Craig grew up near Lake Superior in Duluth Minnesota where he developed his passion for the outdoors. When he and his wife, Sharon Christensen, had an opportunity to buy a primitive cabin on the Lake Superior they jumped at the chance and spent every minute that they could there for over 20 years. The property was adjacent to a state bike trail, near state parks, and the Superior Hiking Trail of which Craig is a lifetime member.
While they considered retiring to Northern Minnesota, the cold, snow, remoteness, and cost dissuaded them. Rather, during a visit to Yachats in 2010 on a trip visiting their Portland-based son, sitting at Luna Sea, they decided that Yachats would be their retirement home. By 2013 they purchased a lot near “downtown” Yachats, relocated from St. Paul in 2015, and moved into their new home in 2016. While they came for the beauty, they found that the real delight is the people of this wonderful village.
Since arriving, Craig has immersed himself in the community and native plants. He volunteers weekly as a docent at Gerdemann Garden, rarely misses a Trails or Yips day, volunteers at the State Parks native plant nursery, served briefly on the City Council, is currently a member of the Parks and Commons Commission and works diligently on local water issues. He helps his wife Sharon with the resurrection of Prospect Garden and they are working to naturalize the rest of Prospect trail. His previous volunteer work includes volunteering with the Lake Phalen watershed district and serving on the Maplewood school board finance committee.
Craig’s career was divided roughly into three sections. First, technical work that included project managing the first Internet implementation in Sweden, then developing sales and leadership programs and finally consulting with small businesses on using the Internet to grow. His final position was as the Global Search Engine Marketing Manager at 3M corporation. (Fun fact, after he left, they hired six people to replace him!)
Craig believes deeply in preserving the natural landscape around Yachats. This is what attracts visitors, provides us with water, and is a source of spiritual reinvention. His core belief is that change happens only through individual involvement – both large and small actions. View the Future gives him the opportunity to help sustain and grow our wonderful Yachats community.
