Craig Anderson is the inspirational Executive Director of LandPaths, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit dedicated to connecting people to the natural and agricultural landscapes of Sonoma County. At LandPaths, Craig has pioneered new ways to nurture citizen engagement with open space, promoting the concept of “people-powered parks” that encourages citizen participation in providing stewardship and public access for protected natural areas. Craig has also been a leader in engaging the county’s underserved Latino population in open space enjoyment and stewardship through the creation and support of Bayer Farm, a combined urban farm, green space, and community center in the center of Santa Rosa.
A 5th generation Californian, Craig received his MS degree in range ecology from UC Berkeley after stints at the Nature Conservancy and Yosemite Institute. He now lives in Santa Rosa with his wife (and associate director) Lee Hackeling, their two children, and his 28-year-old pickup truck. Somehow he also finds time to surf, kayak, fish, and hunt nonnative game species, as well as play slide guitar in the Northern California roots band Cahoots.
>> Read Craig’s remarks upon acceptance of Bay Nature’s Local Hero Award for Conservation Action .
>> Fellow conservationists recently talked about Craig and his accomplishments on KRCB Radio’s North Bay News with Bruce Robinson. Listen to the show
>> Read our 2012 interview with Craig.
Learn about our other 2014 Local Heroes:
Join us in celebrating Bay Nature’s Local Heroes at our 2015 Annual Awards Dinner on March 22, 2015 at Scott’s Seafood Pavilion in Oakland’s Jack London Square.
>> Click here to nominate our 2015 Local Heroes — and for more details about Bay Nature’s Annual Awards Dinner, including tickets and sponsorship opportunities.
