Ariel Cherbowsky Corkidi
Executive Director
As the executive director of San Bruno Mountain Watch, Ariel (he/him) oversees the planning, funding, and operation of our restoration, education, nursery, and conservation advocacy programs, carries out the administration of our non-profit, and implements our strategic plan. Ariel believes deeply in the democratic potential of community-based ecological restoration and in the power of place-based environmental education. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources. Before joining San Bruno Mountain Watch in 2015, Ariel worked with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s Park Stewardship Program. In his free time, Ariel likes to read environmental history, hike and bike the Bay Area’s vast trail network, and play guitar.
Emily Martin
Ecological Restoration Fellow
Picture coming soon
Restore the ecosystems of San Bruno Mountain with Emily!
Emily (she/her) helps restore the mountain, engaging in what Greta Von Wieren referred to as “public spiritual practice.” As a restoration professional, Emily gets to use her vast skillset in manual vegetation management, community education and botanical knowledge to pave the way for others to engage in community-volunteer based restoration work. Having recently returned to the Bay Area after living in Oregon, Washington and even Hawaii, Emily is in the process of reestablishing herself within her home state and is seeking to form deeper relationships with the land on which she grew up. Emilys childhood was based in the City of Walnut Creek, but she has familial connections to the City of San Francisco through her mother and grandmother. In the ten years since she graduated from Humboldt State University with her Bachelor of Science, she has held a variety of jobs both within and outside of natural resource management. Her work as the Restoration Project Manager for the Scappoose Bay Watershed Council (SBWC) and as a Training and Development Specialist for Ash Creek Forest Management, are where she grew the breadth of her knowledge of habitat restoration, community engagement, leadership and professional development. In 2024 she completed her master’s degree in educational leadership and policy (with a focus on Leadership for Sustainability Education), through which she learned about place-based education, community education, ecospirituality and ecoliteracy. Her professional journey has since given her the opportunity to work as a Field Instructor for the Northwest Outdoor Science School and as a Learning and Engagement Specialist for the Oakland Zoo. Emily’s favorite thing to do is drink coffee in the morning while re-reading a book.
Lucy Malamud-Roam
Nursery Fellow
Grow the native plants of San Bruno Mountain with Lucy at Mission Blue Nursery!
Lucy (she/her) worked for four years as a field assistant at the Younger Lagoon Ecological Reserve in Santa Cruz, helping restore former agricultural land to native coastal prairie, scrub, and seasonal wetland habitats, and carrying out seed collection and propagation for the reserve's greenhouses. After completing a degree in environmental studies and biology at UC Santa Cruz, Lucy worked as a habitat restoration intern with the National Parks Service in the GGNRA and a field biologist for LSA Associates, Inc. and Kleinfelder, Inc. Lucy is also an experienced environmental educator, having worked as a course technician for the University of California Ecology and Conservation Field Quarter, a recreation leader for the East Bay Regional Parks District, an educator at Nature’s Classroom Institute, a naturalist with Naturalists At Large, and a kayak guide.
Nicholas “Nico” Spritzer
Ecological Restoration Fellow
Picture coming soon
Restore the ecosystems of San Bruno Mountain with Nico!
Nico (he/him) first worked in the realm of conservation and restoration work as a field assistant and student conservationist at the Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve in Santa Cruz, where he contributed to habitat restoration of coastal prairie and wetlands, and conducted monitoring surveys for reptiles and amphibians. He also worked at Fort Ord Natural Reserve for a summer, focusing on reptile surveys with an emphasis on the declining population of the coast horned lizard. After completing a B.S. in Ecology and Evolution at UC Santa Cruz, Nico gained further experience as a seasonal Forestry Aide with California State Parks in the Orange Coast District, where he participated in habitat restoration activities, invasive and native flora and fauna monitoring, and public-facing work. He recently earned a Master of Conservation and Restoration Science at UC Irvine, where his capstone project with NOAA tested the accuracy of an innovative tracking technology for monitoring endangered white abalone off the coast of Southern California. In his free time, Nico loves movies, playing/watching soccer, reading history books, and hanging out at the beach!
Russ Aguilar
Interpretive Specialist
Learn about San Bruno Mountain’s natural and cultural history with Russ!
Russ is an environmental educator from Marin County, California. His career has taken him to work in 5 National Parks, 2 State Parks, 1 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuge, 2 public schools, and 1 Environmental Learning Center. A photographer for 20 years, he photographs small animals in their habitat, whether it be a natural or manmade space that creature has chosen to call home.