People

CeCe is our president here at the NSJV chapter. She plans our monthly board meetings and coordinates all our different events, presentations, and outreach activities. She also manages the different social media accounts and helped to create and manage our new website. Her biggest passion however, is leading our field trips and community nature walks. Join us on our next trip and learn all about the local botany, and other native wildlife! Her favorite native plant is the rare and extremely endemic Talus Fritillary (Fritillaria falcata).  She even has this flower tattooed on her arm! CeCe is an avid naturalist, she loves to spend her free time roaming around our local parks and nature areas. Besides just plants she is also passionate about finding the coolest birds and mushrooms that pop up along the trail. She grew up in Oakdale, where she fell in love with the flowing river and the surplus of wildlife that it supports. She completed her B.S in Biological Sciences at CSU Stanislaus, and has worked as a fisheries technician, wildlife rehabber, and even as a swim coach! She stays busy by also managing the social media accounts for Stanislaus Audubon and the Yokuts Group of the Sierra Club. You may catch her lugging around a small child on the trails as she just recently had her first baby. She hopes that her little hiking baby will encourage other parents of little ones to bring out their kids to explore as well!    

Danielle de la Porte is our chapters Secretary. We rely on her to take important notes at our monthly board meetings!

A Stanislaus County native, Danielle was born and reared in Ceres. After high school, she attended UC Davis where she earned a BS in Evolution and Ecology. Danielle then hopped over to CSU Sacramento to complete a secondary science teaching credential as well as a MS in Biology with a concentration in Conservation Biology.

For the next 16 years, She had the tremendous privilege of teaching science to middle school students across the nation: first in the Natomas neighborhood of Sacramento, then in New York City in Spanish Harlem and Washington Heights, and most recently in Marin.

About two years ago, her family moved  to Modesto, and they immediately converted their front lawn to a native garden. Danielle is new to the native plant community but she has been thoroughly enjoying watching her garden plants grow and develop. Danielle has a two-year-old son, who is growing along with the native plants. He encourages their resilience with the ever so often light trampling; he’s an enthusiastic and energetic gardener.

Danielle's favorite native plants are manzanitas. She has a Sentinel in the front yard and a Louis Edmonds in the back. Danielle says she's also a sucker for California poppies sharing space with lupine.

Cynthia is the Chapter Delegate in our group. She represents our chapter in larger CNPS state meetings. She also is our program coordinator, and schedules the interesting monthly ZOOM presentations for our viewing pleasure. Her favorite native plant is the Chaparral Mallow.

Mike is the membership chair here at NSJ chapter. He also is part of our newsletter committee and events/outreach committee. Mike Azevedo is the County Coordinator for Santa Clara County for the California Bluebird Recovery Program, and has been so since 2009.  Mike has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management and has been a wildlife enthusiast for four decades, serving as naturalist, park ranger, and even a BSA merit badge counselor for seven nature-related merit badges.  Mike is compiler of the San Jose Audubon Christmas Bird Count and works with Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society and their nest box monitors.  Mike also works with Sequoia Audubon Society on a project to save the Western Purple Martin, a bird species of special concern that is battling habitat loss, deadly competition with the introduced European starling and food source crash due to the rampant use of neonicotinoid pesticides.  Mike is also involved with the California Native Plant Society, and gives presentations on birds and nest boxes, habitat gardening in your backyard and the importance of native plants to a variety of groups and organizations.  Together with Georgette Howington, Mike is an editor of the CBRP Facebook Page and is currently working on books and videos with Georgette to encourage the use of native plants, nest boxes and habitat improvement in general.

Jim Brugger serves as our chapters Treasurer.

Carl Hill serves as our chapter Plant Sale Chair. He is the owner of Blossom Hill Natives a local native plant nursery in Oakdale, CA.

Rhonda Allen serves as the Gardening Chair for our chapter! She has a lot of experience creating and maintaining native gardens all around the Central Valley. She is even the founder of La Loma Native Plant Garden in Modesto CA. Rhonda Allen is the developer of the La Loma Native Garden located in Modesto at 1805 Encina Avenue. She is a member of the California Native Plant Society- Northern San Joaquin Valley Chapter, certified as a California Naturalist, and a Stanislaus County Master Gardener. She is a speaker for the master gardeners on local pollinators, pollinator plants and gardening for local garden clubs and other groups. She recently led a monarch butterfly workshop for Stanislaus County and coordinated a milkweed seed dispersal program this last fall.Rhonda is an avid California wildflower photographer and is currently working on a wildflower identification book for the Central California region. Her work continues at the La Loma Native Garden, planting and maintaining the two-acre project.