In late March 1985, Eric arrived on the mountain in Gilpin County. His childhood was shaped by camping, hiking, ski racing, and backpacking, learning life’s lessons on the cruxes of 13,000 foot mountains in the Indian Peaks. While other kids were at soccer in the city, Eric was dodging lightning storms at altitude with his dad and dogs in the boulder fields.

He earned his finance degree in Denver before beginning his career in Summit County as a banker. After three successful years in Summit, the pull of corporate finance and private equity brought him back to Denver. But the mountains were calling, and soon the call of the Sierra led him west, where he lived on Tahoe’s west shore and worked in project management for the Truckee Donner Land Trust

The Sierra was an amazing experience but, Colorado’s Front Range offered what no other place could. Eric returned, bringing with him experience in finance, project management, and conservation, grounded in the place where it all began.

Today, as Watershed Coordinator for the Clear Creek Watershed & Forest Health Partnership, Eric brings his journey full circle, protecting the forests, waters, and communities of his home so that the mountains that raised him will continue to shape all lives who call the watershed home.