Alicia Canales

Pronouns: she/her

Bio
Alicia Canales graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2021. During her undergraduate career, she held a curation internship with the UCSB Herbarium assisting with the digitization and georeferencing of plant specimens for use in a National Science Foundation climate change and phenology study at UCSB. However, her passion for preservation grew during her time as a Snowy Plover Docent for the UC Nature Reserve Coal Oil Point where she patrolled Sands Beach to protect plover nesting areas from human and predator disturbance. As a Docent, she saw the positive effects that conservation efforts had and wanted to be more immersed. Later, Alicia provided environmental science education for the Santa Barbara Zoo as an Educator for their summer camp and outdoor programs where she engaged younger generations in learning about their environment. These two experiences influenced her enjoyment of teaching environmental topics while working with all age groups. She plans to specialize in conservation planning to help preserve our natural resources and help bridge the communication gap between planners and the general public.