The success of Living Arroyos rests on the shoulders of the amazing people who have been a part of this program. Whether it’s gathering thousands of acorns, harvesting hundreds of willow stakes, or mowing/watering/weeding for the gazillionth day in a row — a good team of people is absolutely essential to keeping up morale and motivation!
We express our gratitude to the many talented individuals have been with us on our journey.
Thank you!
Living Arroyos Staff — Past and Present
| NAME | ROLE | DATES | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linnea Neuhaus | Field Lead | 2013-15 | Biologist, Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting |
| Joni Redmond | Program Coordinator / Outreach and Media Manager | — | — |
| Chanddeep Singh | Intern | 2013-16, 2017-Present | “Thank you Living Arroyos for this great opportunity. You have helped me to find the path towards which I want to steer my career, and also taught me so many amazing and cool things in the process. At last, it helped me in forming lifelong connections with some of the most amazing individuals in this world.”
Chanddeep is finishing her BA at CSU East Bay in Environmental Studies. When she is not working or going to school, she is tending to her many houseplants. |
| Curtis Lewis | Intern | 2013-15 | Curtis is pursuing a BS in Agriculture Science and Environmental Education at UC Davis. |
| Jessica Gore | Intern | 2014-15 | — |
| Joseph Steelman | Intern | 2013-16 | “I have always been the kind of person who removed trash in the creeks near my home and have felt the need for stewardship of the land I live on. This program enables me to take care of our watershed and to educate and engage the local community.”
Joseph left the program in the fall of 2016 to pursue higher education in Portland Oregon. |
| Joseph Steelman | Program Coordinator | 2017-present | Joseph returned to the program in Summer 2017 as the Program Coordinator, bringing with him years of experience and innovative enthusiasm. He is finishing his BS in Natural Resources with a specialization in Ecological Restoration at Oregon State University’s e-campus. |
| Felisha Walls | Program Coordinator | 2015-16 | Felisha joined the program in 2016 as the Program Coordinator. Felisha laid the foundation for the current program, setting up systems of data collection, biomonitoring and reporting. After managing the program for eighteen months, she was accepted into the Integrative Life Sciences PhD program at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. |
| Jacob Kinney | Intern | 2015-16 | “I’ve always been interested in helping to protect the environment in any way possible and this program gave me that opportunity. I like this program because it provides opportunities for the local community to learn about certain environmental issues and get involved in helping our environment.”
Jacob is currently studying at Oregon State University working on a BA in Environmental Studies. He is also continuing his work in restoration as an intern for Nearby Nature in Eugene Oregon. His goal is to get his Masters in Climate Science. |
| Alyssa Tenney | Intern | 2016 | “I wanted to join the living arroyos program so that I would have the opportunity to transfer what I have been learning in my college courses to hands on experience in the environmental field. The thing I like most about the program is that most of the work we conduct is outside in the field, up close and personal with the environment and local community.”
Alyssa got her BS in Environmental Chemistry at CSU East Bay in 2016. After leaving Living Arroyos she worked a season of wildland firefighting on an engine crew up in Modoc National Forest. She recently got her EMT license and is working on an ambulance crew. |
| Leonard Druker | Intern | 2016-17 | — |
| Sierra Mathias | Intern | 2017 | — |
| Tim Galanis | Intern | 2017-19 | “I have always been passionate about the environment and many of my personal and professional goals are centered on that. In this position I have been able to work with riparian habitats while learning more about them. I have also gained experience in enhancing them and encouraging community interest in them. I enjoy watching the competing dynamics between the land, the plants, and the water as well as the various kinds of animals we see enjoying our sites.”
Tim left the program in the spring of 2019 to work as a full-time park worker for LARPD. |
| Charlie Chesnie | Intern | 2017 | “Living Arroyos gave me hands-on experience that has allowed me to contribute a different point of view during discussions at Oxford. Community engagement, working in a multi-partner organization, and implementing management techniques are great to learn about during a lecture, but actually having experience in each of these areas from the Living Arroyos internship has allowed me to share a real world example with my course mates. I can’t wait to visit a creek restoration site in England to be able to compare and contrast different country’s approaches to restoration, flood control, and engaging local citizens with their natural world.”
Charlie is currently at Oxford University in England, working on a MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management. |
| Megan Arp | Intern | 2017-Present | “I wanted to feel like I was making a difference. Actually utilizing the knowledge I gained in college was a bonus. I really enjoy working outdoors in the environment that I can help improve and I am excited to look back years from now to see what we’ve accomplished on a more grand scale.”
Megan received an AA in Math and Science at Las Positas College in 2015. She transferred to CSU East Bay and is working on her BS in ecology and biodiversity with a minor in environmental studies. In summer 2017, Megan was the interim Program Coordinator. In her spare time, she likes to take photos of nature, bake, and hang out with her husband and dog. |
| Natasha Maranhas | Intern | 2017-18 | Natasha graduated from CSU East Bay with a B.S. in Geology and a minor in Statistics. Natasha is now working as Geologist for SCS Engineers. |
| Andrea (Ani) Oliver | Intern | 2017 | — |
| Mandy Hollman | Intern | 2017-Present | Mandy is working on an AS in Biology at Las Positas College. She wants to apply for PhD programs in Wildlife Conservation and has a background in Anthropology and Theological Studies. She got her BA at Wheaton College in 2009 and her Master of Theological studies at Emory University in Atlanta, GA in 2012. Her hobbies include playing Magic the Gathering, looking for wildlife to identify and reading science fiction and fantasy novels. |
| Amandine Denoix | Intern | 2018-19 | Amandine left the program in the spring of 2019 to work as a full-time park worker for LARPD. |
| Kevin Girardelli | Intern | 2018-19 | Kevin left the program in the summer of 2019 to pursue higher education in Utah at BYU. |
| Richelle Vital | Intern | 2019-Present | Richelle graduated from UC San Diego in 2018 with a BS in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution. Her career goals are to research animal communication. In her spare time she loves to draw, cook, and watch anime. |
| Mitchell Gonzalez-Rivera | Intern | 2019-Present | Mitchell is pursuing an AS in Biology at Las Positas College and is interested in becoming a Park Ranger. In their free time, they enjoy hosting table top game nights, swimming and writing. |
| Jesse Sanchez | Intern | 2019-Present | Jesse is finishing his degree in Environmental Studies at CSU East Bay. |
| Brian Smith | Intern | 2019-Present | Bryan is going to school at Las Positas College and is working towards transferring into a biology program. He is interested in how the environment impacts our health and wants to work in the medical field. He enjoys hiking, making digital art, and listening to music in his spare time. |
Photos
2013-2014 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right, top row to bottom row): Mike Chu (regular volunteer), Curtis Lewis, Joseph Steelman, Linnea Neuhaus, and Joni Redmond.
2013-2015 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right): Chandeep Singh, Jessica Gore, Joseph Steelman and Curtis Lewis
2015-2016 Living Arroyos Alumni
(adults from left to right): Joseph Steelman, Jacob Kinney, Alyssa Tenney and Felisha Walls
2016-2017 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right): Tim Galanis, Leonard Druker, Sierra Mathias
2017-2018 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right): Natasha Maranhas, Megan Arp, Joseph Steelman, Tim Galanis, and Mandy Hollman
2018-2019 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right): Megan Arp, Mandy Hollman, Amandine Denoix, Tim Galanis, Joseph Steelman, Kevin Girardelli and Chanddeep Singh.
2019-2020 Living Arroyos Alumni
(from left to right): Megan Arp, Chanddeep Singh, Joseph Steelman, Bryan Smith, Jesse Sanchez, Richelle Vital and Mitchell Gonzales.