Stephanie Benavidez was the supervising naturalist at the Lake Merritt Rotary Nature Center until 2017.  She was employed as a naturalist for over 38 years, since she graduated from Mills College. Budget cutbacks led to Benavidez being the only full-time employee at the Center for the past few years, with only a part-time staff to run the classes, community programs and protect the wildlife.

At the time of a April 2017 inspection of the Rotary Nature Center by Oakland’s Parks and Recreation Department staff, the inspection discovered neglected animals at this nature center under Benavidez's custodianship. For instance, one of the tortoises “suffers from shell rot because she was unable to get out of her own feces for years,” Lila Talcott-Travis of Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue said. The female leopard gecko lost all of her fingers and toes, she added. Mortimer and Morla [two eastern box turlres] shared a two-foot square box kept in a closet, Talcott-Travis said.

The City of Oakland is investigating how and why the animals were left to fend for themselves. City spokeswoman Karen Boyd said an investigation into the handling of the animals by Benavidez is still open.

Benavidez sees herself as Lake Merritt's protector and "keeper of the flame." She has dedicated her entire adult life to overseeing the wildlife refuge, caring for the plant and animal life (including the beloved Canada Geese) at Lake Merritt.

During the summer Benavidez supervised "Touch the Earth" "Shake, Rattle & Roll" "Counselor in Training" and "Young Naturalist" summer camps for children, which taught them a love of animals and nature, while employing local teens and young adults who gain valuable experience working as camp counselors.

Benavidez is a character in the children's book, I Can Hear The Sun. 1

Links and References

  1. I Can Hear the Sun: A Modern Myth by Patricia Polacco Puffin Books 1999

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