Indigenous Ecology Lab
Start date:
BS (Honours) in Environmental Science with Minors in Conservation Biology and Environmental Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, 2023
Restoration ecology, community-engaged research, climate change, plant ecology
My passion for plant conservation and habitat restoration is no surprise considering I grew up in the mosaic of redwoods, oak woodlands, and wetlands in the Bay Area, California (and that I am named after the California Bay Laurel tree!). In my undergrad, I deepened my love of plants by studying the response to climate change of the California endemic plant, toyon. I have also worked for several habitat restoration non-profits, collected vegetation and soil data, and taught field ecology across multiple biomes giving me a broad conservation background.
My experiences have led me to pursuing a graduate degree in the Indigenous Ecology Lab! I am eager to apply my experience in field botany, research, and community education to working with the Kwiakah First Nation on restoration of their territories after logging. I am grateful for the opportunity to conduct applied, meaningful research, and work alongside an amazing lab.
Hiking, camping, drinking boba, eating/making vegan food, dancing!
I will be working with the Kwiakah First Nation and a team of other researchers in Phillips Arm, BC to bring life back onto their ancestral lands that have been logged. I will be working towards the goals of the Kwiakah First Nation to restore their former food systems, to create a healthy model forest for the nation to show to future generations, and to restore the health and life back to the logged forest. I will be working on the methodology of converting the “tree farm” into a “forest,” and will be considering the historical ecology, native food plants, and impact of climate change on this restoration project.
Thomas, L.G., and Prunier, R. 2024. Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity drive leaf trait variation in the California endemic toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia). American Journal of Botany 111: e16430. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16430