Remembering Jim Biller

There is no more bittersweet moment than when Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) pauses to remember and thank those who gave a portion of their lives over to the river. Such a friend to the river was Jim Biller.

Jim passed away in December, 2020, after a valiant battle with lung cancer. Together with his wife, Susan-Marie Hagen, from their vantage point as camp hosts in the Gualala Point Regional Park, Jim talked shop with local fishermen and introduced many visitors to the wonders of the redwood forest, the river he loved, and the importance of passionate stewardship. He was a devoted supporter of FoGR. Susan-Marie carries on that support today.

Jim always loved being in, on, or around the water. Years before he discovered the Gualala, Jim found twin passions as a riverboat captain on Lake Tahoe, plying the waters of Emerald Bay. He began noticing bald eagles and osprey nesting along the shoreline that he passed each day, so he made daily observations of them which he reported to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.   Thus began his keen interest in nature. When a young naturalist boarded his boat one day, he found the companion of his life in Susan-Marie who would share his love of the natural world.

Together Jim and Susan-Marie had many worldly adventures, but their true home was along the banks of the Gualala. Jim loved the river with the ferocity of a warrior and lived by the code and wisdom of General Sun Tzu, the 5th century Chinese General who wrote The Art of War.

He kept the book close at hand and would hand out copies to those who were interested. But it wasn’t so much the lessons of how to go to war that captivated him but rather Sun Tzu’s wisdom about how to live life fully, leaving no important task undone, whether that meant protecting the river and forest that he loved or wresting the last bit of strength and will to live as long as he could. Jim volunteered for every experimental treatment offered to him by his doctors to help advance the science until there were no more to be had.

We share our sympathy with Susan-Marie and their family for their loss, and we will miss him. He leaves behind a legacy of courage and commitment.

Donations to Friends of Gualala River in Jim’s memory can be made online
or by mail to Friends of Gualala River, P.O. Box 1543, Gualala, CA. 95445