Mickey Abate joined Sonoma Ecology Middle as an Environmental Educator in October, 2025.
Rooted in Sonoma Valley and formed by a lifelong relationship with its ecology, Mickey Abate brings each native perception and reflective curiosity to her new position as Environmental Educator at Sonoma Ecology Middle. After time spent touring, learning, and instructing past the area, Mickey discovered her means again dwelling by way of hands-on work at Sonoma Backyard Park, the place she served as a seasonal intern and deepened her connection to Sonoma Valley’s nature and neighborhood. Now entering into her new position on Sonoma Ecology Middle’s Schooling Staff, Mickey is happy to assist foster ecological consciousness and stewardship, persevering with a legacy that helped form her personal appreciation for the pure world.
I used to be born on this valley, and grew up strolling, biking, and swimming right here. Touring throughout the U.S. in maturity, it was troublesome to shake the impression that my hand-crafted on my worldview, and after just a few years away, I moved again, specializing in that query. Shortly after, I began working with college students at a Mandarin Chinese language immersion center college in Oakland.
Being introduced onto the SEC’s Schooling group has been an exquisite alternative to proceed a legacy that partly fostered my very own appreciation of the world.
—Mickey Abate
Following a tutorial path targeted on the relation between principle, technique, and apply, I started a grasp’s diploma in Ecology, Spirituality and Faith in 2024, on the California Institute of Integral Research. As a part of my curriculum, I entered the Sonoma Ecology Middle’s Seasonal Internship Program, and spent 100 hours over the course of 4 months in service on the Sonoma Backyard Park. When it was over, I fortunately stayed on.
Being introduced onto the SEC’s Schooling group has been an exquisite alternative to proceed a legacy that partly fostered my very own appreciation of the world. I really like that instructing ecological constructing blocks can create an consciousness for the small and grand webs of life that spawn salmon, develop tomatoes, and decompose matter. My begin on the group has been an in-depth engagement with the dynamics of instructor and pupil when working with nature, which itself frequently teaches me.
I really like that instructing ecological constructing blocks can create an consciousness for the small and grand webs of life that spawn salmon, develop tomatoes, and decompose matter.
—Mickey Abate
My everyday would possibly include going to considered one of our native grade colleges to show a related lesson on the ecology of Sonoma, taking a category open air for a area journey or gear upkeep to help our adventures with the land.
Once I’m not at work, I could be discovered baking, shoveling compost on the Backyard Park, or sketching. Whereas learning and writing, a CD on repeat is The Nationwide’s album Boxer. Generally, I handle to sneak away to do a favourite exercise, spending time a guide.
If you happen to see me round, please be happy to inform me your finest joke!
I depart you with considered one of my favourite quotes:
“Have mountains, and waves, and skies, no significance however what we consciously give them, after we make use of them as emblems of our ideas? The world is emblematic. Elements of speech are metaphors, as a result of the entire of nature is a metaphor of the human thoughts. The legal guidelines of ethical nature reply to these of matter as nose to nose in a glass. ‘The seen world and the relation of its elements, is the dial plate of the invisible.’ The axioms of physics translate the legal guidelines of ethics”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature, 1836
