Yakuta Poonawalla first hiked in the Himalayas at age 15. “My mother was one of the first people in my life who, when I came back from my treks in the Himalayas, she would say ‘નૂર, તમારા ચહેરા પર નૂર … Read more
Local Heroes 2024: Katharyn Boyer, Environmental Educator
At the Estuary and Ocean Science Center, students are learning alongside scientists like Boyer how to save our shorelines.
Local Heroes 2024: Kellyx Nelson, Conservation Action Hero
When she drives down the San Mateo County coast, Kellyx Nelson doesn’t see a piece of land she hasn’t touched. She sees more than 10 dams removed, 500 acres of natural and working land that support carbon sequestration, and miles … Read more
Local Heroes 2024: Naji Lockett, Young Leader
Fallen oak branches, tangles of dense undergrowth, heaps of eucalyptus bark, and packed stands of fir trees cover thousands of acres of public land in the East Bay. Scrambling to lessen the risk of wildfire and clear overgrowth, park agencies … Read more
Spring 2024 Publisher’s Letter: Growing Together
“Bay Nature nourishes those who identify with nature in the San Francisco Bay Area,” writes executive director Wes Radez. “From these pages, a community grows.”
Local Heroes 2023: Omar Gallardo, Community Hero
More than a decade ago, Gallardo joined LandPaths, a conservation and environmental education organization based in Santa Rosa. He became manager of a two-acre community garden called Bayer Farm in Santa Rosa’s Roseland. Under Gallardo’s guidance, the garden has flourished as a bridge between worlds.
Local Heroes 2023: Blanca Olivia Hernández, Environmental Educator Award
“What if we were all leaders?” says Hernández, director of programs and partnerships at YES Nature to Neighborhoods, a Richmond-based nonprofit. “Because we all have it. It’s in us. It’s a matter of nurturing it, and polishing it, and putting it out in the world.”
Local Heroes 2023: Alexii Sigona, Young Leader Award
The Dakota Access pipeline. Junípero Serra’s canonization. These issues lit a fuse, urging Alexii Sigona to action.
Local Heroes 2023: Stu Weiss, Conservation Action Award
Weiss’s research on checkerspot butterflies and their habitat has provided the bedrock on which efforts to protect Bay Area lands have been anchored. And he’s helped build out a data network that enables strategic conservation choices.
Announcing Bay Nature’s 2023 Local Heroes
Each year, Bay Nature recognizes remarkable local leaders and activists in conservation and nature