Ecology Work
Professional Experience
River Partners Experience
As a Restoration Biologist I worked with our team to help transform the degraded and damaged lands of the central valley back into native riparian habitat. By designing restoration plans, overseeing implementation and monitoring plant performance and sensitive species I was apart of every step of the restoration process. I completed technical reports for each sites as well as compiled a story map report of the work we completed for the Monarch Butterflies. Our biology team also completed a number of in class visits teaching the importance of our riparian ecosystems.
Academic Experience
Bushy Lake Southern Site mixed with new plantings and the existing vegetation. To get a clear idea of mulch’s impact on plants success we excluded most predation with fencing (2020)
Bushy Lake Conceptual Restoration, Grindelia camporum
Wetlands and riparian ecosystems provide important ecological services such as water purification, flood prevention, assisting in nutrient cycling, wildlife habitat as well as storing carbon. As a class we conducted a conceptual restoration of the Bushy Lake Restoration Project to help in Dr. Stevens further effort to create a restoration plan for the Bushy Lake site. This report is on the efficacy of using mulch in the restoration project as a form of ground cover for weeds and water retention control.
Oxidized Rhizosphere, Red iron rich soils, Indicator of hydric soil conditions.(2019)
Milkweed Meadow, Wetland Dileniation, Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve
A Team project to mark the area of a prospective wetland. My team and I took soil samples, vegetation surveys and examined for hydrologic indicators at Milkweed Meadow at the BCCER In Chico California. Below is our report on the wetland and our suggestions for future research as well as extension of the wetland.
Team members collecting vegetation samples. Photo from Kayla Fitzgerald — Enterprise-Record
Goat Grazing and Fire Ecology In Bidwell Park
This Project was for my GEOS 365 class. With team members I collected data, performed statistical analysis and wrote a comprehensive report on the effects goat grazing had on fire risk in lower Bidwell park. Our groups paper was picked as the most complete depiction of the study and was delivered to the Chico City Council.
Dr. Kristen Kaczynski (centered) identifying wetland indicator species.
Drakesbad, Wet Meadow- Fen Complex, Lassen National Park
In my Wetlands class we made many field trips out to sites across the north state of California. This report is from my trip to the Drakesbad wet meadow-fen complex in Lassen National Park. We used water table transects to measure ground water levels at the time of our trip. In lab I compared the levels of groundwater to historical data and was able to pull some conclusions from the data.
Stagnate Pool at Butte Creek Ecological Preserve, point of concern for terrestrial wildlife after fire (2019)
Terrestrial Wildlife Restoration in Butte Creek Ecological Preserve
A team project to report to the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve stewards on the status of the terrestrial wildlife on the property following the Camp Fire that burned through the valley. Looking into habitat, vegetation and pollutants this report was based off of numerous visits to the preserve and was presented to our class and the stewards of the preserve.
Burned Stand in Lassen National Forest (2012)
Do repeated wildfires promote restoration of oak woodlands in mixed-conifer landscapes?
A presentation given for my applied ecology course with a focus on disturbance ecology. The research came from a scientific paper by Deborah G. Nemens et al., first published in Forest Ecology and Management in 2018. The study was on the impact of successive wildfires in Lassen and Plumas national forests on forest stand health.
B.S. Environmental Science, Applied Ecology, California State Chico
Advisor: Dr. Kristen Kaczynski
Received May 2019
I have completed courses in Wetland Ecology, Aquatic Ecology, Soil and Water, Pollution Science, Restoration Ecology and R Code statistics.