Simbala Desilles

Exploring wild spaces and learning about the plants and wildlife within them has grown to be one of my greatest passions. I began my journey as a volunteer for different community projects such as CSAs, community gardens, as well as interning for an on-campus food garden in San Diego. I took some time to pursue other ventures in the arts while living abroad in Mexico. It is only recently I have been fortunate to be able to pivot back into environmental work after spending a couple of years venturing through California’s National forests, taking visitor surveys for the forest service. I was inspired to be more involved in environmental work, leading me to apply to a fellowship with the AmeriCorps program called California Climate Action Corps. The program focus is on wild fire resiliency, urban greening, and food recovery, with the goal to mitigate critical climate challenges within California. I spent one term in Chico, California, working with various Butte County non-profits. A stand-out non-profit I frequently volunteered with is California Open Lands. This tribal, Mechoopda-led non-profit broadened my awareness of the local native plant species within Butte County, and inspired my mission to learn about their ecological and ethnobotanical qualities. I served a second term in Mount Shasta, CA, with Siskiyou Land Trust. During my term I continued my research of native plant species. A project I started within my fellowship is an illustrated native plant guide that includes ecological and ethnobotanical information. It is a work in progress that is close to completion. Following my fellowship, I was hired by Siskiyou Land Trust as their Conservation Coordinator. I am leading the new cohort of fellows in our stewarding projects while continuing to learn about our biodiversity and how to conserve it. I am grateful for my journey and excited to bring more learning opportunities to this cohort and ones to come. Siskiyou Land Trust Staff

October 2025