Wildlife biologists play a key role in the preservation and management of wildlife. We also conduct surveys to determine the potential for sensitive species to occur to support development. These studies are used by land managers, resource agencies, and consultants in the evaluation of impacts associated with infrastructure projects. This session focuses on how to ethically balance advocacy for the species, the client, and compliance with environmental laws. consequences that affect projects or studies when critical mistakes are made in the field, in the data analysis, or the conclusions presented in a report. We will discuss how these errors often accumulate or are compounded overtime, where they often occur, and how they should be remedied when discovered. More importantly, we will highlight methods that should be used when planning and conducting field work, how to support your conclusions, and how to prepare legally defensible documents.

Chris Huntley is a senior biologist at Aspen with over 24 years of experience working on high-profile large-scale energy infrastructure, fire management, and renewable projects across California. Chris has been a document reviewer or preparer for numerous complex CEQA/NEPA documents and other technical studies for the California Energy Commission, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the California Public Utilities Commission, and numerous other land management agencies. Chris always emphasizes communication, collaboration, and ethics when working with agencies and proponents.

David Wyatt: Many new college students start their educational journeys being undecided about their career and educational goals. The ability to “explore” courses in numerous subject areas can serve as gateway events that result in career determinations for many students, for example students that “discover” biology as a career pathway. The Community Colleges offer such opportunities at an affordable price-point and also provide career advancement opportunities for college graduates and current professionals through academic and career education programs and courses. Students can readily pick and choose courses they wish to take whether it is an entire transfer-track program culminating in university degree(s), a career-education Certificate, or single- or multiple-courses intended for professional training and advancement.

Julie Vance:  During its early years, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) was focused on enforcing fishing and hunting laws and stocking fish. Over the past 150 years, the role and priorities of CDFW have expanded towards a focus on conservation and science, with some recent periods of intense change within the organization. With this expansion in focus comes an increased diversity of career opportunities for biologists and other scientists. To be effective in this diverse conservation space, regular communication and collaboration with other state scientists, federal agency partners, non-profit organizations, and consulting firm scientists is essential.   

David Wyatt is a Biology Professor at Sacramento City College and teaches and coordinates the Field Ecology Program. Prior to teaching, David was a State of California biologist at several agencies and since 2002 has also been working as a biological consultant as a wildlife biologist.

Julie Vance has worked for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the past 19 years, and previously worked for the California Department of Water Resources. She is currently the Regional Manager of the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Central Region office headquartered in Fresno. Julie received her B.S. and M.S. from CSU Fresno.  

Linda Leeman Abstract:  Numerous environmental laws were passed in the US from the late 1960s to early 1980s. In a broad sense, the purpose of these laws is to protect human health and the environment, and they reflect society’s value of the natural world. Since enactment of these laws, careers for wildlife biologists have expanded from management of game species for consumptive use to a myriad of other options, including conservation biologist, restoration ecologist, regulatory specialist, environmental consultant, academic researcher, policy advocate, and more. Potential employers include federal, state, or local governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, zoos and museums, and private companies. Regardless of career track or employer, environmental laws shape the wildlife biology profession. Therefore, understanding the laws is essential to a successful career, and yet, most academic programs do not provide adequate course material on the topic. While environmental laws are not perfectly written or implemented, they are one of the most important tools to achieving conservation outcomes. The presentation will explore the different roles for biologists in implementation of environmental laws and compliance and the importance of collaboration between professionals to achieve successful wildlife conservation.

Eric C. Hansen Abstract: Traditional pathways in wildlife research often are associated with institutional platforms such as agencies, academia, and NGOs, yet vital information is produced in the private sector that can contribute significantly to the body of knowledge required for successful resource management and conservation. Unfortunately, this information frequently is relegated to gray literature unavailable to the public or else is limited in scope due to project constraints. While core research through the private sector is perhaps less common, the ability to specialize in particular areas of expertise, to understand the regulatory nuances to conservation in a particular system, access to institutional knowledge held by other involved in the system, and relationships with other private sector specialists provide an excellent foundation for developing research questions and programs that contribute to regulatory and resource decision making. This presentation will address the importance of collaboration and potential pathways to developing, funding, and publishing research in the private sector and how the knowledge gained through this experience can be passed on to students in developing careers.

Linda Leeman:  Linda leads the Natural Resources Practice at Ascent, an environmental consulting firm based in Sacramento. She started as a field biologist for a variety of state and federal agencies. She also ran an ornithology lab for a small, nonprofit. Ultimately, the opportunities for growth, creativity, and leadership led her to environmental consulting, where she works on a variety multi-disciplinary projects related to CEQA review, ESA compliance, and natural resources planning.

Eric Hansen: Eric Hansen is a herpetologist specializing in threatened and endangered reptiles and amphibians of the Central Valley, working as an independent consultant and researcher since 1998. With interests centering on conservation ecology, his independent and collaborative projects have covered a range of interests, including population genetics, contaminants and toxicology, demography, and spatial ecology. He also has worked as an instructor in the Field Ecology Certificate Program at Sacramento City College since 2017. Mr. Hansen’s professional affiliations include the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, the Wildlife Society, and the Herpetologists League.

Stephanie Parsons started her a career as wildlife biologist working at a nonprofit organization which evolved from a focus on wildlife biology to regulatory compliance working for private firms and ultimately to creating an independent consulting firm. Her career path did not start with a clearly defined path. Rather it started from a passion for the natural environment and took a course that involved taking risks and moving into the unknown. She worked for many organizations within the same industry, with varying levels of responsibility and opportunities, that diversified and improved her skill set as an environmental professional. She learned to adjust her goals and preferences and embrace a mode of learning that shaped and defined her career goals and vision for life.

A Question & Answer Session will follow Stephanie's presentation.

Stephanie Parsons is the creator and owner of CreativEnvironment Group LLC. She has 26 years of experience in natural resources regulation, regulatory strategy development and environmental documentation spanning a variety of project types for private, public, and nonprofit organizations and of both Statewide and regional significance. She has conducted all levels of work required to support project planning and implementation, from fieldwork and analysis to regulatory compliance and agency consultation. Her experience involves conducting early project siting and constraints analysis, CEQA and NEPA analysis, developing permit and consultation documents, and supporting compliance demonstration during construction. Example projects she has supported include the California High-Speed Rail System, the Delta Conveyance Project, and Sacramento International Airport ‘Big Build’ Project.