Lydia’s passion for rivers began in childhood, with adventures alongside her father and sister on the banks of the Mississippi River. In college, her concern about climate change led her to study permaculture and nature awareness at the Regenerative Design Institute. She majored in Culture, Ecology, and Sustainable Communities at New College of California.
In recent years, Lydia has been a dedicated volunteer and activist, working for racial justice and climate action. Working with the most impacted communities to increase climate resilience while redressing inequity is what drew her to serve with the newly formed North Carolina Climate Action Corps led by Project Conserve.
While serving at RiverLink, Lydia will be highlighting the ways climate justice and climate resilience projects complement the work of ecological restoration and watershed protection. She is especially excited to work on rainwater catchment and rain garden installation as an adaptation to intensifying storms, risk of flooding, and drought brought on by climate change.