX, Norrøna, Sitka Gear and Hipcamp develop and activate ecologically guided strategy, marketing and projects that can positively impact our home planet. Charles lives in Norway’s Lofoten Islands north of the arctic circle with his wife, Rachel Pohl, his samoyed, Knute, and rescue cat, Hannah.

Academic Background

Community Outreach

Professional Memberships

Teaching Experience

• Field Biology, University of California, Berkeley (Fall, 2013)
• Field Biology, University of California, Berkeley (Spring, 2014)
• American Environmental History, University of California, Berkeley (Fall, 2014)
• Guest Lecturer, ESPM 100 Environmental Problem Solving, University of California, Berkeley (2021)

Select Field Research Experience

• 2011 – 2014, 2016 – Field research assistant under NOAA fisheries biologist, Dave Rundio, during a biannual population study on steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Big Sur, California. Project supported by NOAA and NMFS.

• 2012-2015 – Master’s Thesis: Principal investigator on a four year research project to study the effects of hydrologic variability on American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) foraging and food web impacts in Mendocino, Monterey and Inyo Counties. Project supported by U.C. Berkeley.

• 2013 – Head bird-bander and field team leader for a seasonal migratory songbird study in the central Utah desert. 457 birds were banded across 44 species. Project lead by Dr. Cagan Sekercioglu and supported by the University of Utah and National Geographic.

• 2012 – Research assistant under PhD candidate, Katie LaBarbera. We investigated dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) morphology and genetics over elevational gradients in the Sierra Nevada. Project lead by Dr. Rauri Bowie and supported by the U.C. Berkeley and the National Science Foundation.

• 2010 – 2014 – Field research assistant for Dr. Mary Power’s Food Web Ecology Lab at U.C. Berkeley. Over the course of four years, I contributed to an ongoing study investigating food web linkages and how they are shaped by seasonal drought, flooding and algal proliferation. Project supported by U.C. Berkeley and the National Science Foundation.

(Released under Common Attribution 4.0 | The image on this page is a photo of Charles Post and has been released to public domain)