Meet Rebecca Smith, Assistant Preserve Manager
Rebecca Smith, now Assistant Preserves Manager, joined the North Coast team in 2019 as a Preserve Ranger. Rebecca spends her time managing and stewarding the lands in the North Coast region and provides outdoor education and conservation training to our partners at Outward Bound Adventures every summer. Drawn to the dual mission of The Wildlands Conservancy, Rebecca feels nothing is more powerful than getting kids outside connecting to nature before reaching adulthood and making big, impactful decisions.
“I have always felt very strong connections to the Earth and grew up being extremely comfortable in nature and I know that is not everyone's experience. I feel called to share my passion for the great outdoors with others so that conservation becomes crucial in our societal value system.”
Growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, Rebecca’s earliest memories were beach camping with her family, swimming in the ocean by day and stargazing by night. She’s always had a sense that she would choose a career path in conservation. Before studying wildlife biology at Humboldt State University, Rebecca’s first jobs were in outdoor education.
Prior to joining Wildlands, Rebecca worked as an educator leading youth science camps and also as a remote wilderness backpacking leader. After completing her degree in wildlife biology, focusing on conservation and management, Rebecca gained experience building trails for state parks, monitoring snowy plovers for the Bureau of Land Management, and conducting field studies on local amphibians in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.
Passionate about mentoring future stewards of the Earth, Rebecca says a highlight for her since joining Wildlands has been introducing children to the preserves, seeing their faces light up and their fear of nature being overridden by joy and excitement. Rebecca enjoys the physical aspect of her work as well, working outside in nature with her hands and coming to know the landscape and ecosystem on a deeper level.
“I spend a lot of time working alone. One of my main jobs is to be present and to be aware of everything going on around the property. I love becoming so intimately familiar with such a unique, stunning and dynamic landscape and watching it change with the seasons.”
Rebecca kayaking on flooded roads at Eel River Estuary Preserve.
Admittedly, Rebecca has too many favorite species to list, but some of her favorite wildlife species found on the North Coast include: river otters, belted kingfishers, brown pelicans and Pacific giant salamanders. Some of Rebecca’s favorite plant species include: Humboldt Bay owl’s clover, giant trilliums, salmonberry and California maidenhair fern. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys camping, backpacking, and traveling the world.
Eel River Estuary Preserve at sunset.