Ed Contreras

SONEC Conservation Delivery Coordinator

Intermountain West Joint Venture

ed.contreras@iwjv.org

Ed joined the IWJV team in November 2017 as the Conservation Delivery Coordinator for the Southern Oregon-Northeastern California (SONEC) region. He leads the SONEC Working Wet Meadows Initiative, a nationally-supported model for integrating wetlands conservation and agricultural production on flood-irrigated working ranchlands in one of the continent’s most important landscapes for waterfowl, shorebirds, and waterbirds. In this role, he works cooperatively with landowners to improve their flood-irrigation infrastructure, maintain sustainable ranching operations, and implement voluntary conservation practices. Ed earned degrees in wildlife biology and resource conservation from the University of Montana. He spent four years as a Range and Wildlife Conservationist with the Sage Grouse Initiative implementing science-based habitat projects that bridge wildlife and agricultural conservation objectives on working lands in Southwest Idaho. Ed enjoys fostering partnerships and building capacity for conservation in rural communities, and has a passion for working landscapes and rangelands. Outside of work, he enjoys fishing, hunting, riding, and skiing with his wife, Kara.