Stephanie Benavidez

It makes sense for a city with redwood forests, tidal estuaries, and a massive saltwater wildlife refuge in the heart of its downtown, but when Oakland created the position of City Naturalist in 1948, it was a pioneering move in a field that would come to be called urban ecology.

The person who holds the job today is like a children's book character, a contemporary philosopher, an urban guru, a teacher, Dr. Doolittle, and a community activist rolled into one taciturn, middle aged woman. Stephanie Benavidez may know more about the creatures and plants that we share our city with than any other person.

When you live in the city, it's sometimes easy to forget about nature. The noise, the fear of crime, and the fast pace obliterate a connection with the natural world. City naturalists, therefore, are dealing with an audience that have very little or no context for understanding the lessons they have to teach. While it may seem a daunting task, Ms. Benavidez explains her job as, “It’s showing them a different way of looking at things”.

Today, Oakland’s only full-time, year-round naturalist spends her time keeping tabs on the wildlife and educating the public at the Rotary Center on Lake Merritt. Ms. Benavidez also coordinates school programs and summer camps.

There is also the occasional need for a wildlife-whisper. Those are the odd times when a skunk is stuck under a bed in Montclair, an albino raccoon is stealing cat food, or a deer is trapped in a backyard. That's when it helps to have a naturalist to call for a consultation.

In the 1950s and 60s, the municipal naturalist position was a major part of Oakland’s parks and recreation department. The bird-banding program at Lake Merritt was so popular that it eventually became a model for the Fish and Game Department. But over the years, tight budgets have scaled the naturalist positions down to one.

No one is talking about bringing back a full corps of city naturalists, but with complicated environmental policy decisions becoming an increasingly larger part of public discourse, more people are recognizing the importance of environmental literacy. Ms. Benavidez says that today’s youth suffer from “Nature Deficient Disorder.”

Every now and then, City Council wonders if Oakland really needs a naturalist, says Ms. Benavidez. But with three decades of former students prepared to defend the importance of the position, the job has been spared. For her part, Ms. Benavidez says she sees her work pay off when the kids who participate in summer “use their imaginations” under the redwood canopy in Joaquin Miller Park.