Meet Our Community: Michael Hawk
- Paige Combs - KCCB
- 4 hours 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 Michael, a naturalist with KCCB for the past 5 years, blending technology and a deep appreciation for the natural world.
Role: BioBlitz Volunteer
With KCCB: 5 Years!
Fun Facts 🌟
Happy place: Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve & Alum Rock Park 🏞️
Unusual creek sightings: Plant gall 🌱
Favorite hobbies: Hiking, photography 🥾 📷
Favorite place to eat: Thai food 😋
Favorite color: Forest green 🌈
When asked about his hobbies, Michael shared his interest in photography and said, “I actually started with a little point-and-shoot film camera… I’ve never really taken a class, just books, experimentation, and talking to people.”
How it All Started 🌱
Michael’s journey with KCCB began during the pandemic, a time when slowing down led him to look more closely at the natural world around him. While launching his nonprofit and hosting a podcast, he connected with local leaders organizing BioBlitzes.
At the same time, he was spending more time observing nature at home, initially focusing on birds and other visible wildlife. Quickly, his interests expanded.
He described, “The pandemic opened my eyes to all these other little things… and when I realized through my first BioBlitz that Coyote Creek is this incredible resource right in my backyard, I was hooked.”
That first experience revealed not just a new ecosystem, but a new way of seeing. He shared that he is always surprised by what he finds in local outdoor spaces. Before a BioBlitz, he found something he never thought he would expect in Hellyer County Park, a plant gall.
“I went out to scout at Hellyer County Park, and saw a tree with a bunch of ants. And normally, these types of ants aren’t really arboreal ants, so I thought that's interesting... They were clustering around what looked like little buds on the coast live oak tree; turns out it was a plant gall that had not been photographed, maybe ever.”
Impact on the Community 🌎
Through his work with KCCB, Michael has seen firsthand how small moments can ripple outward into deeper community engagement. He noticed that families return to events, participants bring friends, and what starts as a simple interest often grows into long-term involvement.
Michael described, “I’ve seen people come out of curiosity, and then a couple of months later, they bring their whole family. There are so many stories like that.”
He emphasizes that access is key. When people realize what exists in their own neighborhoods, they begin to care more deeply about protecting it.
Michael noticed something deeper throughout his engagement with KCCB. He found that engagement is “the first step [to] helping people connect to nature. Once they see it, they start to care.” Attending these events creates awareness that people don’t normally have opportunities for. Awareness is part of the first steps towards engagement and stewardship for the environment.
Looking Ahead: The Future of KCCB ☀️🌳
Michael is especially interested in the intersection of technology and environmental stewardship. With a background in tech, he sees both the challenges and opportunities ahead.
He points to tools like iNaturalist as examples of how innovation can enhance, not replace, real-world engagement. Something like this is a creative outlet where we can begin merging these two spaces, promoting both environment and nature, while also learning about them. When speaking about his organization, Jumpstart Nature, he discusses the app that he created, highlighting this:
“Some of the same technology that separates people from nature can actually be used for good… how can we turn those paradigms on their head?” he shared.
Beyond technology, something he is looking forward to is seeing how KCCB continues to expand access, build connections, and find more ways to bring people closer to the creek.
Final Thoughts ✨
At the heart of Michael’s experience is community. It is diverse, welcoming, and united by a shared curiosity.
Michael expressed that “The best part is the breadth of backgrounds and knowledge, and how supportive everyone is. It all comes together into a really special environment.”
His story is a reminder that meaningful change often starts small: by paying attention, asking questions, stepping outside, and finding the nuance of our experience as human beings.
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