EEAB Spotlight — Meet Karena DiLeo
Fall 2023
Karena DiLeo feels most at home in the woods, so as a stewardship coordinator at French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, one could say she works from "home." Her role involves assisting property owners of conserved land to advance the conservation value of their land by planting trees and native plants, managing invasive species, and improving habitats through projects like converting lawns to meadows.
Karena's undergraduate degree in biology from Ursinus College shaped her love for living systems and inspired her to pursue a graduate degree in ecology at Rutgers, specifically focusing on frogs and other amphibians. She spent the first part of her career as a wildlife biologist at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection focusing on vernal pools, habitat connectivity and resilience, and endangered and threatened species. Seeing the impacts on biodiversity caused by habitat fragmentation and loss in New Jersey, she wanted to focus her career on the foundation of protecting habitat — preserving open space.
Karena moved from New Jersey to Willistown Township, Chester County, in 2019 to be near her family after her two children were born. After spending time in the woods here she became deeply concerned about the health of our natural systems in southeastern PA — particularly the lack of natural regeneration in our woodlands. "When a tree dies and leaves a hole in the canopy that would have let light in for new trees to grow, that space is taken up by invasive species instead." Although the battle against invasive species can be overwhelming, Karena feels glad to be even a small part of the solution in her role at French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust.
Serving on Chester Environmental and Energy Advisory Board has given her a glimpse into the many initiatives the county is working on to advance environmental health. "I'm so impressed with all the initiatives going on here," she commented. Karena is particularly interested in CCPC's work to assist homeowners' associations in adopting more sustainable land management practices and has been serving as an advisor to the project.