My name is Lily (she/her) and I'll be working as a Climate Resiliency Fellow for the Hopland Research and Extension Center through July 2024. My position was made possible through GrizzlyCrops, an AmeriCorps program operated through UC Berkeley's Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. I grew up in the East Bay, after which I moved to San Luis Obispo where I got my B.S. in Environmental Management and Protection at Cal Poly. The first couple years of my undergraduate education I worked as an application aid for Calfresh, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). After that, I worked as a researcher on two different projects under the supervision of Cal Poly's Natural Resource and Environmental Science Department. One project created a triangulated methodology for managing sustainable consumer experience using eye-tracking and biometric data collection. The other evaluated nitrogen mineralization rates of various organic fertilizers in order to better inform sustainable agricultural operations. In the spring of 2023 I received a grant from Cal Poly's Natural Resource and Environmental Science Department to host the LEAD Scholars Talk. Exhibit, an on-campus event showcasing the voices and experiences of black, indigenous, and queer environmental activists/industry professionals.
My work at the HREC in the coming year aims to: (1) Increase community preparedness and resilience to extreme weather and climate change, (2) Improve access to natural environments, (3) Increase diversity, inclusiveness and cultural competence in environmental education, and (4) Increase youth awareness of natural resource and agricultural systems, issues, and solutions. I'll be working with community educator Hannah Bird to develop and deliver environmental education programs to K-12 students about the importance of ecosystem management, fire science, rangeland conservation, and natural resource ecology.
I consider the ability to foster a meaningful relationship with Earth's natural resources an immense privilege! I'm excited to share what I have learned with the HREC and the greater community it serves.
Learn more about how the GrizzlyCorps program works to promote regenerative agri-food systems and fire and forest resilience around the state of California here.