Luke Reppe
Landscape and Nursery Assistant
Luke Reppe is the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center’s Landscape and Nursery Assistant. He works to maintain the perennial plant zones in OAEC’s gardens and “core area” and helps propagate and care for plants in the OAEC nursery. Prior to coming to OAEC in 2020 for the Garden Internship Program, Luke worked in film and media. Assisting on documentaries and podcasts focused on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Native seedkeepers, Luke realized his disconnect from the natural world and a deep longing to learn how to garden and tend land. Since 2020, he has been living in Sonoma County and learning all that he can about the area’s ecology, as well as how to grow food and medicine, from all of the amazing teachers at OAEC and the broader community.
On Staff Since: 2025 Email Phone: 141
In Their Own Words
My work at OAEC:
As the Landscape Assistant, part of my job is to help tend the perennial areas in OAEC’s Mother Garden. In the main perennial “border” of the north garden live some of the oldest garden plants at OAEC. It is an honor to prune and weed amongst these elder plants, which have been tended by so many hands over the years. In tandem with the Garden Manager, I get to help create beauty, food for pollinators, and habitat in the perennial spaces of the Mother Garden. As the Nursery Assistant, I work with the Nursery Manager to propagate plants through sowing, diving, and cuttings. We have the privilege of cultivating biodiversity and sharing it with the broader community.
Why my work matters:
In our current multi-crisis world, (re)developing connection with land, plants, and seeds feels very important. For me, everyday that I work at OAEC is an opportunity to be present and to rebalance my nervous system. For 30+ years OAEC has provided space for interns, volunteers and guests to reconnect to the natural world. As a staff member, I feel it is my role to help others enjoy and be held by the land – and to hopefully emerge refreshed and inspired to meet the challenges of each day and of the world at large.
A song that always gets stuck in my head is:
“Believe” by Cher. In our current musical environment where pop music has fully embraced and incorporated elements of electronic music, one can easily forget how groundbreaking Cher’s 1998 single, “Believe,” was. A nearly 4-minute anthem with a steady, pulsating beat and Cher’s glossy yet powerful vocals. After having a number-one single in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, Cher released the iconic “Believe” and ushered in all the dance-pop that was to come. It was in my head in 1998, it is in my head today.
