Erika grew up in the Pacific Northwest and fell in love with Montana during her undergraduate field conservation courses. During one class near Glacier National Park she learned about different land management and preservation techniques that motivated her to pursue a PhD in Ecology, specifically focused on soils at Colorado State and is now a ‘Doctor of Dirt’. Although she’s shockingly amazed by the incredible biodiversity in soils both at home and her field sites in southern Peru, she also immensely enjoys the adventures aboveground teaching WRFI classes such as Montana Afoot and Afloat and Restoration Ecology in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Whether teaching for day camps in the rainy forests of Oregon, or natural history in SE Alaska, the wonder of the natural world never ceases to inspire her and she can’t wait to share the enthusiasm on course. On her off days, you will probably find Erika running trails, backcountry skiing, cooking new dishes, practicing Spanish, or rock climbing and scaling peaks around the west.