Nick Arriaza

Restoration Technician

As a STRAW Restoration Technician, I help maintain and restore wildlife habitats around the Northern Bay Area by working with amazing coworkers, volunteers, and k-12 students. My role as a Restoration Technician consists of working with teachers and k-12 students to provide an insightful and educational experience that invests in the future of conservation science leaders. This role also consists of a maintenance season where I and other Restoration Technicians and Project Managers focus on maintaining the health of our restoration sites. Every day as a Restoration Technician I am learning new things, whether it be about our California native plants or birds and am surrounded by a wonderful and supportive team. Working on the STRAW team has given me the opportunity to meet many great knowledgeable people who all share many things in common and one of those things being that we all want to contribute to the planet and make a positive impact.

I grew up in Sonoma County, specifically Petaluma, CA. Growing up in Sonoma County essentially gave me unlimited access to the variety of nature that exists locally, most notably the Sonoma Coast. I quickly fell in love with the coast and the marine life that inhabit it and because of that, ocean fishing has become one of my favorite hobbies. I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors/nature and since high school I have had an interest in environmental conservation. When I attended Casa Grande High school, Point Blue Conservation Science/STRAW visited my gardening & nursery class and explained their role in the world of science and conservation and soon after I joined Point Blue Conservation Science by becoming a CCCI intern while I was attending the Santa Rosa Junior College.

Once I finished the internship, I became an apprentice with STRAW where I was able to dive deeper into environmental education and form a better idea for how I wanted to continue my career in environmental conservation. During the apprenticeship I had many unforgettable opportunities and experiences and one fun and exciting one was sailing out to the Farallon islands. I am currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree in environmental studies: Geography & planning with a focus on Environmental Systems at Sonoma State University. Every step of the way has been amazing, and I am more than happy to be continuing my career as a Restoration Technician with Point Blue Conservation Science’s STRAW program.

Some fun facts about me 🙂

• I love any and all forms of coffee!
• I might have a squishmallow collection.
• The ocean sunfish is my all-time favorite fish.
• I can usually be found somewhere exploring in the Bay Area (probably the coast) and when I’m working you can find me at one of our North Bay field sites!

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