Ariel Cherbowsky Corkidi

Executive Director

As the executive director of San Bruno Mountain Watch, Ariel (he/him) oversees the planning and operation of our restoration, education, nursery, and conservation advocacy programs, and carries out the fundraising and administration of our non-profit. He began working for San Bruno Mountain Watch in 2015. 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 and previously 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 make zines. Ariel has lived in the SF Bay Area since 2010. He is from Mexico City and grew up in San Diego.

Emily Martin

Restoration Program Manager

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 returned to the Bay Area after living in Oregon, Washington and even Hawaii, Emily is reestablishing herself within her home state and is seeking to form deeper relationships with the land on which she grew up. Emily’s 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.

Marguerite Crooks

Nursery Fellow

Grow the native plants of San Bruno Mountain with Marguerite!

Marguerite (she/her) is an artist and educator whose path has taken her all over the West Coast. Born in Palm Springs and raised mostly in the woods on an island in Washington, she still loves the PNW… [in the summer] but is 110% a California girl. She has a deep love for desert blooms, alpine meadows, and the incredible Bay Area microclimates that allow us to grow plants from almost anywhere in the world! After many wonderful years teaching and working at art schools and design universities, she started gardening in 2020. Soon, she was studying Landscape Architecture at the Academy of Art University and decided to step out of the office and into the garden. She is continuing her studies in Landscape Architecture, Nursery Management, and Horticulture at Merritt College. Bringing together fine art, horticulture, and landscape architecture is a fun and meaningful intersection of creative practices. She is inspired to help bring California keystone annuals and perennials to the nursery trade, while researching climate-driven plant migration. As a passion project, she is developing a student-learning Herbarium for Merritt College’s Horticulture Department. Marguerite looks forward to serving and working with the San Bruno Mountain community, both in the nursery and on the mountain.

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.