Scholarships

A Legacy of Scholarship

The Milo Baker Chapter has a long history of supporting local students financially through our successful scholarship program. By gifting awards twice per year (spring and fall semesters) to Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College students, we are perpetuating a community of learning and service. Many past scholarship recipients have served on our Board, presented their research after graduating, or generously joined us in pulling invasive weeds while networking and learning skills they can carry through life.

We offer two scholarship types: a research scholarship which covers the cost of research materials and expenses, as well as a merit-based scholarship for general education costs. Over the past 10 years (as of Fall 2023), the Chapter has supported 51 students with $73,350 in scholarship funds to investigate everything from rare plant conservation to bull kelp forest restoration in our oceans to Indigenous stewardship of oak trees.

This investment will produce a return for our community in the form of an educated network of people that incorporate native plant conservation and stewardship into their lives and livelihoods.

With cost-of-living increases putting more pressure on our already stressed students, a scholarship gift can make the difference of a lifetime. If you are interested in supporting our scholarship program, we encourage you to donate directly to our Chapter by contacting Karen Thompson at ket@sonic.net or by mailing a check, specified for our scholarship program, to Milo Baker Chapter, P.O. Box 892, Santa Rosa 95402.

We have immense gratitude for our members and especially our generous scholarship-specific donors, who continue to support our organization so we can give this priceless gift to our community and keep the legacy of scholarship going and growing.

The spring application period is now closed.
If you have questions, please email Michelle Halbur at mhalbur@pepperwoodpreserve.org

Awards from $1000 to $3500 for Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College Students:

• Studying native plants or communities?
• Interested in a plant-related career?
• Need financial assistance for school or research supplies?

Merit Scholarships are available for students studying native plants, plant ecology, plant genetics, or related studies. Applicants will be evaluated on a combination of academic background, work experience, and personal commitment to plant-related studies or profession.

• Awards of $1,000
• Must participate in one Milo Baker volunteer activity (outreach and education event participation, invasive species removal, native plant nursery, garden tour, or other approved activity)
• Must provide a letter of appreciation to scholarship donor

To apply: Submit the online Milo Baker Merit Application using the link below.

Research Scholarships are available for students that need funding for research related to plants in Sonoma County. Expenses may be used for new or existing projects. Applicants will be evaluated on a combination of academic background, work experience, and personal commitment needed to carry out proposed research successfully.

• Awards up to $3,500 depending on project budget
• Must participate in one Milo Baker Volunteer activity (See Merit Scholarship description)
• Must submit short written or oral report of research activities to the Milo Baker Board within a year
• Must provide a letter of appreciation to scholarship donor

To apply: Submit the online Milo Baker Merit Application using the link below. Include any other pertinent information to support your application (such as a resume or CV)

Kaye Burfoot – Milo Baker Merit Scholarship Recipient

Kaye is a sophomore at Santa Rosa Junior college studying Biology, with a focus in Conservation and Ecology. Growing up in Mendocino county made her deeply passionate about protecting and restoring our local ecosystems in ways that don’t leave anyone behind. She believes deeply in the ability for humans and the natural world to live in ways that build each other up, whether through local regenerative agriculture, food sovereignty, restoration work, green building processes, and so much more. Her plan is to transfer to a four year school at the end of 2026. Once she has completed her BS, she hopes to work as a habitat restoration engineer within California, doing exactly the type of work wonderful organizations like CNPS are doing today.

Outside of schoolwork, Kaye is heavily involved in local activism for people and planet. As a board member of the local nonprofit Forests Unlimited, an organization dedicated to protecting our local native trees and old growth forests, she has been involved in organizing fundraisers, tree plantings, inter-group meetings, and doing research on grants, proposals, and local governments.

This scholarship will allow her to focus on her schoolwork as well as continue to volunteer with these wonderful local organizations. It will also allow her to be able to participate in networking events and internships that she has previously not been able to attend due to her work schedule.

Rami Nacouzi – Milo Baker Merit Scholarship Recipient

My passion for ecology started early thanks to my mother, Stepi Nacouzi, an active member of our local CNPS chapter. She used to take me on native plant walks and inspired me to help our community overcome what she calls “green blindness.” As an Eagle Scout, I spent a lot of time on environmental stewardship, like building an outdoor lecture area at Spring Lake Regional Park. I’ve carried that same energy into college as the Founder and President of the SRJC Outdoors Club. Through our Campus Biodiversity Initiative, I’ve organized volunteer days for native plant propagation, led hikes at Trione-Annadel to identify local biomes, and co-organized our recent Earth Day Stewardship Workday to restore the Elliott Ave Gardens. The club also rebuilds trails in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in collaboration with the Sonoma Ecology Center.

Balancing a heavy pre-med load with work isn’t always easy. Receiving the CNPS scholarship would be a huge help as I get ready to transfer. This support would take some of the pressure off for tuition and lab equipment, letting me stay focused on my goal of getting into the medical field while I keep dedicating my free time to local conservation and outdoor education.

AJ Staal – Milo Baker Merit Scholarship Recipient

AJ Staal is an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology student at Sonoma State, passionate about land stewardship, ethnobotany, and biodiversity. AJ is a steward at the SSU Agroecology Garden where they have led volunteers to plant over 130 native plants in the past year. Most recently, they headed the design and installation of a native bioswale to absorb and filter parking lot stormwater that was previously being drained to Copeland Creek. AJ is also an intern for the Wildfire Resilience Program with SRJC, where they carry out burns, canopy thinning, and invasive plant management in the Shone Farm woodlands. As a California Naturalist and California Native Plant Landscaper, AJ will continue to advocate for the use of native plants to solve ecological, infrastructural, and public health issues. For the rest of their time at SSU, they will lead volunteers in green spaces to increase biodiversity and cultivate connection to the land. After graduating, they plan to work in regenerative landscaping and agriculture, land stewardship, community building, and education.

Ethan Martin – Milo Baker Merit Scholarship Recipient

My name is Ethan Martin. I grew up in Santa Rosa, and for the last 15 years I have worked at a school district here that I attended as a child. I returned as a student to Santa Rosa Junior College a few years ago to finish transfer requirements for a B.S. Biology at Sonoma State University. I’m extremely grateful to have received a CNPS scholarship because it will go directly toward tuition costs at SSU. This generosity enables me to continue my education.

This semester at Santa Rosa Junior College, I’ve been blessed with numerous valuable hands-on learning experiences. I’ve learned Horticulture and propagation techniques at Shone Farm, SRJC’s sister campus, focusing on agricultural education. I worked with the SRJC Campus Biodiversity Initiative to plant more than a thousand native plants where the recently demolished Bech Hall formerly stood. This native garden will act as a “Living Laboratory” for students and will nourish populations of pollinators like native bees. I researched native bees this semester as part of the Stephen J. Barnhart Internship. As an intern, I documented the relationship between different genera of native bees and their floral host plants. Sampling native bees at the SRJC campus and at Pepperwood Preserve. This allowed me to compare the differing composition of native bee populations found in urban habitats to populations found in native wildlands. Such research is critically important because as there is ample scientific literature about honeybees relative to pollination services provided to agriculture, there is little published research about native bees.