Erin Blaz (she/her) originates from coastal California, where she developed a passion for environmental education and earned her BA in Environmental Studies and Biology from UC Santa Cruz. Drawn by a heartfelt connection to the land and people of New Mexico she relocated to Albuquerque in 2013 and continued her work in forest school education and K-12 outdoor and environmental programming with various local organizations. She currently manages youth and adult education programs for Ciudad Soil and Water Conservation District, where she works to advance place-based education that empowers learners of all ages to love, protect and activate urban and rural spaces in ways that support ecological and community resilience. Erin holds a MS from Lesley University’s Graduate School of Education, a certification in Water Harvesting Design, is a Tree New Mexico Tree Steward and has served on the Steering Committee of the Land and Water Summit and Arid Low Impact Development Coalition.