Welcome to Byron Roos-Collins! Our ESLT team is thrilled that Byron has joined us as our new Communications Manager.
Byron comes to us with an extensive background as a wilderness guide. He is also a co-founder of a hot sauce business and a whitewater rafting guidebook business.
Byron began working with us in January and is excited to join the ESLT team.
To help you get to know Byron better, we asked him a few questions about his background and interests:
Tell me about your roots!
I grew up in Berkeley, CA. Both of my parents are tied to wilderness conservation in different ways; my mom wrote a book about foraging in California, and my dad works as a lawyer specializing in water law. My family organized our weekends and holidays around enjoying the outdoors, both locally, and on excursions to the Sierra. I grew to love wilderness spaces at a young age.
I left the Bay Area to study at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I graduated in 2017 with a degree in Political Science. While attending college, I ran the school’s outdoor excursion program for two years and worked as a sea kayaking guide on the Channel Islands. Since then, my passion for adventure and the natural world has taken me across Africa on a bike journey, down remote rivers in Peru, and across California as a wilderness guide.
What brought you to the Eastern Sierra?
My family made frequent excursions to the Eastside when I was a kid. My father was a key player in the Mono Lake Trials, working to protect the Mono Basin on behalf of CalTrout. The Eastern Sierra has enamored me for as long as I can remember. While in college, my friends and I would make the six-hour drive to Mammoth as frequently as possible, cramming last-minute studying into our late-night drives back to Santa Barbara. After my last work contract with a non-profit ended, I knew it was time to make the move to Mammoth.
What makes you most excited about living in the Eastern Sierra?
There is a boundless feeling that I get when I go outside and take in my surroundings. The abundance of public lands and protected spaces in the Eastern Sierra generate hope and elation in tandem. I love knowing that any day of the week, a quiet, stunningly pretty space is within arm’s reach.
What do you look forward to most about working with ESLT in the months to come?
I am very excited to highlight the incredible conservation work being done by individuals and organizations in the Eastern Sierra. It is a fount of inspiration to delve into the stories and experiences of people whose passion for a cause runs deeply. I am specifically interested in sharing the stories of multi-generational ranch and farming families who have adapted to succeed in their business endeavors while adopting conservation measures for their land and operations.
What activities do you enjoy outside of work?
When I get off work, it is time to go outside! I love to ski, climb, kayak, and bike. Almost as much as actually doing the activities, I thoroughly enjoy planning long excursions. I like to wind down with a good book and have developed an extensive Sierra-related reading list as part of this new role. If you have any recommendations, please send me an email at .
If you see Byron out and about in the Eastern Sierra, please take a moment to say hello!
