Lagunita Interpretive Signage Project Community of Contributors

Esther Cole Adelsheim

Conservation Program Manager

Esther is an ecologist that uses applied science and adaptive management for environmental conservation. Her research interests include amphibian population biology and natural history, aquatic ecology, restoration ecology, and the ecology of human-modified ecosystems. Prior to her arrival at Stanford, Esther supported or lead field studies focused on wet prairie restoration in Oregon and forest regeneration in the Sierra Nevada, salmonid population monitoring in the Willamette River watershed, food web ecology of migrating sea birds in the Columbia River basin, restoration of mountain yellow-legged frog populations in the Sierra Nevada, and amphibian population monitoring in Ecuadorian cloud forests and the Klamath Mountains in Northern California.

Here at Stanford, the Conservation Program is responsible for the management of biological resources found across nearly 8200 acres owned by the university. Stanford lands are impacted by a large and growing human population through habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, and invasive species. The role of the Stanford Conservation Program is to help answer the question, "How can we accommodate the needs of a thriving human community while also meeting our responsibility to protect and preserve the species and ecosystems that also occupy the lands owned by Stanford?" Esther's pursuit of the answers to this hard question involves the implementation of Stanford's Habitat Conservation Plan, land use planning, cooperative endeavors with local environmental groups, and collaboration with the academic community through research and teaching.

Maddy Bernstein

Conservation Technician

Maddy is an alum of Stanford’s Earth Systems M.S. Program (‘23) and Computer Science B.S. (‘20).  She grew up in Hawai'i and is passionate about caring for the Earth and its life.  Lagunita (a.k.a. "Lake Lag"--which isn't actually a lake) is her favorite spot on campus, which is why she is especially excited to be working on the Lagunita Interpretive Signage Project.  The project aims to instill a sense of stewardship for Lagunita by providing educational materials about the life thriving there.  In her free time, Maddy enjoys singing and spending time with friends and family.

Kimberly Cheung

Lagunita Interpretive Signage Design Intern

Kimberly studies Ecology and Bioengineering at Stanford and is passionate about the intersection between environmental and human health. She loves connecting with all the diverse life forms on Earth, from the ocean to the forest to the desert and more! Kimberly works as a docent and bike ranger at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and is a staff member at the Stanford Climbing Wall. Also, last summer, she was a wilderness ranger in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest of Washington. She is excited about fostering place-based connections to the amazing ecosystems we are all a part of, and hopes to help inspire students and community members with the power of conservation and gratitude for the natural wonders all around us through the Lagunita Interpretive Signage Project. In her free time, she loves eating fresh food, playing guitar, and running!

Kylie Creighton

Lagunita Interpretive Signage Design Intern

Kylie ('25) is a watercolor artist and rock enthusiast majoring in Earth Systems at Stanford. She's curious about deep time and loves reimagining the world and its ecosystems throughout time by studying geology and bio-cultural diversity. As a design intern helping craft educational signs around Lagunita, she enjoys bringing her interests in visual arts and natural sciences together to hopefully inspire more care and love toward Lagunita. In her free time, you can probably catch her at the GSE Makery crafting.

Tina DiCicco

Designer
www.tina-portfolio.com

Tina is a senior-level multifaceted designer who creates compelling visual solutions for a diverse range of clients and companies. She is known as great collaborator with a positive, fun attitude resulting in long-lasting work relationships.

Tina earned her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1991 and now lives in Santa Rosa, CA where she has been freelancing for 20 years. Before that, she was the in-house graphics manager for CamelBak, Inc.

John Lowndes

Communications and Outreach Specialist

John is a senior from Orlando, Florida studying Native American Studies and Earth Systems. Apart from work and school, John is part of the Stanford Powwow planning committee and loves to create music and play soccer.

Abby Romo

Lagunita Interpretive Signage Design Intern

Abby is a ’24 Product Design major deeply interested in environmental issues and working at the intersection of education, ecology, and design. She has experience designing, need finding, and manufacturing projects for classes, but has not worked as a designer previously. Abby frequently jogs around Lag while training with the Stanford Triathlon Team which has made her especially excited to be working on the Lagunita Interpretive Signage project. In her free time, when not running, biking, or swimming, she enjoys reading, knitting, and roller blading.

Tracy Wei

Lagunita Interpretive Signage Design Intern

Tracy is a student at Stanford studying Symbolic Systems or Design. Over the summer, Lagunita became her favorite spot to go on walks and runs, so she’s excited to be a part of the Lagunita Interpretative Signage Project to use design to support sustainability and conservation efforts. In her free time, Tracy likes to paint, read, play volleyball, and spend time with friends.

Chloe Cheng

‘25 Geophysics Major

Amphibian Larvae and California Toad artist's statement: “I decided to draw the California toad, Sierra chorus frog, and California tiger salamander mainly to learn more about the amphibian life we have so local to us. I don't come from any kind of herpetology background, so it has been a fun process to do a closer study of these animals. I hope to one day see them at Lagunita!”

Killdeer artist's statement: “In seventh grade I decided to merge art with my newfound love of birds, and the product was a pen and ink drawing of a killdeer with a chick. The bird seemed to follow me around, from the wetlands near my home in LA to Lagunita, where just fifteen minutes ago from the time of writing I heard a few of them. This drawing is a nod to one of my favorite cheery, charismatic, face-of-the-wetlands bird.”

Kylie Creighton

‘25 Earth Systems Major

Kylie’s work as a Lagunita Interpretive Signage Design Intern included producing the watercolor backgrounds for the four large signs.

Meredith Gavin

‘26 Biology Major

Chestnut-Backed Chickadee artist’s statement: “I grew up on a small island near Seattle so the natural world was very important to my upbringing. Now, I'm studying biology and enjoy exploring the intersection of art and science. I use painting and acting to better understand my place in the world. I also enjoy birding and find that sketching birds helps me better observe their beauty. I drew this bird because chickadees are my favorite–I love their call and they're sentimental birds for me. I tried to capture my inner child's curiosity and a dreamy depiction of the beauty of nature.”

Ryan Guan

‘24 Computer Science Major

Coastal Tidy Tips artist's statement: “This piece depicts a coastal tidytips flower, clearly showcasing the white tips of each petal as well as the inner disk flowers beginning to bloom.”

Hooded Merganser artist’s statement: “This piece depicts a male and female hooded merganser with their striking crests raised. This beautiful diving duck typically only appears in the Bay Area from November through March.”

Mattias Lanas

www.mattiaslanas.com
‘10 & ‘12 Earth Systems Alum

Mattias Lanas grew up in Santiago, Chile, where family visits to the seashore fostered a love for natural history. After graduating with B.S. and M.S. degrees in Earth Systems from Stanford, he completed the Science Illustration Certificate Graduate Program at California State University, Monterey Bay. Today he teaches art classes, leads field sketching trips, and works on illustration commissions. In 2019 he studied scientific and natural history illustration on a Fulbright Award at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. He is now based at his home in Madrid, Spain. When not in the studio Mattias can be found “botanizing” in nature, reading about insects, or doing pottery.

Mattias’s professional biological illustrations of individual organisms can be found on the signs titled “Who lives at Lagunita?” and “Why do we care about California tiger salamanders?”.

Alice Liu

‘25 Computer Science Major

Fairy Shrimp artist’s statement: “Alice is a digital illustrator and currently a junior majoring in computer science. This piece depicts a small group of fairy shrimp (Linderiella occidentalis) swimming in Lagunita.”

Red-Tailed Hawk artist’s statement: “Alice is a digital illustrator. This piece depicts a red-tailed hawk nesting in a tree.”

Christina Qin

‘24 Computer Science Major

Intergrade Gartersnake artist’s statement: “I love how the red garter snake looks! Almost blue (when in shadow) contrasted with the red scales caught my eye. The fact that this snake gives live birth is so cool too. I only ever hear about snake eggs, so live birth surprised me. I’m curious about what causes this difference in birth between different snakes. Thus the drawing is of an adult garter snake giving birth, the young still in the amniotic sack, and (for illustration) a young garter snake some time after birth. It was especially fun drawing this piece trying to find ‘garter snake live birth’ reference photos and ‘are snakes born head or tail first’ and trying to explain to my friends why it was in my search history.”

California Ebony Tarantula artist’s statement: “The California ebony tarantula migrates on the dry grass of Stanford in search of a potential mate.”

Tracy Wei

‘26 Symbolic Systems Major

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit artist’s statement: “I always see jackrabbits around campus, and they also exist around Lagunita! I chose to illustrate this jackrabbit in sprinting position to capture their essence of bursting off with a loud sound and great speed.”

Acorn Woodpecker artist’s statement: “I think it's so clever how acorn woodpeckers will cache acorns in oak trees and eat the insect larvae that eat at these acorns, so I drew the granary that these acorn woodpeckers typically make.”