I grew up camping with my family every year in Yosemite Valley, and rafting and swimming in the Merced river. I have always seen rivers as powerful entities to be respected and revered. These childhood experiences fueled a passion for learning more about the special places in nature we all love, and wanting to be able to protect them.
I was drawn to the RATS program because of the connection to my work as a Program Officer at the Rose Foundation, where I manage some of our Grassroots Funds that make grants to environmentally-focused grassroots groups throughout the state. My goal from this program will be to gain direct, grassroots advocacy experience that will give me invaluable insight into the kind of work our grantees are doing, especially those fighting against threats to California’s rivers.
I hope to use the knowledge and experience from this program to connect water activists from across the state to each other, and help them organize around the most pressing threats to their watersheds.