NCRLT’s 2025-2026 AmeriCorps member, Silas Osborne, is here!

Please join NCRLT in welcoming Silas Osborne, who will serve NCRLT as a Land Conservation Program Assistant through September of 2026. Silas started in late November through NCRLT’s Sierra Nevada Alliance Partnership and AmeriCorps program, now managed by California Volunteers.

With a role diverse in scope, Silas will assist Acquisition Coordinator Ben Gelderloos with GIS mapping, monitor conservation resources with Stewardship Manager Kim Armstrong, and conduct outreach through NCRLT’s social media, newsletter, tabling events, and guided hikes!

To get to know Silas a bit better, we’ll turn it over to them!

Hi folks!

I’m so grateful to be a part of an organization as passionate as NCRLT, and I’m looking forward to learning everything I can about the wonderful world of non-profits and land trusts!

I graduated from Oregon State University in the spring of 2025 with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Natural Resources and minoring in Rangeland Science. During that time, I was involved in undergraduate research at an ecohydrology lab, studying groundwater and surface water interactions, soil health, and management of woody encroachment. I was also involved in club leadership for two years, aiming to provide LBGTQ+ students in agriculture and natural sciences with a supportive community and professional development! In the summer of 2025, I was a seasonal technician in Eastern Oregon measuring shrub cover alongside a riparian corridor for salmon restoration.

Two of my goals as an environmental advocate is to increase accessibility to nature and encourage appreciation of the natural world!

-Increasing accessibility starts with making the outdoors feel like a safe space for all and finding ways to overcome barriers to access.

-Encouraging appreciation ties in my love of creative expression by inviting people to get involved with nature in ways that are fun and meaningful to them.

These goals tend to complement each other by cultivating outdoor spaces that are used both repeatedly and with care!

I lived in Oregon for many years and recently moved to Paradise, CA for this position, so I’m super excited to explore everything that California has to offer! The picture above is from my trip to Badlands National Park!

In my free time, I love getting outside to hike, take photos, and go birding! I’m also a big reader and like to write when I can. I’m eager to meet more of the community through NCRLT outreach events while supporting the conservation and stewardship of this beautiful place! Thanks so much for hosting me NCRLT!