Rachael found inspiration as a child at her family’s cabin in Big Sur, which led her to pursue a degree in marine sciences at Cal Poly SLO. Starting her career in marine conservation, she worked on ocean issues with government and nonprofit employers. She later spent two transformative years in New Zealand where she became a certified watershed restoration practitioner. Mastering techniques to restore the water cycle, rehydrate degraded ecosystems, and regenerate our waterways, she learned that marine environmental health is deeply entwined with human behaviors on land. Rachael is a passionate water advocate, with reverence for the importance of protecting water as the vital thread that intertwines all of life together. She is an avid lover of backcountry trips, surfing, gardening, mindfulness practices, and all things creative, and can often be found in her natural habitat: water!