Esteban has a B.A. in Geography, Geology, and International Studies from Indiana State University and a M.S. in Physical Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has worked as the environmental specialist for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) office in Madison, Wisconsin for over 25 years. Project experience on mining issues includes the technical review of proposed mining projects with an emphasis on the identification of their impacts on tribal traditional lifeways and the natural resources that the traditional lifeway depends upon.
Other projects include the characterization of climate change impacts to the ceded territories, treaty resources, and the traditional lifeway; Mapping and reviewing potential impacts of new and existing pipelines in the ceded territories and characterization of their effects on the environment; Identification of potential mine sites in the ceded territories of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin; Mapping of fish spawning sites and mine wastes in Lake Superior; Development of tribal fish contaminant databases and fish consumption advisory maps for mercury; Development of methods and data for tribal involvement in FERC dam re-licensing process; Mapping of the known extent of aquatic invasive species infestation in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin; Mapping of Ojibwe language place names and working on a wide variety of environmental issues in and around Lake Superior.