We are delighted for you to meet our new Community Relations Manager, Kara Walker. Kara comes to PLT with more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, mostly working with the YMCA. She has a passion for educating young people on the importance and value of our natural world. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, and she and her family recently relocated to Folsom from the Bay Area.

For more than a decade Kara coordinated, directed, and taught the Outdoor Education program at the YMCA. During her time there, she also organized and implemented multiple fundraising campaigns. Her passion for the outdoors inspired the students who attended to protect our natural resources.

Kara writes:

When I think about my favorite memories in life, I realize that they have all taken place outdoors! From camping and rafting with my family as a child, hiking and exploring areas on my own for the first time as a teen, getting married on the shores of Lake Tahoe, to enjoying family activities outdoors with my two daughters. Spending time in nature brings me the greatest sense of peace and makes me feel the most like “me.” I realize how lucky I am to have lived in areas with beautiful, natural places at my doorstep, never more-so than now with all that Placer County has to offer! I am honored to work for an amazing organization like Placer Land Trust that not only ensures that future generations always have access to nature and the many benefits it brings; but that also offers outdoor activities and adventures to encourage us all, nature-lovers and nature-newbies alike, to get outdoors and stay active!

We’re very pleased that Kara brings her passion to Placer Land Trust to ensure the natural wonders in Placer County will be preserved for young and old alike for generations to come. We’re thrilled to have Kara join our team, and we know you will like her, too. Feel free to stop by our office and say howdy for yourself.