Meet Sutro Stewards' Conservation & Habitat Restoration Interns, Fernando & Axel! Learn more about their internships, education, and interests in their profiles below.
Fernando Cervantes
My name is Fernando Cervantes, and I am a Conservation & Habitat Restoration intern. I am a junior at San Francisco State University with an Environmental Science major. My interest in this study began my senior year of high school when I took the AP Environmental Science course, as I became more aware of a variety of issues the earth faces and how different practices can benefit or harm the planet. I also was heavily involved in a community service club, KIWIN’S, in which we participated in environmental projects, such as tree-planting and beach cleanups. As a child, my stepfather had me weed out invasive plants in the garden every so often, and I remember not looking forward to doing so. However, work with the Sutro Stewards has definitely made me appreciate the work I did at a younger age, even though it was confined to my house garden, because now this time it benefits an entire community where native plants to San Francisco can thrive and be protected.
I believe that the work Sutro Stewardship does aligns with my field of study, in that a shared goal is to preserve and improve the quality of natural landscapes - this case being Mount Sutro. This particular environment hosts a good amount of native species of plants, as well as animals that thrive under this habitat. It is crucial to maintain a healthy and safe environment for those that benefit from these reserves and parks, especially in an urban city.
At the end of the day, all of us at Sutro Stewards - leaders, interns, and volunteers alike - all have worked to improve the quality of Mount Sutro, whether it be weeding out invasive plants or building hiking trails. It is a fantastic opportunity to receive hands on experience in conservation and horticulture learning, while securing the integrity of an open reserve area that does not fail to attract the people of San Francisco.
Axel Moser
My name is Axel Moser and I’m an intern at Sutro Stewards helping with trail restoration, plant propagation, and habitat restoration. I’m currently studying at San Francisco State University to major in Environmental Science. Originally from Los Angeles, I’ve grown accustomed to San Francisco’s many parks and forests and I enjoy living and studying here. For many years I’ve helped with habitat restoration projects within the Los Angeles area ranging from weeding invasive plant species to cleaning the LA creek ecosystems. My main interest in working with Sutro Stewards is sustainability and plant identification/location. I want to experience and learn how to create sustainable environments for native plant species to prepare them for the future and survival.
My future goals and aspirations include sustainability projects such as creating water safe buildings and water reusable methods, I also want to partake in GIS studies to map and locate people, species or different biomes. Through Sutro Stewards, I get to experience navigation through trails and learn to identify invasive and native plant species that we can mark. Marking these plant species and weeding out invasive plant species will allocate more resources to native plants allowing them to thrive and survive. At Sutro, I can teach volunteers how to take better care of the environment and have them help us maintain trails, plants and species at Mt. Sutro.
With Sutro Stewards, I can get a hands-on approach on dealing with these types of issues while also creating a safe and fun area that people of the city can use to hike through. I, myself, am an avid hiker as well and weeding and restoring these trails allows me to enjoy the forest life without having to endanger native plants or species.