The Climate Science Alliance is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Climate Adaptation Leadership Awards. Recipients were selected for their commitment to working collaboratively and their innovative approaches to advancing climate resilient solutions. Check our 2020 Climate Adaptation Leaders here!
The Climate Science Alliance is proud to announce the recipients of the 2020 Climate Adaptation Leadership Awards. Recipients were selected for their commitment to working collaboratively and their innovative approaches to advancing climate resilient solutions.
“Today we recognize individuals who are working collaboratively through the Climate Science Alliance to develop and use innovative methods to safeguard the region’s natural resources and people. Their leadership is a source of inspiration and a reflection of the commitment of our community to building a resilient future.”
- Dr. Amber Pairis, Climate Science Alliance Director
Ana Lutz-Johnson
Climate Kids - Educator
San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy
Ana has been a strong proponent for integrating climate science into the educational programs at the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy. For the past two years, she has worked with the Alliance to develop programs including a Watershed Explorers and Pollinators Paradise. Her dedication to educating our youth and bringing them into the climate conversation has been critical in supporting and expanding climate education efforts in our region.
Andrew James Pittman and Lisset Valencia-Pittman
Climate Science Alliance Storytellers
Condor Visual Media
Andrew and Lisset have collaborated with the Alliance on several prominent events this year, including the 2019 Southwestern Tribal Climate Change Summit, to help connect the community to climate messages through digital storytelling. Their commitment to sharing the stories that connect us is nothing short of inspiring. Their newest piece, entitled “Climate Hope,” is a start to their ongoing conversation that sheds light on the impact of climate change to Tribal communities in the Southwest and beyond.
Anna Lucia Lopez-Avedoy
Climate Kids Mexico - Educator
Out of the Boat Swim
Anna Lucia has worked tirelessly this year to expand the Alliance efforts bi-nationally through the Climate Kids - Mexico program. Using the new Climate Science and Atmospheric Chemistry Trunk, developed collaboratively with the NSF CAICE, Anna Lucia and our Climate Kids Mexico team are educating students from Casa Eunime (students with AIDS), Red Binacional de Corazones (students rescued from human trafficking), Guias de Mexico (Girl Scouts), and students from the Kumeyaay community of San Antonio Necua. Anna Lucia has also led hands-on field trips to the beaches of Baja for students to learn about climate impacts on local ecosystems and most importantly - what they can do to help protect the earth.
Este año, Anna Lucia ha trabajado incansablemente para expandir los esfuerzos binacionales del Alliance a través del programa de Climate Kids - México. Utilizando el nuevo baúl educativo de ciencia climática y química atmosférica, elaborado colaborativamente con NSF CAICE, Anna Lucia y nuestro equipo de Climate Kids - México están educando a estudiantes de Casa Eunime (estudiantes con SIDA), la Red Binacional de Corazones (estudiantes rescadatos de la trata de personas), Guías de México y estudiantes de la comunidad Kumeyaay de San Antonio Necua.
Adicionalmente, Anna Lucia ha liderado salidas de campo prácticas a las playas de Baja con el propósito de que los estudiantes aprendan sobre los impactos climáticos a los ecosistemas locales y, sobre todo, qué pueden hacer para ayudar a proteger el planeta.
Dr. Isabel Rivera-Collazo
DUNAS Project - Principal Investigator - Archeologist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego
Dr. Rivera-Collazo has facilitated new directions for the Climate Science Alliance this past year. With the DUNAS Project (Descendants United for Nature, Adaptation, and Sustainability), Dr. Rivera-Collazo has worked to educate and engage local communities to help restore coastal dunes in northern Puerto Rico that were severely degraded by Hurricane’s Maria and Irma. By weaving together cultural, ecological, and community values, Dr. Isabel Rivera-Collazo and her team work to lay the groundwork for a more resilient future.
La Dra. Rivera-Collazo ha facilitado nuevos rumbos para el Climate Science Alliance durante el último año. A través del proyecto DUNAS (Descendientes Unidos por la Naturaleza, la Adaptación y la Sostenibilidad), la Dra. Rivera-Collazo ha trabajado para educar e involucrar a las comunidades locales con el propósito de ayudar a restaurar las dunas costeras en el norte de Puerto Rico, las cuales fueron gravemente degradadas por los huracanes Irma y María. Al integrar valores culturales, ecológicos y comunitarios, la Dra. Rivera-Collazo y su equipo están trabajando para construir la fundación de un futuro más resiliente.
Kurt Broz
Climate Kids Tribes - Lead
Pala Environmental Department
Kurt, Tribal Wildlife Biologist for the Pala Band of Mission Indians, has been a key partner for the Climate Science Alliance since 2015. Kurt has helped champion the Climate Kids - Tribes program and the integration of climate messaging into Pala’s environmental outreach efforts and communications. This year he helped make climate education more accessible for San Diego Tribes by agreeing to manage and oversee a set of Climate Kids Traveling Trunks at the Pala Environmental Department. These educational materials now travel far and wide across San Diego County, sometimes even personally delivered by Broz.
Audrey Carver - Youth Award
Climate Science Alliance - Affiliated Artist
Tufts University
As a Climate Science Alliance Affiliated Artist since 2016, Audrey typifies the best of what science communication through art can offer and consistently brings light to the darkness surrounding the climate conversation. Audrey collaborated with regional ecologists and climatologists to visualize the results from the report entitled, San Diego County Ecosystems: The Ecological Impacts of Climate Change on a Biodiversity Hotspot in her watercolor series, Faces of Change. She is a thoughtful and dedicated artist and environmental steward, who recognizes the transformational power of art, the importance of working along scientists in the community, and the powerful impact in helping to communicate science to the public.
Manzanita Environmental Department - Community Award
Climate Science Alliance - Partner
Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation
The Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and Manzanita Environmental Department - including Chairwoman Angela Elliot Santos, Trisha Frank, Rebecca Blackwood, Jeanie Sepin, and David Thompson - have been long standing partners of the Climate Science Alliance, playing an important role in many of the Alliance’s programs, including involvement in the Alliance’s Tribal Working Group. The team is active in supporting youth educational programming and building community and Tribal resilience that has inspired not only our team and network of partners, but individuals and communities across the region.
Thank you to our 2020 Climate Adaptation Leaders for your incredible work in our community!