The Contra Costa Resource Conservation District EcoStewards program was created in 2020 to meet the needs of our community by providing long-term maintenance on conservation projects throughout Contra Costa County.
Skills: Permitting, conservation on agricultural land, illegal dumping prevention.
Fun Fact: Eagle Scout, former member of the University of California Marching Band, aspiring birder, and a Contra Costa native raised in Southern California.
Ben started working with Contra Costa RCD in January 2017 after receiving two Masters degrees from Indiana University in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Policy following undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. Ben manages the Voluntary Local Program, the EcoStewards Program, and other conservation programs focused on agricultural lands.
Skills: Camera trapping, California wildlife and plant identification, data management, conservation education.
Fun Fact: Loves birding, rock climbing, fashion, hiking, and cooking Filipino food.
I grew up spending a lot of time exploring nature in my hometown, San Diego, and while camping throughout the western United States.
My passion for conservation led me to pursue an education at UC Davis, where I graduated in 2022 with a B.S. in Environmental Science & Management, and a minor in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. Prior to joining CCRCD, I've performed field monitoring in the Delta and Bay area. At CSTARS, I collected GPS points of native and invasive plant species in the Delta in order to develop aerial vegetation identification tools. As a field researcher with the UC Davis Road Ecology Center, I collected camera-trap data and analyzed the impacts of Interstate 580 on East Bay wildlife communities.
I'm driven by a passion for urban ecology, environmental justice, and the restorative power of nature to communities and people. I am excited to bring my skills and passion to my work with CCRCD.
Skills: California wildlife and plant identification, wildlife camera trapping, heavy equipment and power tool operation, community engagement and education, data management.
Fun Fact: Loves birding, gardening, hiking, tidepooling, and game nights with friends and family.
Elena grew up in the East Bay and spent much of her childhood hiking and exploring the local oak woodland open space, where her love of nature developed.
Pursuing her passion for restoration and land stewardship, she studied at UC Davis and received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management in 2024. While in college, she worked at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden for three years, first as a propagation apprentice at the nursery and later as a waterway stewardship apprentice at the Arboretum Waterway. She gained experience in plant care, restoration, and habitat management in a human-dominated landscape. In addition, she analyzed wildlife camera trap data from camera traps around the Arboretum and Putah Creek Riparian Reserve as part of a study comparing species richness between the two sites.
Elena is fascinated by the challenge of stewarding and conserving habitat in novel ecosystems. She is excited to return to places she explored as a child with a new perspective from her education and restoration experience.
Skills: Habitat restoration, invasive weed control, California wildlife and plant identification, natural resource management, ArcGIS mapping software.
Fun Fact: Enjoys hiking, birding, gardening, and kayaking
Molly is an Ecosteward Conservation Technician. She received a B.S. in Environmental Science at Sonoma State University in 2023. She served with AmeriCorps, California Climate Action Corps at St. Mary's College in Moraga CA, during the past year. As a California Climate Action Corps fellow her primary duties were in garden management, education, and community engagement.
