In the Wild

I am working on a project with the California CoastKeeper Alliance to create a digital map to visualize geospatial data of groundwater quality and potential polluters. The end-goal of this project is to create an interactive online map where viewers can see the spatial relationship between groundwater pollution and potential polluters such as dairy farms.  Our team is currently in the process of entering the data into ArcMap, which a geospatial analysis platform through which we will do further analysis as well as creating the online map.

For my practicum I am working with The Nature Conservancy, the largest environmental nonprofit within the United States whose work extends across the globe. My project is assisting the Sacramento branch with their next iteration of the “Toward a Carbon Neutral California: Economic and Climate Benefits of Land Use Interventions” report. Along with my cohorts Anson Justi and Kelsey Haydon, I am conducting an economic analysis of 13 land use strategies that can meaningfully improve the carbon sequestration rates of California’s natural and working lands.

I am completing my practicum with Community Water Center (CWC), where I am the Communications and Data Intern.  CWC is an environmental justice non-profit that works to ensure all Californians have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water.  For my practicum project, I am designing a handbook for counties to use when creating plans to protect domestic wells during future droughts. I am also completing a short literature review and organizing and analyzing data into spreadsheets that will be used to lobby for drought planning legislation that will be introduced in 2021. 

[For my practicum] I wrote a conservation easement to protect in perpetuity threatened and endangered species habitat (California tiger salamander) as part of mitigation measures for the expansion of the photovoltaic solar bank at Rancho Secco. I also took the lead on coordinating the Public Agency Clearinghouse (PAC), requesting comments from various departments on CEQA documents filed in Sacramento County and sending response letters on behalf of SMUD to lead agencies.

I am working with the Division of Water Quality at the State Water Board on developing technical guidance for regulated industrial facilities on stormwater quality permit compliance. Under the Industrial General Permit, certain facilities are required to obtain permit coverage and manage their stormwater runoff through the implementation of best management practices (BMPs). Recent amendments to the Permit provide new compliance options to incentivize stormwater capture through the use of advanced BMPs, which will increase water supply while protecting water quality.

 My practicum deliverable is to create a formalized biological training index for internal personnel at Alluvion Biological Consulting. The manual will include information regarding common native and nonnative species throughout the state of California, habitat (including nest, burrow, and botanical identification), behavior, along with additional details on status, agencies involved with protection, established buffers, and how to safely handle or remove species from project zones.

I did my practicum at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR). OPR was established as the comprehensive planning agency for the State. It is responsible for formulating long-range goals and policies, including land use, state and local planning, climate change, environmental justice, and other major policy issues in California.

I am currently working as an intern with California Fish and Wildlife's North Coast Kelp Lab at Bodega Marine Labs. The role of macroalgae in storing carbon in these ecosystems has been studied in depth, however when a kelp stand is decimated by sea urchins and they become the dominant fauna in the system, there is a gap in knowledge of their role in storing carbon. The primary focus of my practicum is a scientific study to determine the role of purple sea urchins in north coast kelp forest carbon sequestration.

I work as a graduate intern for Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review. Planning is such a diverse field that has given me hands-on experience in communicating with the public, researching policies, conducting environmental review, and applying local ordinances to development projects. Some of the most satisfying moments of the internship are when I'm able to apply concepts from the classroom directly into my work and vice-versa. For example, the skills exercises facilitated by Mark Schwartz in ENV200A helped frame my thinking on how to improve my argument structure.

I am interning with the Humane Society International in the Wildlife department. Through education and advocacy, the organization helps shape public opinion and legislation to advance animal welfare and end animal cruelty around the globe. I assist the Wildlife department on their big fights against wildlife crime such as trophy hunting, illegal wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict. Through this, I have had hands on experience reviewing CITES proposals, applying the Open Standards framework and have participated in legislative hearings in Washington D.C.