Meet Our Community: Carolyn Knight
- Paige Combs - KCCB
- Jun 15
- 4 min read
As part of our seasonal spotlight series, weāre celebrating our incredible employees, partners, and volunteers who help make the work of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful (KCCB) possible. In our Earth Day Blog, we talk about the āRipple Effectā and how just one person can inspire many to make a change in their community. Today weāre excited to introduce Carolyn, our partner and volunteer with Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance (SCVBA). Carolyn has learned over time that being out in nature and engaged with the environment teaches us the importance of stewardship, accessibility, and slowing down.
Role: SCVBA Partner, BioBlitz Volunteer
SCVBA Has Been Partnered With KCCB: For over 8 yearsā¦
Fun Facts š
Happy place: Alamaden Quicksilver Park šļøĀ
Unusual creek sightings: Electric Scooters š“
Favorite hobbies: Birding, Hiking š¦ š„¾
Favorite thing to eat: Pho š
Favorite color: Periwinkle š
When Carolyn was asked about odd sightings found within the creek, they described, āItās always a weird thing to go to the creek cleanups and see what manages to make its way into the waterwaysā¦ Itās truly astounding the collection of electric scootersā¦I think the new storage strategy for that is just creek side and toss them in.ā
How It All Started š±
Carolyn had a transformative experience when they were younger. In their backyard, a hawk would regularly spend time catching pigeons and eating them. Carolyn would observe it and notice this amazing process happening time and time again. They said, āI was watching this predator that had evolved for thousands of years to be the best possible animal at what it did; meanwhile, I was seeing these birds that everyone just dismisses. It had all these beautiful parts to it, so it encouraged me to slow down and kickstarted a fascination with wildlife for the rest of my life.ā
Now, Carolyn has been an Education Outreach Manager with Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance, which allows them to do a lot of collaborations with KCCB, such as tabling, BioBlitzes, and other events. Carolynās expertise is in more bird-oriented exploration with the community.
They said, āYou get people from all ages and experiences coming together and just being really excited about whatever nature we encounter, whether thatās spiders, mushrooms, or we get to see some eagles or elkā¦ it is a very welcoming community where everybodyās voice is going to be heard, and we can all share the excitement.ā
Carolyn described what they do at these events, which they called 'interpretive nature'. This is the process of seeing more obvious things, like trees or bushes, but also creating stories or a narrative about what we can understand based on the evidence of things we see, like footprints, lumps in soil, or claw markings.Ā
Carolyn said, āItās pulling together all of that sensory information that you might see and trying to fold it all together so you get a more dynamic understanding of that ecosystem. There are other portions of this ecosystem that weāre not able to see, but weāre able to piece those parts together.ā
Impact on the Community š
A major impact Carolyn has noticed with these events in the community is that they provide an educational space thatās free for people to access, but also allows folks to become interested in the smaller things around them in new ways. It opens doors and creates accessibility that they might not have had formerly. It also gives people permission to get outside and become stewards of the surrounding environment. In order to do any of these things, it teaches people the lesson to slow down and truly see whatās in their backyard.
āAt the end of the day, youāve made a difference in somebodyās lifeā¦it might not change their career, but maybe theyāre looking at our open spaces and [can find] enjoyment and enrichment out in these spacesā¦thatās one of the biggest rewards,ā Carolyn reflected.
Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB āļøš³
In partnership with KCCB, Carolyn noted that what they are most excited about is seeing how this community grows. They described that ātheyāve done a great job of building up their community really well, so Iām looking forward to seeing the results of their education programs in schoolsĀ and their class stewardship lessons.ā
Whatās most important, Carolyn mentioned, is the theme to āfoster a sense of learningā in everything we do, and āallowing the community to share both ideas and knowledgeā.Ā
Final Thoughts āØ
Beyond the work that SCVBA and KCCB are doing along the creek together, Carolyn encourages us all to go out in nature and explore. This is especially important as we continue to access and enjoy the outdoors. The process of practicing stewardship, protecting our creeks, and leaving the area youāre experiencing better than when you came is important.
āWhile weāre also introducing people and getting accessibility up, itās important to address the fragility of the landscape and how we as people can alter our actions and behaviors so weāre either not adding to the problem or we may actually be improving the situationā¦it comes from a sense of ownership.ā
When you decide to get out this summer, we hope this inspires you to both enjoy the environment and find ways to protect and leave it better than when you found it.
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