Our Story

Richard Tejeda is the Founder and Executive Director of Saved By Nature. Having grown up in a neighborhood where drugs and gang culture were deeply ingrained, he understands firsthand the challenges many youth and adults face in a system that often perpetuates cycles of social injustice. It wasn’t until the age of 25 that Richard Tejeda truly discovered nature’s transformative power. A simple gesture—his mother providing him with an annual fishing license and parking pass for Santa Clara County Parks—opened the door to a new world. Hellyer Park and Coyote Creek in Coyote Valley became places of escape, reflection, and renewal. What started as a pastime soon became a passion, and Richard evolved into an avid angler and fierce advocate for the preservation of steelhead rainbow trout and Chinook salmon.