Oak woodlands are an important piece of the geography, history, and identity of California. These woodlands are rich in biodiversity and are essential to the vitality of our ecosystem. In this webinar, you we heard from several experts who are dedicated to working amongst the native oak trees. Through their stories, experiences, and knowledge, you can learn a bit about how to better appreciate and expand the longevity of this fragile yet resilient habitat.
Speaker Bios & Presentation Slides
Kat High is a Native Californian of Hupa descent. Kat has been trained by traditional elders in Native American land management traditions and is a teacher on adapting those principles to the modern world. Kat is also an Occupational Therapist and a registered Physical therapist, retired now after 54 years working in a variety of settings, aiding elders and families in achieving success in maximizing independence in managing life situations. View Kat’s Slides (PDF)
Hilary Bayer grew up at Magic, an ecology-based service-learning community, where she continues to live and work. For more than 16 years, she’s accepted growing responsibility for Planting for the Second Hundred Years, a Magic project to regenerate oak populations on Stanford University lands. In recent years she’s presented the project in an article for Pacific Horticulture, at the International Oak Society’s triennial conference at UC Davis, in a Stanford University biology course about climate change ecology, and in “Diverse Oaks for Landscape Resilience,” a report commissioned by Stanford University Land, Buildings & Real Estate. View Hilary’s Slides (PDF)
Nikolai Schweitzer is the Staff Research Associate for the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center. Some of his responsibilities include management, planning and implementation of field research including experimental design, construction and installation of experimental infrastructure and irrigation, collection and processing of research data, data management and collaboration with the Principal Investigators (PI), researchers, field staff employees and graduate students. He directly supervised the installation and maintenance of the Long-Term Climate Change data sensor equipment and the ~800K Blue Oak Regeneration Mitigation Project at the research center. View Nikolai’s Slides (PDF)
Zarah Wyly, Director of Urban Ecology/Restoration Ecologist, Sacramento Tree Foundation. When she was a UC Davis student, she quickly fell in love with the idea of habitat restoration and the native trees that support Central California woodland ecosystems. Over the last twelve years, Zarah has focused her efforts on ethically harvesting acorns and growing seedlings specifically to conserve the genetic integrity of native oak populations, planting and establishing native trees and plants in all types of human-dominated landscapes, supporting urban biodiversity, and helping people from all walks of life connect to the wonder and beauty of their urban forest. View Zarah’s Slides (PDF)