Sierra Streams Institute welcomes people from all walks of life, and some return not only to the landscape, but to a deeper part of themselves. Missa is one of those volunteers, someone who brings not only scientific experience and skill, but also a burning passion to educate and inspire others. Whether she’s knee-deep in water quality monitoring and data, or guiding fellow nature lovers through hikes and nature journaling, Missa shows up with purpose. She is an educator, a dancer, a conservationist, and an only parent making space for service in a full life.
Her journey began years ago under the wide-open skies near the Four Corners. As a teenager, intense backpacking trips through untouched wilderness etched a love of nature deep into her bones. Though she started college as a psychology major, something didn’t sit right. It was the stark realities of deforestation, development, and water contamination that made her shift. A single environmental forum class, filled with stories from real professionals, flipped the switch, and she never looked back.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in conservation and restoration, focusing on natural resource management. By 2006, she was out in the field, collecting water samples for the Water Quality Control Board and learning just how surprising high (and unsettling) bacteria readings could be, especially downstream from her favorite swimming spots. Since then, her path has wound through GIS mapping, academic/outdoor education instruction and curriculum development for school children, and, more recently, a California Naturalist certification in 2022. It was on a California Naturalist (CalNat) trip, with Tom van Wager trekking up a creek in search of yellow-legged frogs, where she reconnected to something essential.
That same year, Missa completed her CalNat stewardship project with support from Sierra Streams Institute (SSI), teaching middle school students about benthic macroinvertebrates. She also began water quality monitoring on Bear River and Deer Creek. Her very first site, DC 20 on Willow Valley Road, gave her a literal initiation: she slipped and fell into the creek! That moment became symbolic. It was a full-bodied return to conservation work after stepping away to raise her daughter and working in a different field. Getting her feet wet wasn’t just metaphorical. It was the beginning of a new chapter.
Over the past six years, Missa has worn many hats in service to the Yuba River Charter School community, most recently stepping into the role of R.T.I. Specialist—supporting students who struggle with the building blocks of learning: reading, writing, and math. But Missa’s talents extend far beyond the classroom. When she’s not guiding young minds, she’s out on the dance floor—teaching, performing, and soaking in the joy of line and country swing dancing. Hosting hoedowns with the Nevada County Horsemen and turning hesitant couples into confident dancers in their own living rooms is one of her greatest joys. Nature, dance, and education form a kind of three-part harmony in her life—each one a spark that keeps her grounded and lit up with purpose. Volunteering with SSI has only stoked that fire, offering new ways to connect, contribute, and rediscover herself through community and the natural world.
In September 2024, Missa began a formal internship with SSI. What started as data entry and creating SOPs for AirTable evolved into hands-on training in algae processing, creek surveys, and even educational material review for restoration projects. Now, she’s stepped into a supportive role for the California Naturalist Program, providing admin help and advertising support to ensure the program thrives. She felt called to advocate for the course after seeing past years struggle to fill. Over time, Missa has contributed more than 200 hours with SSI.
Among all her contributions, what stands out most to her is the chance to help others grow. In the 2025 CalNat program, she led a nature journaling exercise at Hirschman’s Pond, inviting others to slow down and pay attention. That opportunity, being trusted to teach, sparked a sense of belonging and impact.
For Missa, being part of citizen science is about more than field notes or lab work. It’s about finding meaning. She says that “participating in citizen science and contributing to quality data that’s being utilized by professionals to make important decisions and scientific discoveries means that, for me, it feels that my time and my contributions are valuable and meaningful.”
She sees her return to this work as nourishment, something that enriches her life. And her presence, in turn, nourishes the SSI community. She’s not just giving back to nature. She’s teaching others to see, to listen, and to care for the land like it’s home, because it is.
Written by: Missa Cade
Photo credits: Missa Cade