The Community Conservation Fellow position is a year-long part-time fellowship at the Audubon Center at Debs Park, where fellows not only engage in hands-on restoration, but also community. Each fellow is trained on hands-on restoration skills and is tasked with the expansion and care of our existing restoration sites at the Audubon Center at Debs Park. They also are involved with the Audubon Youth Leaders, working with them for their Advocacy Day. We also support our fellows in their own individual goals that align with their interests and the fellowship, such as creating their own conservation workshops for the community. 

This year, we are joined by Amaris. Growing up in an urban environment, yet also one block away from the Los Angeles river, Amaris is a Southeast Los Angeles native who has always been interested in the natural history of Los Angeles. In high school, she had been introduced to plants and native habitats, but it wasn't until she had volunteered at the Audubon Center at Debs Park that she realized that her passion could be a career. She graduated with a B.A. in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and spent most of her time in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. During her time in Santa Cruz, she worked with plants at the Norris Center of Natural History.

With her passion for community, Amaris hopes to create more accessible bilingual programming centered on nature and conservation. We look forward to supporting her in her goals, so keep an eye out for her work!