Greetings from Elijah J. Small at the Guild

Written by Elijah J. Small

My name is Elijah J. Small, and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Watershed Restoration Manager for the Forest Stewards Guild’s Southwest Region.

I was born in South Dakota and raised running through the last remnants of the tallgrass prairies of the Northern Great Plains. It was here that I developed a deep connection to the natural world. My journey into conservation started with walks with my mother through Camden State Park in Southwest Minnesota, 3000 acres of the last native prairie and sugar maple riparian forest in the Northern Great Plains surrounded by corn and soybeans. In kindergarten, I learned the word for biologist and quickly decided that was what I wanted to do with my life. I spent my childhood immersed in the wonders of the natural world, armed with binoculars, field guides, and microscopes and much to my mother’s chagrin sneakers that were always covered in mud.

I went on to earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Field Biology from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and a Master’s of Science in Natural Resource Management from Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Go Cowboys! My career has been shaped by a desire to blend Western ecology and Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge, while centering community-driven action to benefit both the land and the people who live upon it.

Before working as a biologist, I worked as a community organizer, focusing on environmental (in)justice, homelessness, and union organizing. That experience has given me a unique approach to how I view collaboration and conservation. I firmly believe that meaningful conservation work requires collaboration with the communities who live on and live with the land, not at them. This has been a guiding principle throughout my career.  Collaboration with local communities, Tribal governments, and partners has been essential to making the projects I have been lucky to be included on in some way, long-lasting and effective.

As I step into my new role with the Guild, my mission is clear: to heal the land and, in doing so, help heal the people who rely on it. I believe that the health of our communities is inseparable from the health of the land. I look forward to connecting with many of you and working together to continue this important work.