Tilden Nature Area

Address: Tilden Nature Area, Berkeley, CA 94708-2396
Phone No.: (510) 525-2233
Email: tnarea@ebparks.org

Bethany Facendini, Naturalist

Bethany joined the East Bay Regional Park District team as a Naturalist in 2004; first as a Naturalist at the Crab Cove Visitor Center and now at the Tilden Nature Area. She earned her B.A. degree in English and Women's Studies from the University of California at Berkeley, and has completed significant course work in Environmental Education at San José State University. Bethany considers herself a lifelong student. Her career in interpretation includes positions at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Natural Bridges State Beach and Año Nuevo State Reserve. In addition to her proficiency in the Spanish language, Bethany also brings a wide range of teaching experience with diverse populations. This includes her work with inner-city youth while serving with the AmeriCorps/Bay Area Youth Agency Consortium and extensive work with people with disabilities at Cabrillo Community College and nonprofit agencies.

Bethany is passionate about introducing people to the natural world and instilling a sense of environmental stewardship in people’s hearts. She enjoys traveling, gardening, backpacking, birding, and spending time with her family and friends in her free time. Back to top

Meg Platt, Naturalist

Meg Platt spent her childhood in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois searching the local woods and her suburban backyard for exotic creatures and things to explore and discover. This insatiable curiosity of the natural world translated into a career in the natural sciences. She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology, Ethology, & Evolution. Shortly thereafter, she made the "big move" to California and was employed as a Temporary Naturalist Aide by East Bay Regional Park District in 2002 for 9 months. She has since worked for several local agencies, including the Marine Science Institute and the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center. After 4 years away from EBRPD, she has now returned to her original site, Tilden Nature Area, in Berkeley. Her interests include hiking, reading, knitting, learning Spanish, and being silly with kids during programs. Her ultimate goal is to identify and understand the relationships between all abiotic and biotic factors existing in local parkland systems; which ought to keep her busy for the next few decades. Back to top

Linda Yemoto, Naturalist/Docent Coordinator

Linda has worked in the interpretive field since 1973, and has been a naturalist with EBRPD since 1977. She enjoys working with children (especially pre-schoolers) and developing programs in a wide variety of subjects (from bubbles and dinosaurs to story-telling, sushi and spiders). Before joining the Park District she worked as an interpreter with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. National Park Service in Yosemite and on Alcatraz. She received her degree in Biology from U.C. Berkeley in 1973. Back to top

Dave Zuckermann, Supervising Naturalist

David began his career with the District in 1983 as an interpretive student aide at Tilden Nature Area. Since then he has worked as a district naturalist at Crab Cove, Ardenwood Historic Farm, and currently at Tilden Nature Area. He has also worked for a variety of other agencies, including Sacramento County's American River Parkway and the Los Angeles Unified School District's Outdoor Education Center in the San Gabriel Mountains. Dave enjoys leading Tilden's popular Junior Ranger program, offering birdwalks, and blending interpretation with outdoor adventure. He has served on the regional board of the National Association for Interpretation for five years, guides whitewater trips for Friends of the River, and is currently a Firefighter/EMT for the Regional Parks Fire/Rescue Department. Back to top