Last month, two of our region’s most iconic wild residents — a mountain lion and a black bear — were killed by vehicles on Highway 101. The bear near Summerland, […]
Melissa Bates
Melissa Bates coordinates the Los Padres ForestWatch Room to Roam program, which advocates for wildlife corridors and coexistence. She holds a masters degree in sustainability with a certificate in natural resource management from Harvard University’s Extension School and a master of science in environmental education from Montreat College. Mel has written about expanding national parks and produced an award-winning documentary, Stay Wild. In 2023, she was awarded Environmental Teacher of the Year at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival. The opinions expressed are her own.