Memorial fund established for Jon Diehl

The family of Jon Diehl has established a memorial fund in his name at the Institute for Applied Ecology to support butterfly habitat restoration and teaching incarcerated youth, young women, and adults in custody about conservation. Jon was an attorney and evolutionary ecologist and  entomologist. In the late 1980s he received a master’s degree in entomology from Oregon State University. He and his wife, Claire, moved to Arizona where Jon started his PhD in entomology then switched to a law degree. Their daughter, Grace, was born in 1996. They returned to Oregon in 2001 and Jon worked for the judges of the Marion County Circuit Court. Jon’s passion was exploring nature. He was never happier than with binoculars and a camera, appreciating Oregon’s natural wonders, especially with his dog by his side. Jon died April 8, 2015 after a long battle with cancer.

The memorial fund, started with a donation from Jon’s sister Sarah and her husband Clay, supports nursery production of milkweeds, a host plant for monarch butterflies, and other important habitat plants, as well as educational programming at juvenile detention centers, Youth Authority facilities, and correctional institutions.

To make a donation to the Jon Diehl Memorial Fund for Conservation, use our secure Donate page and send an email to or call Tom Kaye ([email protected], 541-753-3099 ext. 111) to indicate that your donation is to be used for this specific fund.