Jonathan Haber

Background

About Jonathan Haber

At the end of 2012 I completed my career with the U. S. Forest Service. During that time, I became a national leader in implementing the National Forest Management Act planning process, including drafting portions of the 2012 Forest Service national planning regulations. I chose to focus my efforts on using this planning process to support conservation of fish and wildlife, and I developed expertise in applying the Endangered Species Act to federal land management planning. Much of my career involved planning for spotted owls, grizzly bears, salmon, bull trout, Canada lynx, sage grouse, and species designated as ‘sensitive’ by the Forest Service. I am especially interested in conserving wildlife habitat connectivity as a critical strategy for species adaptation to climate change. Since my retirement I have contributed further to planning for wildlife on national forests by authoring two guides to the national forest planning process on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife. I have continued to be engaged in ongoing planning efforts and policy and legal developments related to conservation planning, including for Defenders and for Pew Environment Group, and as a contributor to the "Smokey Wire," a national forest policy blog. In the legal realm, I have conducted and published legal research, and provided services as a consulting attorney for public land litigation. I have also promoted habitat conservation on private lands. For over 20 years I have provided my legal and analytical skills to land trusts – mostly as a volunteer, but also as an attorney. Within the Forest Service I encouraged coordinated large-landscape planning across ownerships and jurisdictions, and helped develop the agency’s national Open Space Conservation Strategy. I also served a term on the local city-county planning board. I am now available for contract work related to conservation and planning. I approach my work as a big-picture, strategic thinker who is also detail-oriented; analytical but not just linear. I often see issues or opportunities that others don't, and I develop creative solutions by organizing ideas and principles from different sources and perspectives.