Lara O’Herlihy

Lara O’Herlihy (she/her) joined LandPaths as a Stewardship Field Specialist with the Growing Community in Nature initiative in September 2022. Lara was first introduced to LandPaths in 2018 after attending a volunteer workday at Bayer Farm where she noticed a unique sense of community and love of land that she had not found elsewhere. Over the years she volunteered with IOOBY (In Our Own Backyard) and interned with the Young Stewards, and was hired as seasonal stewardship staff in 2021 working on fire resiliency projects.  

Through volunteer work, participation in local environmental activism, and her past experience organizing and leading groups outdoors, she found her passion in connecting community to their natural environment and with this, restoring our ecosystems. She studied Environmental Science at the Santa Rosa Junior College where she received her Associate’s degree. Ever since she was a child, Lara had a fascination and curiosity about the world around her and has carried that with her throughout her life. 

Whether it be backpacking, climbing, gardening, or foraging Lara enjoys finding new ways to interact with her environment. She has lived in Sonoma County most of her life and sees the unique and beautiful opportunities we have to get outside. She aspires to be a part of LandPaths’ mission to create greater and more equitable access to this beauty by inviting her community out onto the land.