2024 Wyss Scholar: Hayden Wyatt to Focus on Forest Conservation

Born in Wyoming, Hayden Wyatt ’25 grew up in a landscape dominated by public lands. Lupine Meadows in Grand Teton National Park was the first place he called home, where his parents raised their family in a 250-square-foot cabin at the base of Mt.Teewinot. His parents’ occupations as mountain guides and avalanche professionals had the family moving seasonally between Wyoming and Utah, with their various “offices” and family free time spent in national parks, forests, and monuments throughout the west.

Hayden has long been interested in public land conservation. As an undergrad at Quest University he co-founded the Student Environmental Committee. During his free time, he contributed to grassroots activism to protect Bears Ears National Monument and to oppose a LNG port development in Squamish, BC. Hayden received a Bachelor of Arts and Science with a focus in Political Ecology.

Before attending law school, Hayden worked four seasons on Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) as a Wilderness EMT, with his job taking him to the most remote parts of Yosemite National Park. While living in Yosemite, Hayden volunteered with Southern Sierra Miwuk elder Bill Tucker on the construction of the Wahhoga Cultural Center. Working with Bill to advocate for higher conservation standards in Yosemite inspired him to attend law school.

Hayden chose Lewis & Clark Law for its environmental law program. For his 1L summer, he worked as the Wildlands and Water intern for Central Oregon Landwatch. He has also worked for attorney Karl Anuta to combat unsustainable destination resort development in Central Oregon. Hayden is currently an extern at Crag Law Center, a board member for Northwest Environmental Defense Center, and a member of Environmental Law. This summer, he will work for Cascadia Wildlands with an internship focused on forest conservation.

About the Wyss Scholars Program

Lewis & Clark Law School was selected in 2017 to be part of the Wyss Scholars Program. Funded by the Wyss Foundation, a private, charitable foundation dedicated to land conservation, the Wyss Scholars Program seeks to identify and support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Lewis & Clark is one of only a few law schools in the country selected for this program.

Two Wyss Scholars are selected from Lewis & Clark Law School each year (as of 2022) on the basis of their leadership potential and academic strength and their commitment to furthering land conservation.