Nathan Drag

Ecosystem Restoration through Interdisciplinary Exchange (ERIE) IGERT
State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo


After years of life-guarding on Lake Erie, expanding many horizons in college at SUNY Potsdam and a cross country RV trip, Nate completed his Maters in Urban Planning at the University at Buffalo. He is currently an ERIE IGERT trainee in the University at Buffalo's Department of American Studies. His belief that any successful environmental policy must be rooted in a community that has an intimate appreciation and understanding of its local surroundings, both natural and social, is a result of his experience in community development and environmental planning. With this belief, Nate is specifically interested in researching environmental policy that deals with the world's largest freshwater system, the Great Lakes. Understanding the political and social cultures of the United States, Canada, and indigenous nations of North America is key to determining the policies to restore and protect our Great Lakes. Since moving to the Buffalo, NY, Nate has worked for a variety of local and regional nonprofit organizations, including the Elmwood Village Association and Great Lakes United. He currently lives in the Elmwood Village, one of the American Planning Associations 10 Best Neighborhoods, in the city of Buffalo, spending his spare time with his dog, Kaya, and trying to start acoustic reggae bands.

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