Meet Our Community: Jessica Ruppert

Paige Combs - KCCB
1 day ago
3 min read

As part of our seasonal spotlight series, we’re 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 ‘Ripple Effect’ and how all it takes is one person to inspire many to make a change in their community. Today, we’re excited to introduce Jessica, KCCB’s Program Manager. She is passionate about protecting diversity and inviting and building community. Her story reminds us of what’s important, which is to slow down, be confident to ask our own unique questions, and protect open spaces.

Role: Program Manager

With KCCB: 6 years!

Fun Facts 🌟

Happy place: California and all its diversity 🏞️
Unusual creek sightings: ATM, car 🚗
Favorite hobbies: Painting, drawing, gardening, doggie adventures 🎨🐕
Favorite foods to eat: All the food - Vietnamese, Mexican 😋
Favorite color: Teal 🌈

When asked about her favorite hobbies, Jessica shared that she had a special surprise with a plant she just got. “A friend of mine got me a milkweed, a California native milkweed that happened to have a baby monarch caterpillar on it…so I’ve been tending to monarch butterflies in my backyard.”

How it All Started 🌱

Jessica grew up in a family that enjoyed the outdoors. She said, “I didn't know that you could have a career working outside when I was younger. At least, I hadn't thought of it. But I have always loved being outdoors. It wasn't until I was around 30 and had been laid off that I was trying to figure out what was next. My Mom actually said, you like being outside; you should do something with that. That's when I started looking into it.”

It was around 2020 that she was taking part in San Mateo County’s sustainability program online and needed to earn volunteer service hours. It just so happened she found KCCB, and she started participating in both BioBlitzes and cleanups.

When Jessica started looking for jobs, a part-time Event Coordinator position kept popping up in her feed for Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful. She couldn’t resist, interviewed with Deb Kramer, and got the position. This past year, she was promoted to Program Manager and is now offering her leadership in the next phases for KCCB.

“My personal goal is for the protection of biodiversity…so the things I do are all motivated by that…being able to help preserve and protect biodiversity, inviting and building community, and encouraging curiosity,” Jessica said.

Impact on the Community 🌎

Jessica expressed how much there truly is to learn by taking time at the BioBlitzes or participating in the trash cleanups. One of her goals is to build awareness in the community about trash and how we can lower our impact on the environment. Another goal is to slow down and continue curiosity by showing up to the BioBlitzes and learning more about the plants and animals in the neighborhood.

She said, “I’m hoping that after they walk away from a BioBlitz, they are continuing that curiosity and occasionally slowing down on their own and say ‘Oh, I never noticed that little bird made that sound before…or these markings on this leaf before.”

It’s so important to provide spaces for people to ask their questions. Jessica expressed, “Just because you don’t have the same questions or same vocabulary as someone who has a PhD doesn’t mean your observations are less valid. You’re coming at it from an entirely different mindset, so the questions that you ask are unique to you, and maybe no one with a PhD has even thought of those questions before.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB ☀️🌳

“Part of the journey”, Jessica described, “is tapering down [the cleanups]. We’re seeing that we don’t need to spend as much time on that and that opens the possibility for new programs to be available…protecting biodiversity and the health of the watershed.”

Moving forward into the future of having more restoration programming is one of the exciting opportunities that KCCB is visualizing for the future and the next phases of its work.

Final Thoughts ✨

Everyone knows KCCB to be this hub for the community, but as Jessica put it, “we’ve got dedicated folks…we’ve got people who just love having their hands in the soil…they are out there rain or shine.”

With KCCB, there's a place for everyone to join in.