In Memory of Karen Paulsell
- Friends of Sausal Creek
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
Reflections from some of the people who worked alongside her, learned from her, and whose work carries her legacy forward.
Karen Paulsell passed away on May 10, 2026, shortly before her 79th birthday. A foundational member of Friends of Sausal Creek, Karen brought deep botanical knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and decades of dedicated stewardship to the Sausal Creek watershed. Her impact on FOSC is woven through so much of our work: in the native plant communities she helped restore, the maps and lists she created, the nursery know-how she passed on, and the many volunteers and staff she taught along the way.
From Current and Former Staff:
“Karen was an intellectual and steady presence in the FOSC world during her many decades of active participation. Brilliant, eccentric and thoroughly authentic.”
—Anna Marie Schmidt - Former FOSC Executive Director
“I always appreciated her keen intellect and benefited frequently from her insight, quick wit and technical abilities.”
—Kristen Hopper - Former Nursery Manager
“It’s remarkable how much information Karen had in her head—whether it was the sprinkler system in the nursery or an exact location a specific plant community could be found. It’s a tremendous loss, she has and always will be present in this place, in everything FOSC does.”
—Jay Cassianni - Former Nursery Manager
“Even though her mobility wasn’t great when we met, Karen would RUN toward a plant. You had to move fast to catch up with her.”
—Charlotte Acharya - Former Operations Manager
“I would call Karen up while working on a newsletter article and always come away with more than I’d thought to ask for. She was a natural storyteller, whip-smart, and funny.”
—Kate Berlin - Development and Engagement Manager
“Karen's work is still in our hands every day—her goat grazing map from the early 2000s, the trail map that goes out to thousands of students every year.”
—Ella Matsuda and Elena Stenger - Nursery Manager and Education Manager
From Volunteers:
“What Karen brought to FOSC was monumental—her knowledge, her spreadsheets of the plants, her mapping. She had a lot of character, didn’t mince words, called it like she saw it.”
—Michael Thilgen - FOSC Co-founder and volunteer
“Karen had a huge impact on Beaconsfield Canyon. She chose most of the plants we put in during those first few years. I asked her how she knew what to plant and she said she just mimicked what was already growing in the canyon. That seems so basic to me now, but only because Karen taught me.”
—Wendy Tokuda - FOSC volunteer
“She was like a teacher in a lot of ways—thorough knowledge of plants, where to find what in the watershed, when on the calendar a plant might go to seed. She would share puns to help you remember plant names, like any good teacher would.”
—Alan Tong - FOSC volunteer
“Once Karen got the native plant bug, she went in ‘all 90 feet’. Karen’s nerdiness paid off. We will miss her very much.”
—Nancy Jones - FOSC volunteer
From Board Members:
“The volunteers Karen worked with at a workday would come away with a college education in three hours! It was not just her knowledge, but her enthusiasm that was so special.”
—Richard Kauffman - Former FOSC Board Member and volunteer
“Karen was like an old oak tree, an acorn distributor—we are still learning from her today. She has planted so many ideas in the youth and seeds in the soil.”
—Mark Rauzon - FOSC Board Member Emeritus
“Karen knew the watershed like I didn’t know anything. I was so impressed with her knowledge, her dedication, and her love for this place.”
—Dee Rosario - FOSC Board Member
“Karen created the initial native plant list for Beaconsfield Canyon and most of the other restoration sites as well. She did so much to help our native flora and to educate others. Karen was always very generous with her native plant knowledge. I learned a great deal from her.”
—Beth Keer - Former FOSC Board Member
From Other Friends and Collaborators:
“Karen made lasting contributions to the conservation of special plant communities in Joaquin Miller, Dimond Canyon, and the Serpentine Prairie. Her mapping of the watershed—especially the grazing/grazing exclusion maps—will be valuable management resources for years to come. I'll admit I didn't initially welcome her criticism of the grazing program. But she wouldn't relent, and the more she pressed me, the more I realized she was right. From that point on, the goats reduced fuels and largely avoided impacting the sensitive plant populations Karen advocated for so passionately.”
—Martin Matarrese - Former Parkland Resources Supervisor and Vegetation Management Professional
“Karen had a deep knowledge of ecology, knew much about bird and animal species, and everything about California native plants and the invasive species that threaten them. From 2010-2022 we collaborated on three editions of the Trails and Tributaries of the Sausal Creek Watershed map. Karen led the project; I helped with updates and print production. More than 50,000 copies have been distributed.“
—Louis Jaffe - Designer, Cartographer, and longtime friend
Over the years, Karen created many resources that we use to this day. Here are just a few that may come in handy for you:
