Bay Nature's 2025 Local Hero Awards -

The 2025 Local Hero Awards will be held on April 6 from 2pm – 6pm at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. We invite you to join us for this celebration! General Admission tickets are $150. Bay Nature Members may buy discounted early bird tickets for $120 through March 8.

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Since 2011, Bay Nature Institute has been honoring remarkable local conservation and nature leaders and activists at our annual Local Hero Awards. We recognize these heroes and their organizations in the magazine, online, in social media and at an in-person celebration. Bay Nature heroes reflect the diverse communities around the Bay Area and have made significant contributions to protecting our local environment.

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Environmental Educator

This award recognizes the achievements of an individual who has made significant contributions to public understanding and awareness of the natural history and ecology of the San Francisco Bay Area, through research, teaching, field trips, journalism, and/or other media.

Mirella Ramos
Bilingual Youth Programs Manager, Sonoma Land Trust

Mirella Ramos is fostering a new generation of diverse conservationists. As the bilingual youth program manager at the Sonoma Land Trust, they have created inclusive and accessible environmental education opportunities for Sonoma County students in and out of school. One is a program immersing Spanish-speaking and low-income third and fourth-graders in wetland ecology. Another is a cohort of high school students called the Conservation Council that conducts fieldwork, gathers data, and writes their own research papers.

Community Hero

This award celebrates an individual whose grassroots activities have had a transformative impact on his or her community—which can be defined broadly or narrowly—and the natural world of the Bay Area.

Susan Schwartz
President, Friends of Five Creeks

A former journalist and teacher, Susan Schwartz initially joined nonprofit Friends of Five Creeks as a volunteer. Now, she is entering her 27th year as its president. During her time, Schwartz has tirelessly led native plantings, built trails, conducted citizen science initiatives, and built partnerships in watersheds from Berkeley to Richmond. From art projects for homeless children to monthly walks for seniors, Susan has reached and inspired people from all walks of life.

Conservation Action

This award goes to an individual who has made or is currently making significant contributions to the conservation of the natural landscapes, wildlife, and/or flora of the San Francisco Bay Area, through leadership, advocacy, legal action, acquisition, and/or stewardship.

Annie Burke
Executive Director, TOGETHER Bay Area

Unity lies at the heart of Annie Burke’s work—literally. As the person who transformed the Bay Area Open Space Council into today’s Together Bay Area, Burke helps build collaborations to grow and encourage organizations across the Bay to protect it. She’s a policy advocate who most recently helped pass the $10 billion climate bond, a relationship-builder focused on bringing in underrepresented voices, and deeply committed to stewardship on all scales—from the personal to the landscape.

Young Leader

This award will celebrate an environmental leader, 25 years old or younger, who is making significant contributions towards understanding, conserving, and/or connecting people to the natural world of the Bay Area. The Young Leader will receive a gift of $500 to support their professional development.

Avroh Shah
Outreach Committee Lead, Palo Alto Student Climate Coalition

Avroh Shah is on a mission to protect the planet. Since third grade, he’s led years of creek clean-ups, fought factory farms, and helped sue federal agencies to hold them accountable for their role in climate change. Today he’s campaigning to protect Palo Alto’s Baylands Nature Reserve from an airport’s expansion. Now a sophomore in high school, his ability to build coalitions has already left a legacy in his community.