About FOLC - Friends of the Lost Coast | Lost Coast Region

About FOLC

Mission & Vision

Our mission is to inspire a passion for understanding and preserving the natural life of the Lost Coast region in students, visitors and the community. Sharing this passion is what our programs are all about as we work toward our vision of a time when our local and global communities understand, value and appreciate the unique environment of the Lost Coast region and reflect this in their personal lives.

History

Founded by a group of community-minded nature lovers in 2000, Friends of the Lost Coast originally partnered with staff at the King Range National Conservation Area to bring interpretive information about the local Lost Coast region Conservation Lands to the public. Early projects included natural science fairs and the movie, Lost Coast Adventures, which teaches safety and stewardship to visitors. Since then we have grown to include many more partners and great programs.

Board of Directors

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Christina Huff- President

Christina is a retired coordinator of our local family resource center...

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...now a trainer and consultant for family strengthening organizations. She enjoys backyard gardening and visiting/hiking on public lands throughout the country with her family. She’s proud of FOLC's work in promoting environmental education and access for children and families in our community. Christina joined the Board in 2016 and, over this time, has served in the roles VP, Secretary and Treasurer - and is currently Board President.

Cheryl

Cheryl Lisin- VP

Cheryl is a landscape designer who specializes in native plants for CA gardens.

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Robie Tenorio- Secretary

Robie lives in the Mattole River watershed at the mouth of Mattole Canyon Creek,...

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..., where along with her partner she maintains large orchards and gardens for food and quality of life. Watershed restoration and land stewardship have been and are a priority for Robie and she is honored to join FOLC to help facilitate opportunities for the public and especially children to experience and learn about our natural environment in this amazing and beautiful place we are so lucky to call home. She is currently serving as Board Secretary.

Janice Parakilas

Janice Parakilas- Treas.

Janice is a retired optician who's lived in Whitethorn since 1993. She loves...

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Beth Wells

Beth recently retired from a career in public health, where she worked in...

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... disease prevention and community wellness programs. As a kid, she learned to love nature through Girl Scout camping trips and family vacations in the redwoods; she is excited to help inspire that passion in others. Beth enjoys hiking, camping, and birding in the Lost Coast region and beyond. She’s also a gardener, food preserver, musician, and baseball fan. Beth was proud to join the board in 2020.

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Andy Barnett

Andy is a music educator, performer, producer, and author...

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Erika Granadino

Erika was born in El Salvador and raised in the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area...

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...with her mother and sister. In 2012, she made the pivotal decision to move to Humboldt for college and pursue a bachelor’s degree at Humboldt State University. She was immediately drawn to the area's rich natural beauty; the rugged coastlines and green lushness made her feel at home. In 2017, she graduated with a degree in Environmental Management and Protection, with a focus on Natural Resource Planning.

For the past 4 years she has worked as an interpreter for California State Parks, getting to exercise her passion and commitment to conservation and community engagement. Her favorite part about the work is getting to facilitate interpretive programs. Promoting these places through interpretive programs gives hope that visitors will want to become stewards of these natural places too. She feels lucky to be able to provide opportunities for people to connect with nature, helping them find meaning in what they are experiencing.

In her downtime she enjoys cooking, going out to eat at a good restaurant, or getting some exercise. However, nothing compares to a good scenic hike on a sunny day.

With a deep passion for conservation and community engagement, she's excited to contribute to the mission of Friends of the Lost Coast!

Carl

Carl Hansen

Carl was raised in Northern California, moving with his family from...

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Rosie Slentz

Rosie grew up pretending redwood stumps were playhouses and the banks of the Salmon...

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...Creek were part of a wild expedition to find salamanders and pretty rocks. She is honored to serve on the Board of Friends of the Lost Coast, supporting environmental literacy and connection to this region’s natural and cultural heritage. Dr. Slentz is the Director of Learning Support Services at the Humboldt County Office of Education where she brings more than thirty years experience in education and a deep commitment to place‑based learning to her leadership of a team who supports student and educator success throughout the county and state.

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Meisje Vandergroen

Meisje is a human-being who marvels at the natural world with...

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Teachers

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Taylor Faye Benedict

Taylor Faye is FOLC's Environmental Education Coordinator, bringing place-based natural...

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... science to local schools. She also coordinates our social media and is spearheading the Youth Interpreters program, guiding high school students in teaching natural science lessons to their elementary peers. She is a Humboldt State graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and a focus in ecological restoration. Following graduation, she served 2 AmeriCorps terms in the Sierra Nevada foothills for a small environmental nonprofit as the Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator. She returned to Humboldt County in 2020 with hopes of setting down roots behind the redwood curtain. Outside of work, Taylor Faye enjoys long urban walks, every plant and cat she comes in contact with, and all things 80's!

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Reta Willmore

Reta is a teacher at Whale Gulch School in far northern Mendocino County on the Lost Coast.

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Michele

Michele Palazzo

Michele is a naturalist, herbalist, educator, activist, gardener and traveler with a Bachelor...

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...of Science degree in Environmental Science and Forestry as well as five years of focused herbal study plus a California Early Childhood Education teaching credential. She has been working and exploring with plants and children for over 25 years. She teaches herb classes, leads edible and medicinal plant hikes, formulates and sells Mama Palazzo's Herbal Remedies, works at Beginnings as the head teacher for Children’s House and offers environmental education for children and adults. She resides in Whitethorn with her partner and their daughter where she grows food and medicine as well as harvests from the surrounding forest.

Executive Director

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Justin Crellin

Justin Crellin is Friends Of The Lost Coast's Executive Director.

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A longtime southern Humboldt resident, Justin brings 20+ years of non-profit and community service experience. He was previously employed as General Manager of the Mateel Community Center and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association and SoHum Health. He is also an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast, with a deep love of wild places - and a special affinity for the Lost Coast and our local redwood parks. Justin lives on a homestead near the headwaters of Mattole Canyon Creek, where he raised 2 children, and likes keeping busy working on homegrown conservation strategies and observing the incredible biodiversity we have in our backyard.

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