Now is the time for heroes. And this year, as in the previous 14, Bay Nature will honor a handful of individuals who inspire us and others through their exceptional environmental work in the Bay Area. The point of our Local Hero Awards has long been to remind and reinforce that the neighbors, colleagues, and people we pass on the trail may all be heroes.
Victoria Schlesinger, editor-in-chief of Bay Nature (Barbara Butkus)
Heroism is born from challenges, and the four honorees this year have all weathered adversity and are stubborn enough to continue to show up. Annie Burke may be the consummate organizer in the local conservation community. Avroh Shah has already learned to choose his advocacy battles carefully, and he’s just 16. Mirella Ramos has overcome difficult odds and is opening doors for Spanish-speaking youth in Sonoma County. Susan Schwartz, the ultimate weed warrior, has led thousands of volunteers for more than two decades to care for East Bay creeks.
Organize. Advocate. Overcome. And persevere. All verbs that apply to the 50 people who have received Local Hero Awards since 2011, when the awards began. We name and remember all of them in a celebration of abundance and strength in this issue.
The natural world and vulnerable communities need heroes, now. They need people who are brave, outspoken, will put the needs of the less powerful ahead of their own, and can remain unwavering during the maelstrom that has begun. As the White House cuts budgets and employees, vanishes data, disrupts long-term research, and scrubs the words “climate change” from Environmental Protection Agency communications and that of at least 10 other federal agencies whose work directly impacts contractors, grantees, and the natural world in the greater Bay Area, people must document and share what they see and experience.
Reach out to us. We are reporting on how local nature and human communities are faring, and the heroes who emerge. Because we all need refuge, we are of course also telling the uplifting and surprising stories of nature. In the following pages look for pieces on the ballet of western grebes and parenting of western gulls, the night sky as seen by the Ohlone, wild strawberries that bloom and fruit simultaneously, enigmatic sperm whales, and disco anemones. No matter the future, nature is our indisputable remedy.
