Social Rewilding

Social rewilding refers to community-based efforts to restore local ecosystems. These efforts recognize that by connecting with and regenerating wild spaces, people can also deepen their connection with and regenerate themselves and their relationships with others. This means that social rewilding is not only a means for regenerating natural ecosystems, but can be considered a holistic framework for regenerating various socio-ecological relations.

For over a decade I have coordinated and led community-based rewilding programs in forest, oak woodland, chaparral, prairie, wetland, tidal marsh, dune, and riparian habitats, connecting thousands of community volunteers of all ages and backgrounds with their local landscapes. These programs have included wild seed collection, native plant growing and planting, invasive plant removal, trash clean-ups, trail work, and other efforts to foster social connection with wild spaces.

Most of these programs were led in partnership with Point Reyes National Seashore, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Audubon Canyon Ranch, Save the Bay, and Friends of Sausal Creek.

As the Land Stewardship and Education Manager for Friends of Sausal Creek in Oakland, California, for four consecutive years I also coordinated two large annual restoration events—Earth Day (in April) and Creek to Bay Day (in September)—where over 500 community members would come together for a day of habitat restoration and community building.