Lydia Ballantine
Environmental Education Coordinator
Lydia Ballantine grew up in New Hampshire, where she developed a love of nature playing in the woods and fields and going on outdoor trips with her school and summer camp. She moved to Colorado for college, and while there began working at an environmental education nonprofit. After moving to Santa Barbara in 2019, she found her way back to environmental education and joined the Explore Ecology team first as an educator and then as a program coordinator.
In her free time Lydia enjoys surfing, rock climbing, and spending time with her dog, Scrappy Coco.
Rachel is an artist and arts educator who loves to see people access their innate creativity and jump into the fun of making. Rachel’s own creative practice centers around fiber arts and the magic of natural dye. When she isn’t in her small dye garden or working on a project, she’s most likely on a hike, or at the beach with her dog Kiko.