Tamar Weir

Tamar Weir is a fourth year Sociology major with a minor in Education at UC Santa Cruz. Although she has a love/hate relationship with math and science, she has always been interested in Environmental Studies and nature. She participated in an outdoor education internship through the Life Lab at UC Santa Cruz where she worked with young students to create a better connection with the natural environment. She enjoyed this opportunity because she got to continue to grow as a naturalist herself, while also assisting the students. 

To her, a naturalist is someone who embodies the natural world and all that it has to give by opening up to the knowledge and practices nature provides, with curiosity and love. Tamar’s passion for plants and the interconnectedness of the environment stem from her childhood experiences. She grew up in Napa, California where her father taught her gardening and land maintenance from a young age. Learning through experience has provided her with the confidence she has to continue to engage with the natural world and do her own experimenting. Although she doesn’t have a large science background, she believes if you have a passion for the environment then you will learn through doing. 

One of Tamar’s memorable naturalist experiences is the annual tradition her family has to grow corn. She really enjoys the process and the rewarding feeling that comes from manual labor. She likes to do activity that involves getting her hands dirty because it allows her to feel more connected with nature. Since moving to Santa Cruz, Tamar has a new appreciation for the power and beauty of the redwoods. Photography has also become a passion of hers; she loves taking pictures to document memories and share with others. A big life goal of hers is to eventually be able to produce everything she uses herself. She hopes to better understand what products she is using, where they come from and how to attain them in a more sustainable way.