Contact me about the Sycamore Creek Interpretive Center or our Western Monarch Habitat site!

Michele Felix-Derbarmdiker is a Naturalist for the Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District. She joined the team in 2017. Michele is a certified California Naturalist who received her B.S in Biological Science with a concentration in Conservation Biology from the University of California Riverside in 2010. She started her career working as a field assistant for the University of California Riverside Center for Conservation Biology. After finishing her degree she served as a field biologist for the Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA), the County of Riverside and several environmental consulting firms. Michele now uses her background to work on both the biology and educational teams here at the RCRCD. As part of the biology team she conducts various wildlife surveys and manages several sites, including our 2 acre Greenbelt Western Monarch Breeding and Foraging habitat. On the education team she manages our Sycamore Creek Interpretive Center in Temescal Valley, serves as instructor for the UC California Naturalist and Climate Steward Programs, assists with community science activities, outreach and other various educational events hosted by the RCRCD. 

Michele was born and raised in Riverside and still resides there with her husband and children. She strives to educate and inspire every member of the public to care about the unique ecosystems, plants and animals that call California their home.