People & Organizations
Peter Brastow, our Founding Director, started Nature in the City in 2005 to build, strengthen and unify the movement to conserve San Francisco's natural areas and biodiversity, and to catalyze ecological restoration and stewardship in San Francisco by connecting urban people and nature where we live. An activist at heart, Peter entered the fray of the city's environmental activist community with a unique set of skills and experience, as urban natural resource manager and community stewardship coordinator, from his former position as the Presidio's National Park Service Ecological Restoration Specialist. He is currently one of the most engaged environmental advocates in the city, participating in countless planning meetings and initiatives to preserve, protect, and restore San Francisco's rich and unique biodiversity with nearly every city agency. He continues to bring together the many diverse voices that affect nature in the city, while also managing all of the details and relationships that go into keeping this special organization thriving, inside and out.
Cynthia Foss, our Development Director, is in the processes of helping San Franciscans realize they are excited about supporting the Nature in the City mission in any way they can. She comes to us with a background in communications (Syracuse University), SCUBA instruction, teaching English, spa ownership and some dabblings in television, photography and writing. Most recently she has been part of the Development team at her daughters' school. She looks forward to asking you for a donation!
Deidre Martin, our Nursery & Stewardship Coordinator, is the organizer and volunteer coordinator for our Green Hairstreak Butterfly Corridor and Backyard Native Nursery Network. She is our "go to" person for other ecological stewardship opportunities and native plant nurseries, including the Haight Ashbury Native Plant Nursery. She comes to us with over a decade of experience in landscaping with native plants, and work in the greenhouse/nursery trade. She spent several years in the early 1990s as an organic farm apprentice, and hopes to further develop urban farmers' appreciation of native plants and wildlife conservation.
Linda Pomerantz, our Operations Manager, handles the financial day-to-day, memberships, marketing and public relations. She keeps our operation running smoothly and maintains the flow of information and activities through what could be considered an environmental hub for nature in the city. Linda also regularly works on projects that promote awareness and education about preserving and restoring native plant habitats, wildlife and natural areas. Previously, she worked at the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council Recycling Center where she managed the finances and marketed the native plant nursery.
Ellie Billings, our Web Media Developer, keeps our website running and creates our inspiring and informative should-be-award-winning-online-newsletters. Ellie received her Geography degree from San Francisco State University in May 2010, and came to us originally from City College's Center for Habitat Restoration.
Marina Lazzara, our Stewardship Intern
Nature in the City Steering Committee
Members - Expertise
Amber Hasselbring - Artist/Designer
Brent Plater - Environmental Law
Charlotte Hill - Environmental Education
Chris Giorni - Reptile & Amphibian
Ecology/Environmental
Education
Craig Dawson - Media Specialist/Trail Stewardship
Deirdre Elmansoumi -
Butterfly &
Environmental
Education
Doug Kern - Geophysics/Environmental Education
Dylan Hayes - Sustainable Business/Plant
Propagation/Natural Areas Management
Greg Gaar - History/Photography/Plant
Propagation/Habitat Stewardship
Iris Clearwater - Artist/ Habitat Stewardship
Jake Sigg - Plant Ecology/Habitat Stewardship
Josiah Clark - Wildlife Ecology/Habitat Restoration
Laura Castellini - Aquatic Invertebrate
Ecology/Environmental Remediation
Lew Stringer - Invasive Plant Ecology/Ecological
Restoration
Liam O'Brien - Butterfly and Moth Ecology (Lepidoptery)
Steven Chapman - Environmental Advocacy
Steering Committee members
are active in, and in many cases, lead and
represent the following organizations, among others:
Art-eco.org
California
Native Plant Society
Community
Gardens for Butterflies
Habitat
Potential
Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Council
& Native
Plant Nursery
Kids
in Parks
Presidio
Restoration Advisory Board
Sierra
Club, SF Group
TreeFrog
Treks
Urban
Watershed Project
Other ecological organizations with which we work include Center
for Biological Diversity, Golden
Gate Audubon Society, SF League of
Conservation Voters, SF
Tomorrow, Literacy for Environmental
Justice, Sustainable
Watershed Alliance and Shaping San Francisco.
Nature in the City cultivates collaboration with these and other local ecological and environmental organizations, agencies, and our WED 2005 symposium committee members around high priority local nature advocacy issues, educational and stewardship projets, and restoring habitats and biodiversity throughout the City.
