Charles "Charlie" Lean

Born in 1954, Charles "Charlie" Lean grew up in Nome, Alaska until he was seven years old. His father was an engineer for the United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company (USSR&M) and then was construction engineer with the Bureau of Public Roads for the Kougarok Road. The family moved away when his father found employment elsewhere in Alaska. After earning a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management, Charlie returned to Nome at age twenty-eight to work as a fisheries biologist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He went on to work as the Subsistence Fisheries Manager for the Office of Subsistence Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service (OSM), served as fisheries biologist with the National Park Service’s Western Arctic Parklands unit (WEAR) where he conducted research projects in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, and was director of fisheries research and development at the Norton Sound Economic Development Council (NSEDC). He also has been active with the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, a co-management committee comprised of agency managers, scientists, and local users.