SECOYO

Our Name 

Our name, Secoyo, is inspired by the idea of resiliency and abundance even in the harshest conditions. 

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• Seco (seh-koh) Adjective: means "without water or moisture" in agriculture. For example, "un manantial seco" means "a dry spring" in Spanish.

• Oyo (oh-yoh) Adjective: means opening or hollow in the ground.

Inspired by our backcountry trips in the desert southwest where dry hollows or seco oyo in the slick rock turn into waterholes. These waterholes sometimes referred to as "tinajas" have existed for millennia, sustaining wildlife and humans through the dry months, even while the rains have passed.

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Our Mission

The Secoyo Group develops community-based solutions to ensure the long-term prosperity of people and the health of the environment. We provide people with the knowledge, skills, and resources for sustainable livelihoods.

 

Our Vision

We envision a world where the relationship between communities and the environment creates prosperity for all.

 

Our Values

• We are optimistic about the future.

• We believe every challenge has a solution, and that’s where we focus our energy.

• We believe that people working in harmony with nature can go beyond sustainability and survival to a state of thriving, regeneration, and prosperity.

• We support this by utilizing resources mindfully.

• We believe everyone deserves access to nature and information about managing their natural resources.

• We strive to make our services accessible to diverse people across the community.

• The Secoyo Group focuses the geography of its work through natural, geographic boundaries rather than political or municipal boundaries. Our Santa Cruz Mountain Watersheds serve as the incubator for strategies and programs that, when successful, are shared with communities in other watersheds, creating a ripple effect of change.

• We are a learning organization. We have a high tolerance for adventure, risk and change, and give ourselves permission to make mistakes as long as we learn from them and integrate what we have learned into our work.

• We have high expectations of ourselves and strive for excellence, discipline, and accountability.

• We also know how to have fun!

• We understand that every action impacts our community and our environment and that small, everyday actions create change for the better.

• We believe we can change the world if everyone takes these small actions.

 

Who We Are

Eirin has expertise in both ecology and design. Raised within the Santa Cruz Mountains in Bonny Doon, she has over 25 years of experience directing and developing effective mitigation and native area restoration measures. Managing permit processes of large construction and transportation projects, her background covers terrestrial and freshwater resources and leading projects involving federally and state-listed species. She specializes in site planning, urban ecological issues, and has a keen ability to create human-scale spaces that allow people and nature to coexist gracefully. She has showcased these skills in her work on projects involving park and open space design, bike and pedestrian circulation, and urban ecosystems. Eirin’s expertise covers large-scale master planning to site-specific design and construction documentation. She develops high-quality graphics communicating design intent and technical details to broad audiences. She also facilitates successful outreach to community groups, NGOs, project regulators, and clients to build consensus and project buy-in. In addition, her organization and project management skills foster efficient and successful collaboration on complex, multidisciplinary projects with large project teams. 

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Eirin has a Masters of Landscape Architecture from the School of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning at the University of Arizona; and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has been a Certified Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture for over 19 years.