People of the Parks: Meet the folks committed to preserving and celebrating Bay Area parks

"There isn't a nook or cranny in the Almaden Valley that Ali Henry hasn't spent time in. She grew up here, camping, boating and fishing with her dad and her grandparents. Those long, sun-drenched days on the water often finished with fresh-caught trout sizzling over a campfire. Today, Henry is devoting her life to preserving and celebrating some of her favorite childhood hangouts as Santa Clara County Parks' first-ever woman chief park ranger."

"It was the people she explored those places with. "Looking back," she said, "it was the time spent with those family members outside. And now I want to give that to my kids." Henry's childhood memories are shaping the ones she hopes to help others now form. Her goal? Get kids off their phones and get them outside, being social, experiencing nature and soaking up sunshine."

Ali Henry grew up in Almaden Valley camping, boating and fishing with her father and grandparents, forming lasting outdoor memories. She often finished days on the water with fresh-caught trout sizzling over campfires. She now serves as Santa Clara County Parks' first-ever woman chief park ranger, devoting her life to preserving and celebrating her favorite childhood hangouts. Her motivation to work in parks comes from time spent with people rather than places. Henry aims to get children off their phones and into outdoor social experiences, encouraging nature exposure, sunshine, and community involvement. She began as a part-time park attendant at Coyote Lake in 2011.

Read at The Mercury News