Conor Varela Handley

Director of Ecology and Research

Conor is a Yaqui wildlife biologist and organizer located in San Diego CA and Tucson AZ. He has a bachelors degree in Native American Studies from CalPoly Humboldt and Masters of Science from University of Arizona in Natural Resources. He has worked in a broad range of fields along the interface of racial equity, environmental justice and ecology. His masters research involved mapping water sources for wildlife along the US Mexico border and managing data from dozens of remote cameras and field sites. He has served as a coordinator for native youth programs, a park ranger for San Diego county, Environmental assistant for the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, LANDBACK Organizer for NDN Collective, cultural gardener for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and most recently as a wildlife biologist for the United States Geological Survey. He believes strongly in fighting for the rights of Indigenous people to caretake their own land through traditional practices and comprehensive scientific methodologies.