Writers

Ground Shift

Martin Nie

Martin Nie is Professor of Natural Resources Policy at the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana.

Jennee Kuang

Jennee Kuang serves as the wildfire program director at Resources Legacy Fund, driving state and federal policy change for fire adapted communities and fire resilient landscapes.

Patrick Holmes

Patrick Holmes is a senior program officer at Resources Legacy Fund. Patrick previously served as an advisor to former Montana Governor Steve Bullock and an advisor and chief of staff to the USDA Undersecretary of Natural Resources and Environment.

Andrew Wetzler

Andrew Wetzler is Senior Vice President, Nature, at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where he leads NRDC’s work to conserve oceans and terrestrial ecosystems and to improve U.S. food and agricultural practices.

Mark Salvo

Mark Salvo currently serves as Senior Conservation Advisor at Oregon Natural Desert Association. Born, raised, and educated in Oregon, Mark has spent three decades working to conserve the Sagebrush Sea.

Garrett Robinson

Garrett Robinson chairs the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and retired as a Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant after 26 years. His views are his own. He lives in Stafford, Virginia.

Janea A. Scott

Janea A. Scott is a senior energy and environmental executive with leadership experience across federal and state government. She is a partner at Caliber Strategies and a former California Energy Commissioner and senior Interior Department official.

Zander Evans

Zander is the executive director at the Forest Stewards Guild, a national non-profit practicing and promoting stewardship for the benefit of people and forests. While his essay draws on the Guild’s work, it is not a reflection of official policy.

Tim Purinton

Tim Purinton has held senior roles at The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Department of the Interior. He was co-creator and director of the Division of Ecological Restoration, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game.

Amanda John Kimsey

Amanda John Kimsey is the Executive Director of the Access Granted Group, a time-bound think tank focused on power and influence in conservation.

Elizabeth Klein

Elizabeth Klein is Director of Domestic Policy Programs for Penn Washington, the University of Pennsylvania’s home in Washington, D.C.

Lynn Scarlett

Lynn Scarlett served from 2001-2009 at the Department of the Interior, including as Deputy Secretary and Acting Secretary. She was subsequently at The Nature Conservancy and currently chairs the National Wildlife Refuge Association Board.

John Podesta

John Podesta served as senior adviser to President Biden, counselor to President Obama, and chief of staff to President Clinton. He is the founder and the chairman of the board of directors of the Center for American Progress.

Justin Pidot

Justin Pidot is Lohse Chair in Water & Natural Resources and co-directs the environmental law program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. He was previously General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

Natalie Landreth

Natalie is co-executive director of the Tribal-Public Lands Alliance, focusing on the intersection of Indian and public lands law. She was previously Deputy Solicitor for Land Resources at the Interior Department. She is from the Chickasaw Nation.

Andrew Mergen

Andrew Mergen spent 30 years at DOJ's Environment & Natural Resources Division. Today, he is a Harvard Law School professor and faculty director of the Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic. He previously worked for the BLM in Lander, Wyoming.

Brian Yablonski

Brian Yablonski is CEO of the Property and Environment Research Center, bringing market-based solutions to conservation. He is a board member of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club.

Drew McConville

Drew McConville is a senior fellow at the Center American Progress. He has worked for over 20 years to advance conservation and climate policies, including advising the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Barack Obama.

Luis Villa

Luis Villa spent over a decade working in conservation in Costa Rica following several years doing community and economic development work in California. Today, he is the executive director of Latino Outdoors and loves seeing people thrive outside.