This fall, Sonoma Ecology Center grew its Community Engagement Team with two new members—Aila Fassett, Communications & Events Specialist, and Stella Favaro, Writer and Content Creator. Both Aila and Stella come to SEC with strong communications backgrounds and a drive to deepen community ties and access to the outdoors in Sonoma County. Learn more about what they bring to the Sonoma Ecology team and their passion for the natural world below.
Aila Fassett, Communications & Events Specialist
Aila on a backpacking trip in Galicia, Spain.
I’ve been fortunate to call Sonoma County home for most of my life, with stretches in Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Southern California, and most recently Chicago, Illinois. My favorite thing about living in Sonoma County is being able to incorporate time outdoors into my regular work week, whether it’s a morning trail run at Annadel or catching the sunset at Jenner Headlands Preserve—it always feels like I’m getting away with something I shouldn’t be!
Like many others in our community, I dream of better public transit systems, safer bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and more affordable housing options. I’m especially grateful to be part of a community where organizations like Sonoma Ecology Center are leading the charge to protect and enhance our local ecosystems and enrich our communities—from restoring native habitats to fostering environmental education and advocating for sustainable land use. It’s humbling and motivating to be surrounded by so many engaged, dedicated individuals who are working on these very important issues!
My educational background is in sociocultural anthropology, and I spent a year on a research team studying how climate change disproportionately impacts underserved communities in the U.S. and Eastern Europe. I’ve always seen environmental issues as deeply connected to racial and social justice, accessibility, and community well-being, and feel incredibly lucky to be working for an organization like Sonoma Ecology Center that takes an intersectional approach to environmental action and stewardship.
One of the best parts of my role as Communications & Events Specialist is interacting with so many different voices and perspectives on a regular basis—on an average day at work I’m communicating not only with our internal team at Sonoma Ecology Center, but also members of the local press and media, community members, and inspiring folks at partner organizations, getting a glimpse into the fantastic work they’re doing.
I’m also incredibly lucky to live just 15 minutes from Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, a place that serves as a retreat, a reset, and a reminder of why this work matters. The Canyon Trail and the serene waterfall sounds it offers never fail to clear my mind and renew my connection to this place we get to call home. One change I’ve made to my relationship with the outdoors this year, that I invite you to try, too, is scheduling hikes and nature excursions with the same degree of intentionality and careful planning that you would a date with a very dear friend you haven’t seen in a long time. Do your research (the All Trails app and @outdoorwiseliving blog are excellent resources), find a new hike that will gently challenge you, pack your favorite snacks, put it on the calendar, and get excited! It’ll make your time outdoors, whether alone or with others, feel that much sweeter and more meaningful.
Stella Favaro, Writer & Content Creator
Stella on a backpacking trip in the Bears Ears National Monument, Utah.
I grew up in the town of Sonoma, enjoying and recreating on and in local trails and parks like the Overlook Trail and Sonoma Garden Park. Since then, I’ve lived in Southern California, Colorado, and even France, but Sonoma will always be the most special place to me.
Since graduating from college, I have spent my time working as an environmental educator and outdoor guide, both locally and internationally. I’m passionate about connecting people to environmentalism through outdoor spaces and experiences. Getting to know the ecology and contours of your home is one of the best ways to develop meaningful relationships which are essential to community climate resilience. I am grateful to be a part of this effort in our community through my work.
As a writer at Sonoma Ecology Center, I get to connect members of Sonoma County to our natural spaces by communicating, advocating for, and expanding on SEC’s research, highlighting our restoration projects, and growing awareness of our local events and resources. Sonoma Ecology Center is an incredible organization, both in the breadth of its work and the passion and drive of our team. I’m thankful to work alongside people who care so deeply about our community and protecting the place we call home.
SEC does a lot within Sonoma County—managing Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Sonoma Garden Park, Montini Open Space Preserve, and organizing countless events to connect community members to these spaces, just to name a few things. As part of SEC’s Community Engagement Team, I have the privilege of connecting this work directly to our community.
This past fall, through the lens of my role at Sonoma Ecology Center, I spent time capturing videos of Chinook salmon, hiking to Sugarloaf’s waterfall, and identifying native flora on daily walks with my family. If there’s anything I can recommend to those looking to deepen their relationship to local ecology, it’s to embrace our home more intentionally. Get to know the native plants and animals around you better! We live in a beautiful and diverse place, and even being able to recognize a handful more of the living things around you is deeply rewarding—from our coast live oaks, to the bay laurels, to red-tailed hawks in the sky.