People

Armando Valencia is a wildlife biologist, designer, and researcher in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley; specializing in fieldwork and data collection in California’s Mediterranean ecosystems. Armando’s heritage is connected to the early citrus packing houses of Redlands, California, which informs their understanding of California’s cultural and agricultural history, as well as experiences in segregation and suppression of culture. Armando's personal background inspires their commitment to learning from and supporting community-led knowledge systems that are critical to preserving and restoring culturally and ecologically significant landscapes.

Armando conducts research analyzing the role of prescribed fire in enhancing acorn viability in the Nelson lab at UC Berkeley guided by Dr. Peter Nelson (UCB) and Dr. Tony Marks-Block (CSU, East Bay). This work supports Indigenous-led fire management practices that have historically faced suppression, aiming to reduce insect pest infestations, increase foraging rates, and sustain culturally significant acorn crops.

A member of the Leadership Committee for the California Society for Ecological Restoration (SERCAL), Armando advocates for equitable management practices and broader cultural representation in ecological restoration and wildlife services. As a docent and "dipper" at Jepson Prairie Nature Preserve  and wildlife biology associate at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Armando educates the community about vernal pool ecosystems and endangered species that inhabit them, such as the California tiger salamander, Vernal pool tadpole shrimp, and various fairy shrimp. Their work is guided by a commitment to addressing the impacts of extractive economies, settler colonialism, and anti-Indigenous practices, striving to honor Indigenous sovereignty and contribute to a more inclusive vision of holistic environmental efforts in academia, private sectors, and public spaces.