Matt Keller

Novato Baylands Outreach Specialist

As Outreach Specialist for Point Blue’s STRAW program at the Novato Baylands, I spend most of my time working with volunteers and students, both in our native plant nursery and throughout our restoration site. I thoroughly enjoy guiding students through full days of habitat restoration, as well as joining STRAW’s education team for lessons on ecology and conservation at local schools. My other responsibilities include leading tours, coordinating events, developing outreach materials, and getting seriously muddy alongside other staff in the field.

Born and raised in the Bay Area, I’ve spent most of my life appreciating the region’s natural abundance and biodiversity. I’ve always been excited by the natural world and I’m constantly looking for opportunities to share this passion with others; my commitment to conservation, climate action, and environmental justice is deeply personal. In the face of the climate crisis, I believe in increasing access to environmental education and empowering communities through hands-on environmental activism.

Before making my way to Point Blue, I spent four years across the country in Maine, earning my BA in Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College. After graduating, I spent a year in Costa Rica working with endangered parrots as an apprentice with Macaw Recovery Network, monitoring breeding bird populations and assisting with outreach and volunteer management as part of a large-scale reintroduction program. Upon returning to California, I completed a Climate Corps AmeriCorps fellowship focused on habitat restoration, environmental education and outreach, and volunteer coordination at a public high school in Redwood City. I have also worked in the field of environmental politics and at a local plant nursery.

I’m currently living in San Rafael, where you can find me exploring open spaces and getting takeout more than I probably should. I love hiking, camping, swimming, watching wildlife – honestly doing almost anything outdoors. I also enjoy photography, drawing, cooking, brewing beer and mead, playing guitar and sax, and spending most of my time with a perfect little chihuahua mix named Nara.

---