We'd like to welcome Luc, our Planting Intern for this season! Get to know more about Luc below.
Hi there! My name is Luc Chasse and I'm excited to be the nursery intern for Sutro Stewards this January of 2021! Having just graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep in 2020, I couldn't wait to get out in the field and get some hands-on experience with environmental stewardship. Before this opportunity with Sutro Stewards, I was in Missouri doing fire line construction and forest management with Americorps NCCC, which is a program I am on break from currently. My life experiences have been leading up to the type of passions and work I am doing now, and I feel inspired to help make a difference for the environment.
Growing up in the Presidio National Park, I have always considered nature to be a big part of my life. I have many formative memories of hiking the trails in Marin, camping in the redwoods of California, or spending summers camp counseling in the woodlands of Pescadero. The latter being an especially inspiring time for me which opened my eyes to how healing nature can be for trauma, and how special the connections one can make with nature acting as a conduit for curiosity, inspiration, and creativity. Throughout my formative years, I have been building on that inspiration by volunteering with the National Park Service in the Presidio. This has given me exposure to learning about the native plants of San Francisco and ways to foster their survival through weeding and other ways of stewardship. I spent this last summer doing an internship with the Presidio National Park Stewards which allowed me to work on restoring the habitat of Lobos Creek by weeding Cape Ivy, pruning willows, and cleaning up trash. This experience was a great opportunity for me to prepare for the type of fieldwork I would be doing on my first Americorps project. The work included seed cleaning, removal of invasive species, fire line building, and participating in a prescribed burn.
As I've gained more experience in habitat restoration and fieldwork, my passion for it has only gotten stronger. I am excited to be able to be joining the Sutro Stewards team this month. I look forward to having a chance to cultivate the growth of native species on Mount Sutro right in the city that I grew up in. I feel like I am giving back to the city and all the beauty it provides. I'm inspired to help make parts of Mount Sutro beautiful native landscapes that the surrounding community can enjoy. I look forward to learning from the Sutro Stewards team and gaining more plant ID knowledge along with getting familiar with the ins and outs of how a native plant nursery operates.