The Wyss Scholars Program

Jess Raty

northern arizona university - Environmental Science and policy

Jess Raty grew up camping, hiking, and exploring Western landscapes, her favorite places being the badlands of Eastern Montana and the alpine regions of the Beartooth Wilderness. Her experiences living abroad in Brazil helped her develop an appreciation for the policies in the US that aim to prevent development and pollution in wild places. Motivated to help expand conservation efforts through policy, Jess received a Bachelor of Science in Resource Conservation and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of Montana. Following graduation, Jess worked as a legislative staffer for US Senator Jon Tester in Washington, DC. Through the Master of Environmental Science and Policy program at Northern Arizona University, Jess aims to deepen her understanding of how science can guide environmental policymaking. Her thesis research seeks to advance environmental protections through an underutilized provision in the Clean Water Act, the Outstanding National Resource Waters. As part of the study, she is creating and analyzing the first comprehensive database of Outstanding National Resource Waters' designations and attributes across the United States. Jess's research results will inform decisionmakers on leveraging these designations to protect more inland waters.