Alexa Townsend-Seidel
Alexa Townsend-Seidel
she/her
- Learning by Leading Roles: Waterway Stewardship, Apprentice and Co-Coordinator (October 2024-June 2026)
- Major: Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology (Graduated Winter Quarter 2026)
Being a part of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden through the Learning by Leading program has been an incredibly special opportunity and one of the most valuable and formative experiences during my time as an undergraduate at UC Davis. Serving as both a waterway stewardship apprentice and co-coordinator, I had the privilege of growing in this position in ways I would have never expected when I first started out.
Through Learning by Leading, I was given the chance to pursue my passion for ecological restoration, conservation, and habitat enhancement in a large-scale project at a place myself and so many members of the Davis community and beyond enjoy and call home. Our team's work on the waterway habitat enhancement and flood protection project, one of the largest in the Arboretum's history, was extraordinary to be part of from start to finish. We planted over 16,660 rushes and sedges along the waterway’s edge and more than 440 trees and shrubs, and the results have been wonderful. A number of wildlife species have returned and continue to enjoy their newly improved home, from my favorite herons, great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, and green herons, to egrets, wood ducks, western pond turtles, insects, and countless other species now thriving along the waterway. Knowing that our hands-on work contributed to that is something I will always be proud of.
Equally meaningful has been guiding our student interns through their own habitat enhancement and restoration experience on the waterway. Teaching a number of skills involved in habitat restoration such as plant identification, planting, irrigation, and water quality monitoring, and then seeing their blossoming enthusiasm and growth firsthand has been tremendously rewarding. This leadership experience has taught me that environmental stewardship is as much about building and teaching people as it is about restoring the habitat itself, as the experience of working as a team and creating change together is fundamental to caring about our world and inspiring further action.
This program pushed me to grow as a leader in many ways. Through repeated exposure to co-leading class field trips through the Arboretum, One Creek, and other volunteer events, alongside mentoring our interns, I felt my public speaking, communication, and teaching skills become more strongly developed over time. My staff mentors were key components of that growth, consistently giving my team the trust and opportunities to step up and lead—with themselves serving as the best examples of what it looks like to take on such roles.
As I continue on my career path, the Learning by Leading program has exposed me to what a career in urban ecological restoration can truly look like and given me unique, hands-on opportunities not offered anywhere else. The connections I have made, the skills I have gained, and the work I have been a part of have not only helped to shape my professional goals, but have become a monumental part of my life and who I am today.