Tess Polizzotti

Background

About Tess Polizzotti

I am currently an AmeriCorps fellow for the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District serving as a Soils and Forest Health Coordinator. I have field work experience participating in soil sampling and collecting crop yield data, salmon spawning monitoring, vegetation fuel reduction, invasive species removal, water quality monitoring with sondes, plant identification, monarch butterfly overwintering site monitoring, and multiple plantings of hedgerows and other native plant installations. I am proficient in MS Excel and Office, as well as Google Workspace. I have also taken courses in R and am proficient and experienced in using R. I am also proficient in design and development tools such as Constant Contact and Canva, having created multiple newsletters, online campaigns, social media posts, and website icons. I have experience using ArcGIS (ArcMaps and ArcGIS Pro) for multiple projects and would consider my GIS skill level novice. I also have training and experience using iNaturalist for plant identification and mapping and regularly use the application.I have experience working as an administrator for the California Resource Conservation District Project Tracker website, where I supported RCD staff throughout California by providing technical support, crafting educational and user-friendly outreach documents and videos (how-to guides and walkthroughs), hosting office hours and workshops, fulfilling maintenance requests (adding users, organizations, GIS files, etc. to the system), and identifying potential site expansion and improvement opportunities.I have experience in teaching and public engagement through outdoor education and organizing a project tour. In my AmeriCorps position, I participated as an educator in our farm-to-school field trips, teaching and engaging with students (ages 8-12) on agricultural systems, regenerative agriculture, wildlife habitat enhancement and restoration, and pollination. At the pollinator station, I taught students about native California pollinators and the best practices for supporting native pollinators. I also led site tours, teaching young students about the importance of working lands and encouraging them to make observations on the livestock, wildlife, and wildlife habitats present on the property. Additionally, I helped to organize a public project tour, showcasing the project sites my organization had worked on conservation projects for public transparency, accountability, and education. This tour allowed the public to explore project sites in their community and ask questions.