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.
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: 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: 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.
Announcing Bay Nature’s 2023 Local Heroes
Each year, Bay Nature recognizes remarkable local leaders and activists in conservation and nature
Bay Nature Spring 2022 Editor’s Letter: Do Right Today
As the poet Wendell Berry says, “if we do the right things today, we’ll have done all we really can for tomorrow.”
Meet Megan Isadore, Bay Nature’s 2022 Environmental Educator Hero
A little more than a decade ago Megan Isadore founded the River Otter Ecology Project, a nonprofit organization with a mission of engaging the public through education, research, and community science.
Meet Nonette Hanko, Bay Nature’s 2022 Conservation Action Hero
Nonette Hanko helped create the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, then served on its board for 46 years.
Meet Richard Tejeda, Bay Nature’s 2022 Community Hero
After a decade of working in parks, Richard Tejeda decided to create Saved By Nature to help more people of color visit and work in parks.
Meet Solwazi Allah, Bay Nature’s 2022 Young Leader Hero
Since 2019, Solwazi Allah has put his desire to protect nature into action with Urban Tilth, a Richmond-based nonprofit focused on urban agriculture, equitable food systems, and watershed restoration.