Elyssa Suzanne Rosen, of Reno, Nevada, formerly of Oak Park, died in a SCUBA diving accident in the Tinderbox Marine Reserve off the coast of Tasmania, Australia, on Oct. 26, 2013. She was working there to establish marine reserves in the southern oceans off Antarctica. A lifelong conservationist, she was dedicated to the preservation of the Great Basin.
Born on July 25, 1965 at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, she was raised in Oak Park, graduating from Oak Park and River Forest High School, earning a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois and an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Colorado. She also did research in marine behavioral ecology at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.
Passionate about environmental issues, she was published in scientific journals, served on nonprofit boards and supported conservation groups, including the Sierra Club and the Great Basin Mine Watch.
Elyssa Rosen is survived by her fiancée, Matt Newberry; her father, Martin Rosen; her mother, Elaine Bauman; her sisters Karen Thornburg and Lena Wegner; and many other family members.
A tree dedication in her honor took place in Austin Gardens on Aug. 30, 2014.
To further her environmental legacy, the Elyssa Rosen Memorial Mentoring Program fund has been established through the Society of Environmental Journalists, www.sejonline.org.