Environmental and Ocean Sciences MS Alumna Named Executive Director of Marin Conservation League

Alumna Rebecca Schwartz Lesberg ‘21 (MS) was recently appointed as the executive director of Marin Conservation League (MCL), one of the region’s oldest and most respected environmental advocacy organizations. Founded in 1934 and referred to as Marin’s environmental guardian, MCL works to ensure that planning, policies and actions in Marin promote a healthy environment where people and nature thrive. 

During her time at USD, Schwartz Lesberg’s master’s thesis research examined the historical ecology of sportfishing in San Diego Bay using daily ocean fishing reports from two Southern California newspapers from 1959-2011. “I was fascinated with historical ecology because it gives us insight into how people were using and engaging with ocean and coastal resources in cases where scientific data are limited,” she said. “We were able to see patterns in what species people were catching and catch per unit effort, and then compare those patterns to large scale oceanographic conditions like El Niño/Southern Oscillation, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, or sea surface temperatures.” 

Her study found that while overall catch rates across species remained fairly consistent through time, individual species often declined or disappeared altogether in the catch report. These changes were often unexplained by environmental conditions. “It was evidence that something other than oceanographic variables - likely some human activity - was impacting the fish populations,” Schwartz Lesberg said. Her study noted that the impact probably wasn’t just coming from the recreational fishing itself, but from the myriad ways that people have degraded the coastal environment, through pollution, coastal development and the loss of wetland habitat, commercial fishing, and impacts from a changing climate.

“My time at USD helped me realize how passionate I am about understanding the relationship between coastal communities and their natural resources, and working to minimize the harmful effects of people on natural systems,” Schwartz Lesberg said. “By studying a tightly coupled human-nature relationship like sportfishing, it also reminded me that people really are part of nature - we just need to remember how to be better stewards of these resources we depend on.”

Since leaving USD, Ms. Schwartz Lesberg has become a seasoned conservationist - first working as the conservation program manager and later as director of conservation for San Diego Audubon Society (now called the San Diego Bird Alliance), before moving to northern California to serve as the San Francisco Bay Program Director for Audubon California. In addition to her new role at MCL, Rebecca currently serves as the board chair for the San Francisco Bay Migratory Bird Joint Venture and is the president/founder of Coastal Policy Solutions, a consulting firm that focuses on collaborative solutions for protecting California's natural resources for future generations. 

Moving into the executive director role with Marin Conservation League has been a dream come true for Schwartz Lesberg. “Marin County faces impacts from climate change – including wildfires and sea level rise, damaging federal policies that threaten nature and communities, and the need to protect Marin’s rich environmental heritage in a complex urban landscape,” she stated. “Navigating the path forward will be complicated, and I am honored to help chart the way.”