Nathan joined McKenzie River Trust in the spring of 2023. Born and raised in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, Nathan’s childhood of playing outdoors grew into a fascination with plants that led to a B.S. in biology at his hometown campus of Emporia State University. He subsequently completed his M.S. and PhD in plant biology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and Austin respectively. Interspersed between stints in school, he worked as a field biologist across much of the western United States and deeply loves the diverse landscapes of Oregon from the Blue to the Siskiyou Mountains and from the Owyhee Plateau to the Willamette Valley. Most recently, he worked with the non-profit Save Habitat and Diversity of Wetlands in Washington where he was introduced to the critical role played by land trusts in conservation. Eugene was the first place he ever lived outside of Kansas, and he is very happy to be coming back for a third time and plans to stay for good. He loves spending time outdoors with his wife and son, gardening, reading, and playing music and Dungeons & Dragons.