Stephanie Benavidez is currently the supervising naturalist at the Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center where she has been employed as a naturalist for over 38 years, since she graduated from Mills College. Budget cutbacks have lead to Benavidez being the only full-time employee at the Center for the past few years, with only a part-time staff to run the classes, community programs and protect the wildlife.
Benavidez sees herself as Lake Merritt's protector and "keeper of the flame." She has dedicated her entire adult life to overseeing the wildlife refuge, caring for the plant and animal life (including the beloved Canada Geese) at Lake Merritt.
During the summer Benavidez supervises "Touch the Earth" "Shake, Rattle & Roll" "Counselor in Training" and "Young Naturalist" summer camps for children, which teaches them a love of animals and nature, while employing local teens and young adults who gain valuable experience working as camp counselors.
Benavidez is a character in the children's book, I Can Hear The Sun. 1
Links and References
- Lake Merritt’s Nature Center continues on despite budget cuts Oakland North
-
Ruffled feathers: The goose dispute at Lake Merritt Oakland North
-
Loving Lake Merritt Bay Nature
-
Souls of Steel: How to Build Character in Ourselves and Our Kids
-
I Can Hear the Sun: A Modern Myth by Patricia Polacco Puffin Books 1999
