San Joaquin Kit Fox use of the California Valley Solar Ranch

Jacquie Maher is a senior wildlife ecologist and project manager with H.T. Harvey & Associates. She has more than a dozen years of experience with aquatic and wildlife ecology. Jacquie conducts protocol surveys for protected species, wildlife trapping and monitoring, nesting bird surveys, wetland and restoration monitoring, salmonid snorkel surveys, and non-native weed surveys. Jacquie participated in a three-year study monitoring San Joaquin kit fox use of the of CVSR project site and associated conservation lands.

San Joaquin Kit Fox use of Topaz Solar Farms

Dr. Brian Cypher is the Associate Director and also a Research Ecologist with the Endangered Species Recovery Program at CSU-Stanislaus, and he also is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences.  After completing his Ph.D. in Zoology at Southern Illinois University, he came to California to conduct conservation research on rare species. Since 1990, he has conducted extensive work with endangered San Joaquin kit foxes, but also has been working with island foxes, coyotes, red foxes, and gray foxes.

Occupancy of Giant Kangaroo Rats and San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel on California Valley Solar Ranch

Dr. Brian Boroski is a vice president and principal and the head of operations for H.T. Harvey & Associates’ San Joaquin Valley and California Central Coast offices.  He has more than 25 years of experience as a wildlife ecologist with an extensive history of working on projects involving endangered species, permitting, and permit compliance in many arenas, including utility-scale renewable energy, particularly solar.  He applies his experience and regulatory knowledge to develop and implement effective strategies.

Proposed expansion of Carrizo Plain National Monument in the Temblor Range

Neil Havlik is the President of the Board of Directors of the nonprofit land trust Carrizo Plain Conservancy.  Neil has worked in natural resource management his entire 45-year professional career.  After graduating from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1968 and UC Santa Barbara Master’s degree program in 1971, Neil worked for the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland, CA.  He later went on to become the Executive Director of the Solano Land Trust in Fairfield, CA., and in 1996 went on to serve for seventeen years as the Natural Resources Manager for the City of San Luis Obispo, CA.  He has maintained an active interest in the Carrizo Plain area for many years, serving on an advisory panel for Carrizo Plain National Monument for twelve years, and was one of the founders of the Carrizo Plain Conservancy in 2013.  Neil is retired and lives in San Luis Obispo with his wife Ann.

San Joaquin Antelope Ground Squirrel Translocation Success on Conservation Lands

Craig is an Environmental Scientist for CDFW, who has worked in the Carrizo since 2006, surveying special status plant and animal species as well as other land management activities. Since 2013 Craig has managed CDFW’s North Carrizo Ecological Reserve, which is 12,000+ acres located north of the Carrizo National Monument. His interests generally include California native plants, camera trapping, and bumble bees/native pollinators.

Carrizo Pronghorn Status Update: Population Decline, Habitat Loss, and Management Strategies

Brandon Swanson is an Environmental Scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in San Luis Obispo County. Brandon does research in Ecology, Wildlife Biology, and Environmental Science. David Hacker is a Senior Environmental Scientist at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Updates on Management Strategies and Successful Outcomes on the Carrizo Plain Solar Mitigation Lands

Camdilla Wirth is a Conservation Biologist with Sequoia Riverlands Trust. Camdilla joined SRT in 2015 after obtaining her master’s in biology from Cal State Northridge and has been supporting SRT’s mitigation site management efforts since, particularly in the Carrizo Plain area and west side of the San Joaquin Valley. Sequoia Riverlands Trust manages more than 18,000 acres of solar mitigation land in the Carrizo Plain. Their work includes monitoring the suite of endemic central valley species including the endangered San Joaquin kit fox and giant kangaroo rat, adaptively managing grassland through tools such as rotational grazing, and restoring and improving habitat for native species.

Step Back in Time

Chuck Graham is a freelance writer and photographer in Carpinteria, CA. He’s also been a beach lifeguard for over 20 years, works as a guide for Channel Islands Adventure Company leading kayak tours and backpacking trips at the Channel Islands National Park, and is the editor of DEEP Surf Magazine.  Chuck is the author of Carrizo Plain: Where the Mountains Meet the Grasslands.  Chuck will talk about photographing the Carrizo and will have copies of his book available for purchase.