Environment and Sustainability Advisory Council

After the Fire's leaders convened the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Council (ESAC) back in 2018 to bring conservation and resilience organizations together in the greater North Bay to share best practices and identify opportunities to collaborate together to advocate and strengthen networks.

The ESAC is working to:

Articulate a vision of healthy lands, across forests, working lands and the urban environment.
Develop resilience in the form of building and strengthening human networks.
Design incentive programs for private landowners.

Man casually standing between some trees in a shady forest

Craig Anderson

Craig Anderson (he/him/his) joined LandPaths in 1997 as it was forming to manage a new state park addition at the headwaters of Santa Rosa Creek. As Executive Director, he leads nature preserve acquisitions, assists with ‘new routes’ connecting LandPaths’ preserves by trail through its Trek Sonoma initiative, and serves as a liaison with other nonprofit and public agency heads.

The son of a landscape architect and an art history tutor, Craig supported his college study through summer painting and carpentry jobs in Southern California, and rafting and mountaineering schools across the western states. He holds an M.S. in Range Ecology from UC Berkeley, a Life Science teaching credential from UC Santa Barbara, and a B.S. from Principia College.

Craig was profoundly influenced by nature as a child and found solace in the fire roads crossing the Santa Monica Mountains and, starting in his teens, California’s Coast Range and Sierra Nevada. He is a student of both music and life sciences, co-leading science-focused semester programs in New Zealand, the Caribbean, and in the Colorado Rockies.

Following shoestring-budget surfing and “mountaineering lite” travels in Asia and Central and South America, Craig worked for Nature Bridge in Yosemite, The Nature Conservancy, University of California Berkeley, and the Ojai Valley and Thacher Schools. In 2014, Craig was honored as Bay Nature Magazine’s Local Hero for Conservation. He has worked at “re-wilding” himself as an aspiring front-yard farmer, kayak fisherman, musician, hunter and father. Craig believes he must “pay his rent to nature” as he follows in the footsteps of north coast ancestors dating to the 1860s.

Craig Anderson, Landpaths

woman in yellow fire protective gear stands laughing and smiling outdoors

Sasha Berleman

Sasha Berleman is Director of ACR’s Fire Forward program, a prescribed fire training and capacity building program based in the North Bay Area. Sasha earned her doctorate in wildland fire science from University of California at Berkeley focusing on prescribed fire use for restoration of ecosystem health. She was on the development cadre for CA’s new State Certified Program in 2019 and recently became the first CA State Certified Burn Boss in the state. Sasha is a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) coach and leader, and details as a federal wildland firefighter in the summers. She is qualified as a Field Observer, Crew Boss, FiringBoss, Intermediate Sawyer, and Incident Commander. Sasha is a board member of American Wildfire Experience and co-chairs the North Bay Area’s Good Fire Alliance prescribed burn association.

Sasha Berleman, Audubon Canyon Ranch

black and white photo of a smiling woman

Tosha Comendant

Dr. Tosha Comendant is a conservation scientist with over 15 years experience developing innovative methods, visualization tools, databases, and science-based solutions that increase knowledge-transfer, enhance stakeholder engagement, and inform natural resource management decisions. She is a Napa Valley native and completed her doctorate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. She joined Pepperwood as the Conservation Science Manager in 2017 where she conducts and manages complex research projects, supports monitoring and restoration initiatives, and cultivates impactful cross-sector partnerships. Additionally, she serves on the boards of the Napa Valley Watershed Information and Conservation Council, the Society for Conservation GIS, and the Steering Committee of the Conserved Lands Network Science Expansion.

Tosha Comendant, Pepperwood Preserve

woman with long curly brown hair and white shirt

Caitlin Cornwell

Caitlin Cornwall

Caitlin Cornwall is a biologist who leads planning and partnerships, and advises on technical projects, at Sonoma Ecology Center, where she has worked since 1998. She is the project director for Sonoma Valley Collaborative (formerly Sustainable Sonoma), across-sector coalition addressing ongoing challenges to Sonoma Valley’s people, economy, and environment, such as housing affordability. A Sonoma County native, she is the lead author of the Biodiversity Action Plan for Sonoma County, Sonoma County Regional Climate Protection Agency’s climate vulnerability assessment, the Climate Resilience Roadmap for Sonoma County, and Homes for a Sustainable Sonoma Valley: Strategic Recommendations for Our Community. Her areas of expertise are land use ecology, watershed health indicators, communicating with non technical audiences, and building diverse, successful partnerships. After the 2017 North Bay fires, she led hundreds of people on “fire recovery walks” in burned areas. Caitlin has a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in botany, and lives in Sonoma.

Caitlin Cornwall, Sonoma Ecology Center

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Bianca Escobedo

Blanca Escobedo

As a Resilience Manager at Greenbelt Alliance, Blanca Escobedo advocates for sound policymaking that advances climate solutions using nature-based solutions while building relationships to create a shared vision around resilience in Sonoma County and throughout the North Bay. She received her B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning and B.A. in International Relations from UC Davis.

Blanca Escobedo, Greenbelt Alliance

bearded man in a plaid shirt and sunglasses standing outdoors in front of a tree covered mountain

Will Evans

Will Evans is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC), a Lake County-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Founded in 2014, CLERC coordinates projects and programs that focus on solutions to environmental and economic problems both locally and worldwide. CLERC stepped into the role of coordinating landscape-scale forest health and fire resilience projects in Lake County by securing multiple large grants from CAL FIRE for fuel reduction, workforce development, and planning future projects. CLERC also operates an accredited environmental laboratory (currently the only one in Lake County) to provide lab analysis services to local water agencies.

Prior to becoming CLERC’s Executive Director, Will spent nearly a decade employed in various resource management positions with the County of Lake including Deputy Director of Water Resources, Associate Resource Planner in the Community Development Department and Compliance Coordinator for Special Districts Administration. Will possesses a BS in Urban Policy Studies, as well as a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Georgia State University, where his studies focused on economic development planning and geographic information science (GIS). Since the Valley Fire in 2015, Will has focused his career on implementing restoration and mitigation projects in areas impacted by fires in Lake County.

Will Evans, Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

woman with brown hair, glasses and black turtleneck sweater

Gretchen Hayes

Gretchen Hayes is the inaugural Executive Director of the Napa Communities Firewise Foundation. Napa Firewise works together with 18 local Fire Safe Councils and diverse partner organizations to reduce the risk and impacts of wildfires on life and livelihoods throughout Napa County. Hired in May 2021 following the Board of Supervisors adoption of the Napa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, Ms. Hayes is managing implementation of the associated hazardous fuel mitigation Plan. In addition to the Vegetation Management Program, she also oversees the Foundation's Homeowner Defensible Space, and the Wildfire Preparedness Outreach Programs. Ms. Hayes is a professional environmental resource planner, who has worked in Napa County since 2004. She is best known for her work serving as the Landowner Liaison and the Monitoring Program Manager for the comprehensive 5 Mile Napa River Rutherford Reach Restoration Project.

Gretchen Hayes, Napa Firewise Foundation

Man with short hair mustache wearing a red check shirt smiles for.a portrait

Lucas Patzek

Lucas Patzek became Napa RCD’s Executive Director in 2018. He has been particularly focused on developing the capacity of his organization and the region more broadly to address challenges related to wildfire resiliency and forest health. His previous work experience includes serving as a County Director and Agriculture & Natural Resource Faculty with the Cooperative Extension Service in Washington State, Associate Executive Director of the Sonoma County-based non-profit Ag Innovations, and managing local government and non-profit energy efficiency programs at Pacific Gas & Electric. He has also consulted on a range of sustainable agriculture projects in different countries including Algeria, Cambodia, Mexico, and the UnitedKingdom. He on the board of directors of Ag Innovations and The Springs Fire Safe Council, and an advisor to A Growing Culture. He received a Ph.D. in Crop Science from WashingtonState University and a B.S. in Biology from University of California at Santa Cruz.

Lucas Patzek, Napa Resource Conservation District

portrait of a woman with long blonde hair in a lavender top

Valerie Minton Quinto

Valerie Minton Quinto has worked in the field of natural resources since 2006, with a background in ecology, water quality, agricultural conservation, and public policy. Valerie began her service at the Sonoma County Resource Conservation District in 2008. Over the years she played many different roles on the team, gaining experience in all program areas as well as operations, finance, and fundraising, and in 2017 she was selected to serve at the RCD’s Executive Director. In this role, Valerie oversees the RCD’s day-to-day functions while providing strategic direction for the future, building partnerships, and advocating for the RCD at the local, state, and federal levels. A life-long Sonoma County resident, Valerie holds a B.S. in Biology from Sonoma State University and also serves on the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Valerie Minton Quinto, Sonoma County Resource Conservation District

Joe Scriven

Joe Scriven came to Mendocino County in 1998 to direct the Mendocino Fisheries Program, the watershed restoration part of a non-profit organization based in Ukiah. During his 10 years as Director, he secured grants and led crews on a wide variety of watershed restoration projects throughout the County. In 2008 he joined the Mendocino County Water Agency as a Water Resources Specialist, focusing on water quality and quantity projects and the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Program. Joe joined the Mendocino County RCD in 2011, working as a fisheries biologist and project manager.

EDUCATION:
HUMBOLDT STATE UNIVERSITY: MS FISHERIES BIOLOGY
SACRAMENTO STATE UNIVERSITY: BS BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION

Joe Scriven, Mendocino Resource Conservation District

woman with a blue and white blouse smiling for a portrait

Casey Taylor

Anna Yip

Anna Yip is a climate analyst with a professional and academic background in researching, designing and implementing equitable climate action and resiliency efforts. She currently serves as the Climate Analyst for the County of Sonoma, for which she was the first staff person hired for the County’s new Climate Action and Resiliency Division. In this role Anna acts as a leader and supporter for many different climate-related efforts happening within Sonoma County and helps coordinate across County and City departments and agencies, as well as a diverse range of community-based organizations and stakeholders. She offers science-based direction to the Board of Supervisors on climate-related decisions, including the distribution of a $10 million fund set aside from the 2017 PG&E settlement, and conducts community engagement to ensure the work done in the County adequately reflects the needs and desires of its constituents.

Prior to her role with the County of Sonoma, Anna consulted for a number of different companies and orgs developing, implementing and tracking sustainability and climate-related goals. She also worked at the Napa County Resource Conservation District coordinating volunteer and outreach programs, at the National Parks Service working on climate change outreach and resiliency goals, and for UC Berkeley progressing the campus towards its zero waste goal. She is a skilled leader in communicating climate science and impacts, and in designing and implementing impactful sustainability plans and projects. She holds environmental justice and climate equity at the center of her work.

Anna received her Master of Science degree from the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. At ERG Anna studied the impacts of climate change and evaluated institutional adaptation and mitigation efforts. She also holds dual BS degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Economics & Policy from UC Berkeley. Anna has received a number of awards and fellowships, including the Environmental Research & Education Foundation Scholar Award and the UC Office of the President Carbon Neutrality Fellowship.

Anna Yip, County of Sonoma

Not pictured:

Ann Baker, Taking Action for Living Systems

Kim Batchelder, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District

Deanne DiPietro, Conservation Biology Institute

Caryl Hart, AG and Open Space Advisor

Susan Haydon, Sonoma Water

Melanie Parker, Sonoma County Regional Parks

Virginia Mahacek, WRA

Jason Mills, WRA

Sashi Sabaratnam, UC Cooperative Extension

Caerleon Safford, County of Sonoma

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