Ethan (he/they) is the Cascadia Bioregion Legal Fellow with the Earth Law Center where he advocates for legacy and old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. Ethan came to environmental law through years of first-hand work on the land. Originally from the East Coast, he studied ecology at the University of Maine before spending the better part of a decade working outdoors across the country. He guided wilderness canoe trips in the Boundary Waters, worked as a naturalist in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, and as a habitat restoration specialist in Oregon. Those years in the field gave him a firsthand understanding of the landscapes, ecosystems, and communities at the heart of many of the environmental issues he works on today. Ethan has a deep passion and love for public lands and has dedicated much of his life in stewardship of them. He recently joined the board of Bark, a forest advocacy and watchdog organization in Portland that focuses on protecting the Mt. Hood National Forest.

He earned his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and now brings his first hand experience in natural resource management directly into his legal practice. He believes that effective environmental advocacy is rooted in knowing the land and the people who depend on it, not just the statutes and case law. 

He is based in Portland, Oregon. Outside of work, he is an avid skier, and loves to sew, build bikes, and pressing flowers. His favorite book is “A Sand County Almanac” and his favorite bird is the Water Ouzle (Cinclus mexicanus).