Meredith Sierra has joined the Foothill Conservancy as the new watershed conservation and land use advocate. She is a recent graduate from California State University Sacramento (CSUS) with a B.S. in Environmental Studies and she grew up nearby in El Dorado County.
“We are grateful for Meredith’s local knowledge, experience and enthusiasm, and look forward to her contributions to the conservancy,” said Megan Fiske, executive director.
“I am eager to make an impact as an advocate for the Foothill Conservancy. Growing up in El Dorado County, I have spent much of my life recreating in the mountains and watersheds of the Sierra Nevada. I enjoy activities like hiking, backpacking, backcountry skiing, swimming in alpine lakes, camping and outdoor photography. Participating in these activities developed my sense of responsibility toward protecting these environments and convinced me that I needed to pursue a career in the environmental field.” Meredith said.
Meredith has experience working for nonprofits as she spent years working as a wildlife rehabilitator for Sierra Wildlife Rescue, where she helped rehabilitate fawns to be released back to the wild and educated the community about living with wildlife. “It was extremely rewarding to be able to give the fawns a second chance at survival and educate people within the community in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes.”
She was also involved in developing and organizing a community environmental education event called the Wonder of Wetlands during her time at CSUS. She helped students from the CSUS Wetlands Ecology class develop interactive educational presentations about the environment to present to disadvantaged students at a local middle school.
“I love opportunities that allow me to share my passion for the environment with other people and inspire them to become stewards of their own environments. It was difficult for me to be in college and learn about all the issues facing our local waterways and forests, all while sitting at a desk making no real accomplishments. After graduating, I was very eager to become more involved with local environmental decision making. In my new role as watershed conservation and land use advocate for the Foothill Conservancy, I will use my educational background and passion for protecting the environment to tackle issues that are facing our waterways, forests, and communities. I am excited to join a team of people who all share the same passion for environmental protection and learn more skills to help me become a better environmental advocate.”
