Ernesto Chavez-Velasco

Restoration Technician Lead

As a Restoration Technician Lead in STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed), I help oversee many of our community-based habitat restoration projects around the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m originally from Santa Barbara, where I developed a strong interest in plant ecology and botany after volunteering with restoration-based local non-profits.

My educational background consists of a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. I have done research and completed an undergraduate thesis concerning grassland restoration, ecophysiology, plant pathology, and functional traits. I’ve additionally been a restoration practitioner for three years across the Channel Islands and UC Natural Reserve System.

I now in the San Francisco Bay Area. In my free time you can catch me frolicking through wildflowers, ogling at fungi, seeking out live music, slack-lining, and continuously learning.

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