Francis Mendoza (he/they/sila) is a naturalist, environmental educator, and writer with more than 30 years of experience working with our most vulnerable, beloved communities.

They received their B.S. in Integrative Biology with an Education Minor from UC Berkeley, Teaching Credential in Science from Cal State Hayward and California Naturalist Certificate from UC Davis.

Francis specializes in working at the intersection of nature, race, gender and culture to ensure youth from all backgrounds have equitable access to nature, especially those with marginalized identities such as QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous and People of Color), Neurodivergent and Disabled people from underserved communities.

They work for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, Nurture NATURE, Saved By Nature and also serve as the Vice Chair of the East Bay Regional Park District’s Park Advisory Committee.

Francis enjoys birding, hiking, trail running, kayaking, climbing and camping with their two daughters and nephew.