A Heron, a River, and a Mission: Dr. Andrea Willey’s Work to Protect Parkway Wildlife

By Debbie Arrington

Since childhood, Dr. Andrea Willey has been a regular at Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Her experiences at the 77-acre Nature Study Area and the adjacent American River Parkway changed her life.

Growing up in Fair Oaks, she visited the Nature Center’s wildlife exhibits and learned about its rich variety of animals. As a teen, she participated in river clean-ups and became familiar with the many birds that inhabit the Parkway.

“Those early experiences, along with summers rafting and swimming the river, sparked a lifelong connection,” says Willey, who lives “just across the levee” from Mile 10.

An avid trail runner, Willey also regularly kayaks the river, enjoying its wildlife. A chance encounter with a great blue heron in 2023 sparked her personal crusade to help animals that live along the American River as well as other waterways.

Willey was kayaking when she spotted the gigantic bird entangled in discarded fishing line and launched a rescue effort to no avail; the bird did not survive. Posting on Facebook, she organized an impromptu river clean-up to spare other birds and riparian animals from the same fate. “A dozen people showed up, and we found 300 hooks and lines in one little pond.”

That experience led her to create the Waterbird Habitat Project (https://waterbirdhabitat.org/). A model for a statewide effort, the organization retrieves abandoned fishing gear and lines while raising awareness among anglers and promoting wildlife stewardship.

"I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” she adds. “The Waterbird Habitat Project lets me bring together my passion for helping animals and people."

Often, local residents learn about the project at her Fair Oaks practice – or at the Nature Center – and want to get involved. Willey is a skin cancer doctor and specialist in reconstructive surgery.

“We bring it all together in this little community that lives around the river,” she says. “Not everybody can get out and do things, but everybody cares.”

That wasn’t the first time Willey found inspiration from local wildlife.

“I love the bobcats!” she says of the Nature Center’s famous felines. “The bobcat exhibit has been my favorite since I was a kid. That love carried over into my work as a veterinary surgical nurse for over a decade, including a feline specialty practice in Carmichael.”

After her veterinary work, Willey went to medical school and transitioned into human surgery, treating thousands of patients. She’s now an internationally recognized expert on Mohs surgery and reconstructive techniques.

As much as possible, she spends time in nature, watching birds (or bobcats) and looking for fish hooks and line.

“When you grow up here, you don’t realize how rare this place is,” Willey notes. “It wasn’t until I traveled overseas that I realized, ‘We’ve got something really special back home in Sacramento.’”

That something is worth protecting and promoting, she adds. “The Parkway is unique and offers rare opportunities to experience wildlife so close to home. Strong stewardship ensures the Center can keep spreading that message of appreciation and coexistence, building the support needed to preserve this special environment for future generations. For me, it’s personal – the wildlife I see daily depends on these protected spaces.”

The Center is much more than open space, Willey observes. “The Effie Yeaw Nature Center brings together hands-on wildlife exhibits, cultural history, including Nisenan heritage, and direct access to the heritage oak woodlands and riparian habitats of the American River Parkway – all in one accessible community space.

“It’s not just trails or open parkland; EYNC educates visitors about the full ecosystem, from birds and mammals to the river itself,” Willey adds. “This is especially meaningful because the American River is the only wild and scenic river in the United States that flows through a major metropolitan area, creating an extraordinary urban oasis of wildlife right in our backyards.”

Willey hopes that more people in the Sacramento area discover the Effie Yeaw Nature Center and value its many assets. “It’s a cherished community treasure that connects generations to the American River Parkway and its incredible wildlife, inspiring curiosity, compassion, and active stewardship to protect this unique urban natural oasis for the future.”