Growing Solutions Alumni And Interns
Tamara Payton
Tamara is a fisheries habitat biologist with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation who provides assistance with restoration project management, design and implementation within the North Fork John Day subbasin. She began her undergraduate studies at Santa Barbara City College in 2008 and took an Ecological Restoration class with Don Hartley and Karen Flagg in 2010. “Imagine my excitement when I learned this past summer that I would be working with them to restore their beautiful property in eastern Oregon (See Eastern Oregon Grassland and Creeks Restoration Project). Nearly 15 years ago, they nurtured my love of the environment and imparted their knowledge of ecosystems on me and now I get the opportunity to put all of that knowledge and love into their land.”
Brianna Group
Brianna Group completed a year-long internship with Growing Solutions during her 2017 senior year at UCSB. Upon graduation and a thorough job search she landed her dream job in New Hampshire (home turf) as the Oyster Conservation coordinator for The Nature Conservancy.
Toni Dotterer
Toni, who grew up in rural Virginia, is a recent graduate (2016) of Old Dominion University with a degree in biology and ecology/GIS. After a stint of post-grad field work at the Hastings field station in Carmel Valley, Toni spent Fall 2017 interning with Growing Solutions at the Puma Canyon Ranch before accepting a post to set up a field station on Puerto Rico assessing the ecological impact of Hurricane Maria. While at Puma Toni got a crash course in climate change and fire ecology with devastating December wildfires that hit Santa Barbara County. Toni's most recent work takes her to Uganda to study primates.
David Mazurkiewicz
David Mazurkiewicz, former GS Employee, augering holes for native Santa Cruz Island plants on Scorpion Rock to provide nesting ground cover for recovering seabird species. David now works for the National Park Service.
Alaina Hernandez
Alaina Hernandez, a recent graduate of Growing Solutions' intern program.
Andrew Yamagiwa
Andrew Yamagiwa, former GS student and employee, now working for the California Institute of Environmental Studies (CIES) doing native habitat restoration within Channel Islands National Park.
Ivan Van Wingerden
Ivan Van Wingerden, former GS Student, President of Ever-Bloom flowers of Carpenteria.
Mark Broomfield
Mark Broomfield, one-time SBCC Environmental Horticulture student, now lead groundskeeper at SBCC.
Brenda Yamane and Karin Hodin
Brenda Yamane and Karin Hodin, long-time grads and supporters of GS.
Robert Funai
Robert Funai, one-time SBCC Environmental Horticulture student and long-time GS employee. Currently works for the City Of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation.