When asked what she enjoyed most about her work, Drill emphasized her ability to help communities – especially disadvantaged communities – build their capacity to take part in environmental decision making.
Early in her career, she brought together stakeholders with different identities and interests for a project called Watershed University. “It gave them a common background, but also helped to build relationships in a low-stress environment before they engaged in collaborating on watershed management planning,” Drill said.
She also worked with East Los Angeles College to create a culturally appropriate curriculum to educate English language learners and recent immigrants about local water issues.
Of all her achievements, Drill is most proud of developing UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' California Naturalist Program. To introduce Californians to the wonders of their state's unique ecology and encourage stewardship, Drill partnered with “my colleague, mentor and shero Adina Merenlender. I am most proud of partnering with local Conservation Corps and Chumash leaders to bring the CalNat experience to lower-income Black and Brown youth, enhancing their skills in future environmental and climate leadership.”
Working with Fabian Garcia, partnership coordinator for the Angeles National Forest, Drill connected the California Naturalist Program with Generation Green, the U.S. Forest Service's diversity outreach program. Alongside the National Forest Foundation, they were able to offer the course to youth through summer service-learning programs. “She was very enthusiastic and supportive…because of Sabrina's continued support and nurturing connections, over 30 diverse youth have been trained each year as Cal Naturalists since approximately 2016,” Garcia said.
Since its start in 2012, the California Naturalist Program has trained and certified more than 4,000 people with the cooperation of more than 60 community colleges and other organizations. To date, certified California Naturalists and the new Climate Stewards have volunteered over 250,000 hours – worth over $7 million – in 52 counties in California.
Drill's myriad accomplishments include training Californians in disaster management efforts (particularly for wildfire recovery), increasing the capacity for public works agencies and community volunteers to manage aquatic invasive species, and strengthening ties between academia and communities through participatory science.
As urban wildfire has become more prevalent in California, Drill has helped Southern Californians prepare for and recover from the Thomas Fire and other fires through her Sustainable and Fire-resistant Landscapes program.
Michelle Barton, environmental supervisor for the Los Angeles Sanitation and Environment Regulatory Affairs Division, expressed appreciation for Drill's partnership and knowledge.
“Sabrina has been a crucial member of LA Sanitation and Environment's invitation-only Biodiversity Expert Council for a number of years,” Barton said. “As part of the Expert Council, Sabrina has provided valuable guidance to the biodiversity team and has helped refine the City's approach on how to best monitor and manage native biodiversity. She has been a pleasure to collaborate with over the years; I will miss her vast expertise, attention to detail and generosity.”
This spring Drill published chapters she co-authored about urban environmental conservation and urban aquatic ecology in the book “The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Cities and Landscapes in the Pacific Rim.”
Before joining UC Cooperative Extension, the former Fulbright fellow worked for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Harvard University, and the Council for Watershed Health. She earned a Ph.D. in geography and a M.S. in biology from UCLA, a B.S. in biology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and an A.A. in natural science from Simon's Rock of Bard College in Massachusetts.
Drill was one of first hires at the Council for Watershed Health before her tenure at UC ANR. “Sabrina's knowledge of the ecosystems and watersheds, her understanding of urban ecology, wildland weeds, wildfire and climate change resilience, her dedication to environmental justice and public participation in science, and her deep network and ability to 'coordinate and connect the dots' is already sorely missed,” said Drew Ready, senior project manager for the Council for Watershed Health.
As Ready and Drill's last major project, they held a symposium: Wildfire: Water, Weather, Weeds and Wildlife. Drill collaborated with CWH to develop the three-day program and connected the organization to many of the major research, land management and conservation staff working in the wildfire arena.
“It didn't stop there,” explained Ready. “She moderated and spoke at the symposium guiding the presentations and conversation in a way that led to one of our most successful symposia yet.”
The Alliance of Natural Resource Outreach and Service Professionals honored Drill's and the CalNat Team's work by presenting her with awards for Outstanding Evaluation Program in 2018, Outstanding Team in 2017 and Program of the Year in 2015.
Rosi Dagit, senior conservation biologist at the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, reminisced on her 20-plus years of working with Drill on invasive shot hole borers and native tree preservation, collaborating on articles about endangered southern steelhead trout throughout the Santa Monica Bay, and compiling data on fish found in the Los Angeles River.
“Her thoughtful participation in so many natural resources problems was always focused on finding solutions and increasing education and awareness at all levels,” Dagit said. “She made a huge contribution to our understanding of the ecology and biodiversity of the LA area. Always an enthusiastic and fun colleague, I will miss having her experienced ear to help us tackle the many issues still facing us.”
Throughout her career, Drill has valued the significance of people. “Getting to know people is always worthwhile. Listen, and really hear their concerns. Avoid making assumptions. Without this time spent building relationships, providing facts alone isn't very effective,” she advises.
UC ANR has recognized Drill's career achievements by awarding her emeritus status. In retirement, Drill has begun working on a fellowship with the National Extension Climate Initiative at Montana State University and a fellowship with the Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research to help urban communities increase their resilience to climate change and extreme weather.