College of Science

Department of Applied Environmental Science

ENSTU Alumna Selected as GrizzlyCorps Fellow

Michelle Cone, a recent Environmental Studies graduate, was selected to be the Tribal Wildfire Resilience Coordinator with the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance through the GrizzlyCorps, an AmeriCorps fellowship through UC Berkeley and CaliforniaVolunteers that places students in rural California communities to promote regenerative agri-food systems and fire and forest resilience.

We recently touched base with Michelle to learn more about her work and how her experience at CSUMB has helped her on her current career pathway. 

What year did you graduate from CSU Monterey Bay? 

2023

What was your major? 

Environmental Studies 

Did you obtain any additional degrees and/or certifications after receiving your bachelor's degree at CSUMB?

Yes

If so, please list your accomplishments below, along with the university/organization you received them from.

  • Wilderness First Aid Certification/ CPR Certified/ Legal Epinephrine Administrator - through Sierra Rescue 
  • Type II Wildfire Certification - in progress through FEMA (on private and federal burns)

What is your current position? Please provide background information on your job title, duties, and workplace.

I am the Tribal Wildfire Resilience Coordinator at the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (TERA). I am affiliated with GrizzlyCorps, a service cohort through UC Berkeley and Americorps. For the next year, I will be helping TERA with a series of GIS, implementation, and community-capacity building projects—all to bring prescribed burns and traditional ecological knowledge back to private and federal lands. One day I could be mapping strategic areas for future burn sites, the next I could be educating the local community here in Lake County about the benefits of prescribed burns. 

Did your experience as a science student contribute to your current career pathway? If so, please explain.

I firmly believe that studying under AES prepared me for the intersectional and complex nature of forest resiliency. Where I will be serving is the nexus between science literacy, community development, research, and capacity building. Being able to apply the tools I learned during my undergrad (e.g. remote sensing with Fred Watson, research with Dan Fernandez/UROC, participatory action research with Tori Derr) has made me not just qualified to work with TERA, but someone who can also learn from a variety of different niches within applied environmental sciences.

What was your favorite course in the undergraduate program and why?

Super hard question for me to answer, but I would have to go with Capstone. It was a neat way to incorporate all the skills I’d learned over my four years into one neat project—and an impactful one at that. Tori’s ENSTU 472: Projects in Environmental Education showed me about the leadership roles I put myself in, different ways of approaching education (especially with youth), and also gave me new skills—like grant writing!

Are there any specific skills that you gained while at CSUMB that have helped contribute to your current success?

I can name three— GIS, project design, and capacity building. At GrizzlyCorps, we define capacity building as the ability “ to improve the impact of their work, build community resilience, and respond to climate change.” For me, GIS is storytelling and problem solving, two of my favorite tools in my toolkit. Being able to take a complex skill like GIS, being able to find uses for it in the field, and then being able to extract that information for the community to grow from is crucial. 

Have you had any recent accomplishments that you would like to share with us (publications, awards, etc.)?

Over the summer, I went to Fort Collins, CO for the 9th International Conference on Fog, Dew, and Fog Collection. I was made co-chair of the Remote Sensing section and received an honorable mention for my poster “ GROUND TRUTHING OF MODIS GA V6 SATELLITE FOG DATA WITH STANDARD FOG COLLECTORS ALONG THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA COAST.” My work is currently being used by my collaborator, Zackary Werner, for the prestigious NSF GRFP grant. I wish him all the luck in his endeavors towards becoming a Ph.D.!

Is there anything else you would like to share with us? 

Fun fact: I learned I’m weirdly good at making a leg splint out of improvised resources in nature, and that resetting compound fractures are my fortés. I can also keep the “Stayin’ Alive” CPR pace for a good 5-minutes. Definitely am going to have to find an area on my resume for that one.

Congratulations on the position, Michelle! We look forward to seeing where your professional endeavors take you!