We are beyond excited to welcome our two newest apprentices! These two are joining us to help us do even more amazing on the ground work, thanks to funding from San Francisco's community challenge grant. From working in the nursery to stewarding our restoration sites, we are so thankful to have them both as part of our team. Get to know more about Geri and Sam below!
Geri, Green Infrastructure Apprentice
Hi, I'm Gerali, or Geri. I'm a first generation queer Latinx person from the High Desert town of Palmdale, California. While I was always outdoors as a kid, it wasn't until I left my hometown for college at UC Santa Cruz that I realized how uniquely special it was to grow up among the iconic joshua trees. I became aware thatanything that wasn’t native to the harsh desert landscape would not survive easily.
It fascinated me that over millennia, these plants and birds and insects that I encountered my whole life co-evolved to be perfectly suited for this particular environment. This is what sparked my interest in native plants. Now, wherever I go, I have a habit of envisioning what the landscape would look like prior to colonization. It's exciting to join Sutro Stewards as an apprentice because I get to work closely with plants that made up this landscape and reintroduce them into the mountain. I'm hoping to learn all that I can about growing native plants and habitat restoration so I can continue this work whether it be in my hometown, in the Bay Area, or wherever life takes me.
Sam, Clarendon Corridor Conservation Apprentice
Hi, I’m Sam. I love spending time at home with my partner and two cats! It’s my first time being a cat guardian and I really love it. I grew up in LA and moved here to go to college after highschool. My biggest hobby is fingerboarding, it’s just like skateboarding but scaled way down and you use your fingers instead of your feet! I fingerboard for at least 30 minutes to an hour a day. Additionally I like to spend time reading, drawing, or playing music.
My interest in the environmental field came from a deep love of this planet. I am constantly in shock and awe at what this planet has done and continues to do in an organic rhythm with what comes from and lives on it. I hope to gain a hands-on learning experience by just being out there and being ready to learn. My favorite thing so far about working as a Sutro Steward is being able to be outside all day and take in the beautiful views and breathe the fresh air. I look forward to meeting more of the nice volunteers and other people involved in the community up on Mount Sutro and seeing where this experience will lead to! The best part of Mount Sutro so far has been the abundance of beautiful fungi friends.