Rachael’s passion for water began in childhood at her family’s cabin in Big Sur, inspiring her to study marine sciences at Cal Poly, SLO. Starting her career in marine conservation, she worked with a range of both government and nonprofit organizations on ocean issues, from marine invertebrate and pelagic fisheries research to managing a network of international chapters for ocean conservation. She later spent two transformative years in New Zealand where she learned techniques to restore the water cycle and later became a certified watershed restoration practitioner. 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, paddleboarding, gardening, and all things creative, and can often be found in her natural habitat: water!