Charles Gehr

Southern Oregon Coordinator

Charles joined NFS full-time in 2025 as our Southern Oregon Coordinator. He was previously an NFS River Steward on the Rogue River in southern Oregon. In his role as River Steward, Charles participated in the development of the Rogue / South Coast management plan for ODFW, lobbied in Salem to protect Oregon's rivers from the harmful effects of suction dredge mining, and was named NFS River Steward of the Year in 2018 and NFS Volunteer of the Year in 2021.

Before transitioning to full-time conservation work, Charles spent 22 years in the fly fishing industry. That time included guiding on Oregon's Rogue and Deschutes Rivers, a decade as a destination manager in the fly fishing travel industry, and the last five years crafting custom fly rods. During his time in the travel business, Charles was fortunate to visit and fish iconic rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest, the US and Canadian Rockies, British Columbia, and Tierra del Fuego. Charles' early days of guiding caused him to become a vocal advocate for Oregon's anadromous fish so that he could give back to the rivers that had provided him a career doing what he loved.

A native of Virginia, Charles holds bachelor's degrees from the University of Wyoming in Park and Public Land Management and Geography. After graduating he stayed in southeast Wyoming to guide whitewater rafting and rock climbing. A desire to run rivers and fly fish year-round eventually led Charles to southern Oregon. Most of Charles' river time these days is spent floating and swinging flies on his homewaters of the Rogue and Klamath Rivers. Charles and his wife live outside Talent, Oregon where they also love to cross-country ski and sail.