Ty grew up amidst the rugged high deserts of Southeast Idaho, forging a connection with the land through time spent with family on their ranching operations, on river trips, and climbing around in the mountains. After serving in the United States Navy, Ty owned and operated a residential construction company in Boise while raising his two daughters. 

In his late twenties, he returned to school and earned an Associates of Science in Biology from the College of Western Idaho and a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Conservation Biology from the University of Idaho. During his academic journey, he conducted a variety of research projects, such as entrainment of snails in a canal, American kestrel conservation projects, land-use ecology of osprey, and diets of greater sage-grouse. 

As the Ecological Projects Coordinator at SSWC, Ty applies his ecological and project management skills to assist the community and partners in implementing meaningful restoration projects on the lands and waters in the South Santiam watershed. He is excited to promote stewardship and restoration within the watershed with a positive attitude and a multiple-land-use understanding. Outside of work, Ty enjoys foraging, gardening, hunting, carpentry, and as of recently, crabbing on the Oregon coast.