Phyllis M. Faber (1928–2023) was an

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

and agriculture

botanist Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

from

Marin County, California Marin County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat a ...

Early life and education

Originally from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, she grew up hearing about the West Coast because of her father, who was a

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

native. She and her husband moved to the Bay Area in 1962 to rejoin others of her family who had also left the East Coast. She had two sons and a daughter, both of whom she raised in

. She earned a B.S. in

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

and an M.S. in Microbiology from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Works

Phyllis specialized in

marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

vegetation for more than 20 years, monitoring restoration projects in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. She also published two books on wetland plants. She taught biology classes at both

College of Marin The College of Marin, (known as Marin Junior College, 1926–1947) is a Public college, public community college in Marin County, California, with two campuses, one in Kentfield, California, Kentfield, and the second in Novato, California, Novat ...

and

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. It is the continuation of Antioch College, which was founded in 1852. Antioch College's first president was politician, abolitionist, and ...

throughout her years. Her passion for broader environmental issues and planning drove her involvement in a 1972 campaign to create the Coastal Zone Conservation Act, Proposition 20, which established regional planning to protect coastal resources. Phyllis served as

Legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

Chair on the Chapter Board and also participated in the Scholarship Committee. During the 1980s and 1990s, Phyllis served as the editor of the

CNPS The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is a California environmental non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) that seeks to increase understanding of California's native flora and to preserve it for future generations. The mission of CNPS is to c ...

journal '' Fremontia''. Beginning in 1989, she also took on the role of VP of Publications for

, where she expanded the organization's publishing efforts. Under her

leadership Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

, CNPS released its first book, ''California’s Changing Landscapes''. She was the editor of ''California’s Wild Gardens'', which focused on the natural habitat of California. Phyllis was also a member of the state

Development and Membership Committee. In 1980, along with Ellen Strauss, she co-founded the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), the first such trust in the United States. The organization works to protect farmland in Marin County through the use of conservation easements, a model that has been replicated across the country. Faber published ''Common Wetland Plants of Coastal California'' in 1982. In 1996, she was honored as a Fellow of

, a distinction given to the organization’s most exceptional contributors and leaders. UC Press hired Phyllis as an editor to fully revise and update their collection of

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

guides.

Death

Faber died on January 15, 2023 in

Mill Valley, California Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge and from Napa Valley. The population was 14,231 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mill Valley is lo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Phyllis M. 1928 births 2023 deaths 21st-century American botanists Activists from New York City American non-fiction environmental writers American women environmentalists American women zoologists Mount Holyoke College alumni Yale University alumni