New Staff Q&A: Max Light-Pacheco

OEC is excited to introduce our new Community Engagement Manager, Max Light-Pacheco!

Since graduating from U.C. Davis (in his home state of California), Max has worked for Americorps, the Nature Conservancy, the Phoenix Zoo, and one•n•ten, a nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ youth in Arizona. His work is driven by a lifelong love of nature, a passion for community, and a deep understanding of where the two intersect. This knowledge of people and planet makes Max an invaluable addition to our team.

Give Max a warm welcome the next time you see him out in the world representing OEC! In the meantime, read all about his love of mountain lions, Sabrina Carpenter, and Cascade Head below.

What was your dream job when you were a kid?

I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a kid. When you're at that young age and you know you want to help animals, the first thought that comes to mind is veterinarian. But I realized once I went to college what it actually takes to do it… I'm not as interested in anatomy, and having to euthanize animals would be a little bit too hard. And so I really brainstormed - and learned from other people who I knew - about opportunities. That's where I started going down the route of working with wildlife, and that led me to conservation and conservation education.

What's your favorite animal, and why?

I have a lot of favorite animals, but one that I always come back to is the mountain lion. I grew up in Los Angeles, which is one of the few major metropolitan areas in the world that large predatory animals live in, including mountain lions. It's interesting looking at their history in terms of their connection with humans, and how the history of colonization in this country impacted them as a species. There have been a lot of conflicts - things like car strikes and illegal hunting - but we're seeing comebacks in certain areas. I really think it is a good representation of how we as a nation have struggled with reckoning with our past, and reckoning with our relationship with nature and natural processes. I also appreciate that the animal is incredibly adaptable, living in habitats from Desert and grassland to forest. They're also just very beautiful.

How did working in wildlife and conservation lead to community engagement?

Community engagement is critical in order for us to move forward - in terms of creating legislation, as well as changing the culture around how we interact with the environment. Humans have been really separated from the environment by society. We need to recognize more and more that we are part of our environment, and our environment is part of us. Many conservation issues are really issues with how humans are treating one another, and how things like racism and environmental issues are very deeply linked. If we don't address both at their source, then we're not able to actually solve root issues, and any wins that we make are not going to be long-lasting or durable.

What do you like to do when you're not at work?

I love to travel. I am very big into pop music, and have been from a very young age. Beyonce, Brittany Spears, Kylie Minogue - all of the fun artists. I love to read as well. One of my favorite things to do is going to the beach, hanging with friends, and then taking some downtime afterwards to read and take a nap before heading home.

What are you reading right now?

I'm currently reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Storeby James McBride. The story is focused on the black and Jewish community in Pottstown, Pennsylvania - which is an imaginary town around the turn of the century - and how both communities work together in order to address the systemic inequalities around them. It has incredible prose, and McBride does an incredible job of giving all the characters nuanced depth, a little bit of comedy, and making them feel very real.

What's been on your summer playlist?

I am a big Sabrina Carpenter fan (♫ "We're working late because we care about conservation!" ♫).I have been a big fan of hers for a while, and it's exciting to see her career really starting to take off. Hey lyrics are fun and have a lot of character, but there's also a lot of depth and relatability in there. It's exciting and fun, and also offers opportunities for introspection.

What's your favorite place in Oregon?

I have several favorite places, but I'll talk about Cascade Head on the coast. Cascade Head is a UNESCO biosphere preserve, and is an incredibly beautiful part of the natural and cultural heritage of the state. It is a place where the Neschensney people meet and participate in cultural burnings and catching of salmon. It's also been an incredibly important site for conservation in the state, with protected species like the Oregon silverspot butterfly. I love the intersection of the ocean and land and incredible skyscapes. Whenever I'm there, I just feel like I'm part of something larger. I think it really represents Oregon well - it has the people, it has the animals, it has the water, and it has the land.

Where did you vacay this summer?

I went to both Berlin and Venice this summer. It was an incredible experience where I got to study new media art. It was a really great way for me to engage creatively in a way that I haven't been given an opportunity to in recent years. Being able to see the incredible art and nature that exists in Berlin, and being with an incredible group of people who have similar interests to me - who may live very different lives, but also very similar - was refreshing and heartwarming.

What does "community" mean to you?

Community is a really critical part of who I am as a person, both personally and professionally. For me, community is having the opportunity to connect with people based on common understandings of the world. As someone who comes from a Jewish, biracial, queer background, I've been blessed to be part of such an incredible array of different communities, and have been able to learn from other people, which has helped me learn more about myself. I feel very lucky to be well integrated within Oregon's queer community, meeting an incredible array of people doing amazing work, and giving a lot of care to the natural environment. I also feel very lucky to have connected with a variety of different organizations throughout the state serving other people like myself, who have oftentimes been excluded from the conservation field, and helping make a space where we can all feel included.

What are you biggest hopes for the future of Oregon?

I really want to see the state of Oregon continue to move forward and reckon with its history of colonization and how that has impacted not only humans but nature. If we are able to address these impacts, we'll be able to better the lives of all residents. I do see efforts at recognizing the need to increase our understanding of different communities and address prior harms in order to move forward as a state. I'm seeing some incredible organizations like Wild Diversity and The Blueprint Foundation that are doing that work, but it's something that we all need to be doing as individuals and with the organizations that we partner with.