Outdoor Alliance Welcomes Jamie Ervin as Policy Associate

Outdoor Alliance is excited to welcome Jamie Ervin as Policy Associate, and the newest member of our team. Learn more about Jamie and what he’ll be doing at Outdoor Alliance.

Where are you based and what do you like to do outside?

I’m currently based in Asheville, North Carolina, which is about an hour from where I grew up. I’ve been a dedicated climber for almost 20 years now, but I also dabble in trail running, paddling, and most of the other human-powered sports. My wife and I had our first child in 2021, so I would say that outdoor parenting is really the sport that I spend the most time doing these days.

What brought you to Outdoor Alliance?

I have been active in outdoor sports since I was a teenager, and I have a professional background in environmental policy, so working with Outdoor Alliance feels like a positive balance of these two parts of my life. Prior to this role, I spent the past five years working with a coalition of conservation organizations on wildfire resilience and other issues affecting public lands in California’s Sierra Nevada.

What are you most excited about doing in your role as Policy Associate?

Working to do good things on behalf of a national community of people who share my passion for the outdoors. Besides policy, I also have background in forest ecology, and so I’m interested in helping build up Outdoor Alliance’s forest policy program, especially around wildfire issues. I’m also super psyched to work on any public land protections in my home region of the southeastern U.S.

What are the public lands issues you care most about right now?

The top one is climate change. Hands down. Climate change is a threat multiplier for every other issue—recreation, biodiversity, equity, access, water—that we care about, and we are quickly running out of time to do anything meaningful about it. The outdoor recreation community has a key role to play in climate advocacy because we are seeing the effects of climate change first hand during our time outdoors in a way that much of society isn’t. I just spent the past five years in northern California, where I witnessed a whole slate of climate impacts, from historic droughts, to record heat waves, to region-wide closures of national forests, to the seven largest wildfires in state history. This stuff is real, and it is happening faster than we thought possible. Another priority is addressing equity issues as they relate to the outdoor recreation experience. I’m really interested in learning more about how recreation policy can help make the outdoors a more equitable and inclusive space.

Your favorite close-to-home spot to get outside?

Easy. Rumbling Bald, North Carolina. I’ve climbed here since I was a teenager, and I honestly feel that it is one of the best climbing/bouldering areas in the country. Don’t tell anyone about it though.