Eralise grew up in the Auburn area and has explored trails throughout Placer County from an early age. After earning a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon in 2022, she returned to live in Auburn, where she has a renewed passion for preserving natural spaces for everyone to experience and Read more…
Megan D’Errico has a background in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and academic leadership, with a Ph.D. in Geological & Environmental Sciences, and a master’s degree in teaching. Over the course of her career, she has worked as a faculty member, program director, and academic administrator, supporting students in STEM, while Read more…
Kelleann’s passion for the environment and her professional training as a landscape architect led her to understand the critical importance of land conservation. Her teaching, research and community service all focused on this throughout her career. She recently retired from Penn State as the director of the Stuckeman School of Read more…
Collin Hobbs first heard about Placer Land Trust over a decade ago, when he relocated to Auburn from Sacramento and moved into the Real Estate business. He enjoys living on a five acre parcel in the Auburn area, keeping its wild creek-bed areas wild and using other areas for sustenance. Read more…
Karen considers herself a native Californian, despite being born in Maine, as she has lived most of her formative and adult years in northern California. Following her passion for land use and natural resources policy, Karen completed graduate coursework in City and Regional Planning at California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo. Read more…
Tom Merchant has lived in West Placer County with his wife, Sharon, and his two boys (until they left for college), since 1988. Growing up in the Bay Area, he grew to love oak woodlands. He first noticed the West Placer area while driving to backpack and ski in the Read more…
Jill Miller lives in Roseville with her two children, Emily (19) and Elijah (13), and her two rescue dogs, Seymour and Ellie. Raised in South Lake Tahoe, she is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, horseback riding, yoga, great food, and live music. Jill serves as Program Director for Read more…
Mark’s connection with Placer County began at his Grandparents’ property in Ophir, which they purchased in 1924. With an Architecture degree from San Luis Obispo and study in Copenhagen, Mark started work at Placer County in 1993. Eight years later, Mark moved his family to Ophir, where they reside today. Read more…
Iggy Rivas discovered his love for the outdoors while growing up in Los Angeles. (Yes, it was possible back then!) Since moving to Northern California, he has seen urbanization taking over formerly pristine areas in Placer County. Iggy worked for a mining and construction company based in Sacramento, retiring as Read more…
A lifelong nature lover, hiker and gardener, Barbara had a career in the environmental/planning field working in Sacramento for public agencies and the private sector — always with the hope of ‘making a difference.’ These experiences provided her with a valuable vantage point from which to understand the importance of Read more…