Eli’s natal stream is a tributary to the Platte River in Denver, Colorado and he was reared in the headwaters of the Allegheny River in western Pennsylvania. Eli is bringing nearly a decade of experience working to restore natural processes and function for rivers to the Mckenzie River Trust, having worked on the Siuslaw and Coastal Lakes in Oregon, Puget Sound rivers in Washington, and on the Colorado and Green Rivers of Utah. Eli recognizes that this work helping to restore natural processes and conserve critical habitat happens on stolen land and that we owe the beauty and natural abundance of the land to the tribes who have stewarded the land since time immemorial. He’s passionate about engaging communities in this work and especially involving those who have historically been left out of conservation work in the past. When he’s not laboring, Eli is a mediocre athlete dabbling in mountain hijinks ranging from trail running, boating, backcountry skiing, and can occasionally be found on belay, nervously clutching loose rock in the cascade volcanoes.