Leader: Dawit M. Zeleke

Contributed by Dawit Zeleke

Name:  Dawit M. Zeleke

Job (title and organization):  Regional Conservation Director, Central Valley and Mountains, The Nature Conservancy of California

Where do you work (city and country): Sacramento, California, USA

Degree(s):  Bachelors degree in Anthropology from Friends New World College

What inspires you in your work?
Experiencing the migration of sandhill cranes into the Central Valley and watching thousands of salmon head up the Sacramento River, knowing that my work helps them continue to survive and thrive.

What are the highlights of your career accomplishments?
Being part of a team that has planted over 4 thousand acres of forest along the Sacramento River gives me great satisfaction. 

Why is the Global Mediterranean Action Network exciting to you?
Working with people from other parts of the world always inspires me and gives me new ideas.  (Not to mention all the great wines.)

How did your early experiences in nature influence you?
I was working at a controlled burn in the Adirondacks, New York, and I could not believe you could set fires in the woods and get paid for it. 

What are your favorite species and/or landscapes?
Namibian deserts, Afro-montane forest in Ethiopia, and rivers.

Why are you passionate about conservation?
It is magical, always changing and gives good Karma.

What gives you hope?
Children. They remind me that life is short and wonderful.

What activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
I am member of the Chico Sunrise Rotary Club. My passions include traveling and fly fishing. My wife, Cori, and I live in Orland, California, where we own and operate a 12-acre organic Satsuma mandarin orchard.