Eric Stauder

As the Umpqua Oak Partnership Liaison, Eric strengthens collaborative relationships focused on restoring and conserving oak habitat in Douglas County, Oregon. He supports shared goals and priorities, expands outreach and engagement, increases field capacity, and improves access to a suite of partnership-leveraged conservation options for local landowners. Eric provides technical assistance and facilitates community-based projects that strategically address resource gaps, protect biodiversity, mitigate wildfire risk, and promote landscape resilience.

Eric concurrently serves as a Program Manager for the Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, where he has worked since 2017 to connect local marginalized youth with place-based environmental education and workforce training opportunities linked to natural resources stewardship career pathways. Participating in this same program while Eric was a youth motivated him to pursue an associate's degree focused on Landscape Monitoring and GIS at Umpqua Community College. This led him to dual bachelor's degrees in Natural Resources and Sustainability with a specialization in Forest Ecosystem Restoration, along with a minor in Botany from Oregon State University.

Eric is deeply rooted and inspired by the diverse ecoregions of the Pacific Northwest. His spare time is mostly dedicated to propagating wild-collected seeds and cuttings through his backyard small business, Elder Oaks Nursery. He collaborates with the Umpqua Native Plant Partnership to help cultivate a local and regional ecosystem restoration supply chain.