We are happy to report that David Woodruff recently joined ESLT in June as our new Deputy Director! He is a great addition to the ESLT team. His work experience is from the for-profit world, having a background working in the hospitality industry at a variety of different positions including departmental management, sales, marketing and finance.
His first visit to the Eastern Sierra was on a return trip home to Southern California from a family vacation in Yosemite in the late 1950s. His love for this enchanted land grew on his return trips, culminating in building a summer home in the Mono Basin in the early 1990s.
He has also lived and worked winters (and a few summers) in Death Valley National Park for almost two decades. An active member of the community, he directed a number of volunteer programs when not working or out exploring the Death Valley back country. The history of Death Valley and the people that have lived there are just one of his many interests.
David shares his love for the Eastern Sierra with his wife of 35 years Gayle. The two have hiked and backpacked almost every trail on the Eastside from Lone Pine to Lake Tahoe. “Being able to be on the land by foot is the best way to see and understand the world that we live in”, says David.
David and Gayle now live full time at their home in Independence with their dog Ebbetts. David says, “I am so excited to finally have the opportunity to live in the Eastern Sierra the year round.”
“Being part of the Eastern Sierra Land Trust is something akin to a long time dream come true for me”, says David. “To be able to be part of an organization and staff so passionately involved in helping to preserve and protect our open spaces, critical wildlife habitats, and natural and scenic lands in this incredible land we call the Eastern Sierra is an honor and a mission that I look forward to contributing to.”
