Terrell Ann

Erickson

Terrell Erickson passed away suddenly on October 13, 2026, at age 64. She was a passionate scientist who spent her career in public service, working to protect the natural world. She is remembered for her dedication to conservation, her philanthropy, her incredible energy and creativity, and her love of life.

Terrell was born in Buffalo, NY and grew up in Missoula, MT. She was shaped by her early exposure to nature and art, growing up in the forests of Pattee Canyon. She spent summers with her father at the Flathead Lake biological research station and developed her multi-media artistic talents using fabric and supplies from her mother’s art studio. Upon receiving a tape recorder and movie camera, Terrell directed her childhood friends in gruesome detective and murder plotlines. She was a commanding figure from a young age, often leading neighborhood kids in wild adventures.

She attended Hellgate High, where she played basketball and worked on the student newspaper, and then the University of Washington, where she studied political science and environmental law. She received a master’s degree in environmental science from Evergreen State College and studied at the University of London.

After working for the Navy in Guam and Palau, she began her career as Hawaii’s State Biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), where she directed conservation planning programs focused on wildlife and wetlands. In 2006, Terrell and her husband Christopher Puttock wrote the Hawaii Wetlands Field Guide, which received the 2007 Best Natural Sciences Book Award. In her spare time, she paddled outrigger canoes, racing and coaching. Her team took second place in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai women’s open water canoe race.

In 2002, Terrell transitioned to federal work in Washington, DC, serving as the NRCS National Biologist. She then moved to the Head of Science position and served as Ecological Division Director, and later, Senior Executive Service Regional Conservationist. She also completed Senior Executive training at American University.

While in Washington DC, Terrell served as board member and then president of the Washington Academy of Sciences. She also was proud of her role as a guard in the opera Turandot, she loved sailing (with on-board costume parties), was a dedicated fan of University of Maryland women’s basketball and was devoted to her many cats.

She left federal service in 2022, and returned to Hawaii, where she built a home with her husband Chris and four cats. She continued conservation work in the islands, from hands-on restoration projects to bird tours, to acting as Vice President of the Oahu Friends of National Wildlife Refuges group. She became involved in Rotary International, as a proud member and International Service Chair of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu, served as Executive Director of the Rotary Action Group on Endangered Species, and connected with worldwide conservation projects at Rotary International conventions. She and her husband also created the Nancy Erickson Endangered Species Art Award.

Other philanthropy projects included: Project Dignity, focused on preventing human trafficking in Vietnam; Women’s Fund of Hawaii; Planned Parenthood Missoula; the Erickson and Puttock Conservation Internship Fund; as well as support to conservation efforts in India.

Terrell and Chris were generous hosts, entertaining many visitors to their art-filled Oahu home. Terrell was also known for her annual Advent calendar, and her love of travel, birds, cats, food, audiobooks, second-hand stores, color, style, and art. She was a consummate connector who made friends wherever she went. She will be greatly missed.

She is predeceased by her parents Ron and Nancy Erickson, and is survived by her husband Christopher Puttock, sister Christine Erickson and niece Avery, and cousin Jim Herrington.

To honor Terrell’s life and legacy, gifts may be made to the Erickson and Puttock Conservation Internship Fund, which supports internship opportunities for students doing research in biology or ecology at Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. To learn more or contribute, go to https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/74553/donations/new?designation=ericksonandputtockconservationinternshipfund

Erickson and Puttock Conservation Internship Fund