Erik grew up in the coastal mountains near Santa Cruz California. He earned his BS in Ecology from the Evergreen State College in Washington after 2 years of internships and courses at the University of Hawaii, Manoa. He moved to Eastern Oregon in 2010 with a 4 year stint working as a biologist in Alaska from 2012 to 2016. Erik started working for the SWCD as a Project Manager and took the role of District Manager in 2021. He has 14 years of experience in resource management and watershed restoration. Living in the natural playground of eastern Oregon, he spends his off time hunting, fishing, rafting and skiing with his wife and their two dogs.