Leadership Team
Favorite native species: too many to list
Gary founded Ecostudies Institute in 2001 and has worked to identify situations where Ecostudies’ knowledge, experience, and skills can be most effective towards advancing the conservation of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. Gary has nearly 30 years of experience in nonprofit administration, avian research, and conservation, including work in the Pacific Northwest, south Florida, Venezuela, and the Bahamas. Most recently, his work has focused on conserving imperiled birds in prairie-oak habitats. His research interests span a wide variety of applied conservation issues, including the re-introduction ecology of passerine bird species, impacts of management on avian populations, and demographic factors limiting small populations. Gary’s passion for birds began as a child watching chickadees at the family bird feeder. He received a B.S. in Wildlife Science from Purdue University and a M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida. Outside of the office, Gary enjoys spending time gardening, brewing beer, and hiking.
Favorite native species: cutleaf Microseris
Sarah is originally from Ohio, but she has lived and worked in the tallgrass prairies of Minnesota, the sweeping valleys of Yellowstone National Park, the ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Rockies, the giant sequoia forests in the Sierra Nevadas, and the rare rosemary scrub of Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge. For the last 15 years, Sarah has worked to research and restore rare species habitat in Pacific Northwest prairies and oak woodlands using rigorous science and collaborative conservation principles. Her work has focused on evaluating fire effects on soil and plant community dynamics, biogeochemical and microbial legacies of invasive species, conservation grazing impacts on plant communities, restoration strategies for native plant establishment, and incorporation of Indigenous priorities and practices into the restoration process. Sarah holds a B.A. in Biology from Wittenberg University and a Ph.D. in Ecology from Colorado State University. Sarah is also an adjunct professor at The Evergreen State College, where she teaches in the Master of Environmental Studies program. She is the Board President for OlyEcosystems and the Chair of the Research and Plant Inventory Committee for the Washington Native Plant Society. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys adventuring in the mountains and around the Salish Sea with family and friends.
Favorite native species: Puget blue butterfly
Elspeth leads multi-partner cooperative conservation projects throughout the prairie and oak habitats of the Pacific Northwest and coordinates the Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership. Her work focuses on advancing the conservation of rare species by bringing together disparate entities – ranging from federal, state, and local agencies to NGO’s to private landowners – and facilitating shared understanding and collaboration. She has also led land acquisition projects as well as carrying out communications and outreach. Elspeth grew up in Maine, spending her time outdoors gardening, hiking, and snowshoeing – activities she now loves doing in the Pacific Northwest. She earned a bachelor’s in psychology from Pomona College and a master’s in public administration with a certificate in environmental management from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.
Favorite native species: can’t choose just one!
Mason (also known as Lea) has been working in the South Sound Prairies since 2005. During that time, she has primarily managed the cooperative restoration program with Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) that focuses on integrated habitat and species restoration. Mason’s current main focus is managing Ecostudies’ Fire Program, a partner-based collaborative program that has conducted well over 1,000 ecological burns since 2008 and works with Tribes to support cultural fire practices. The burn program has primarily focused on the Coast Salish region’s prairie and oak habitats and also works with partners in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
Lea has been working in natural resources management since 1992. Her other experience includes wildlife and habitat management, soil surveys and analysis, firefighting, forest management and ecological restoration. Notably, Lea was the forest manager for University of Washington’s Pack Forest for nine years, where she was involved in silviculture, modeling, research, as well as public outreach and education. Lea earned her bachelor’s in conservation of wildland resources and her master’s in silviculture at the University of Washington. In 2024, Mason shared her true gender identity professionally with her conservation community, coming out as trans femme and publicly adopting the name Lea in addition to Mason, both of which she is comfortable using. As far as we know, Lea may be the first nationally qualified RXB2 publicly trans femme burn boss.
Administrative Team
Favorite native species: rubber boa
Kathleen was born and raised in the Puget Sound area, and is currently getting her A.A. in Accounting. She joined Ecostudies Institute in December of 2022 as the Financial and Grant Manager, where she supports program staff in tracking funding as well as managing documents and deadlines. When Kathleen is not at work she can be found either traveling the world with her family, or enjoying a night in with some paint, a blank canvas, and her cat, Walter.
Favorite native species: fawn lily
Joy grew up in Dallas, Texas, and received a BA in journalism from Texas A&M University. After working as an editor for a variety of medical journals, she moved to Olympia in 2010 with her family with plans to start a small farm. Prairie Oak Farm was established in 2017 in southwest Olympia on a small piece of the Delphi prairie and was named to reflect the magnificent oaks still scattered throughout the property. Certified organic in 2022, the farm has provided an opportunity for learning more about regenerative agriculture, ecological preservation and restoration, and the roles of both within the larger context of community. Joy joined the Ecostudies Institute in December of 2022 as an Office Manager, where she supports the staff in the important work they do out in the field. When she’s not at work, she can be found tending to her garden, walking her dogs in the woods, or spending time with friends and family.
Kimi, originally from Seattle Washington, joined Ecostudies Institute in March of 2025 after circumnavigating the world in a sailboat. Excited to return to work, as Controller, she will oversee financial reporting, budgeting, grant compliance, and strategic financial planning to ensure the fiscal health of Ecostudies Institute dedicated to making a difference in our local community and beyond. Kimi earned a Master’s in Public Accounting from the Foster’s Business School at the University of Washington and brings accounting experience working at Deloitte in Seattle. She is currently reinstating her CPA license since it was not essential for her to possess during her many years of travel. More recently in her role as Director of Operations for a charter yacht company in the US Virgin Islands, she offers collaborative leadership, strategic planning experience, and a sound interest in conservation. Kimi enjoys baking sourdough, doing house projects with her husband, and walking or hiking with her dogs, Kevin & Zippy.
Favorite native species: Arbutus menziesii (Pacific madrone)
Yaeli joined Ecostudies in 2024 and has lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of her life. She moved to Olympia over a decade ago with her band, and graduated from The Evergreen State College with a BA in literature and translation. When not being an administrative assistant at Ecostudies, Yaeli is likely making music, writing, carving a block print, translating and teaching Yiddish, or spending time with her cat.
Avian Conservation Program
Favorite native species: chestnut-backed chickadee
Stephanie works on avian research projects in the South Puget Sound and beyond, where her focal species include the streaked horned lark, Oregon vesper sparrow, and western bluebird. She is passionate about all stages of research, from proposing questions and gathering data in the field, to performing quantitative analysis and implementing conservation management decisions.
In 2014, Stephanie earned her B.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from Cedar Crest College, where she completed an undergraduate honors thesis assessing soil and vegetation of a remediated grassland. She then spent several years as a zoo conservation educator followed by field technician positions on diverse research projects, including tagging migrating monarch butterflies in New Jersey, banding endangered golden-cheeked warblers in Texas, and observing white-ruffed manakin leks in Costa Rica. She completed her M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources with a certificate in GIS and Spatial Analysis from West Virginia University in 2022, studying the demography and migration ecology of Canada Warblers in central Appalachia.
She migrated to Washington and joined Ecostudies in May 2022 with her three cats and crested gecko. When not chasing birds and butterflies, Stephanie can most often be found falling off rock climbing walls, teaching knitting classes, and haunting used book shops.
Favorite native species: pigeon guillemot
Isabel joined the Ecostudies team in December 2023 as the project manager for the Salish Seas Estuaries Avian Monitoring Framework. She is excited to be working with local partners to help operationalize this regional bird monitoring effort and help improve our understanding of how estuarine habitats support avian communities throughout the Salish Sea. Growing up in Puget Sound fueled Isabel’s interest in wildlife and the outdoors. She earned a bachelors in Wildlife Ecology from Washington State University in 2015 and completed a masters thesis in Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2020, where she studied bird-habitat associations on small, diversified farms in New England. As a field biologist, she’s worked on remote seabird nesting islands in Maine, banded migrating raptors in Nevada, and assisted with passerine mist-netting projects in Massachusetts, Florida, and California. Most recently, Isabel coordinated avian monitoring and permitting for renewable energy projects in upstate New York. She’s happy to be back in her home-state of Washington where she spends her spare time hiking, birding, and knitting.
Favorite native species: streaked horned lark
Erika is originally from Florida where they got their Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. They’ve worked with numerous species including freshwater mussels, California Spotted owls, Florida Bonneted bats, and most recently the Streaked Horned Lark for the 2022 field season with Ecostudies. In the off-season, they’ve been helping out the restoration crew as a technician. In their free time, Erika enjoys knitting and taking their dog on solo hiking trips. They hope to get their Master’s degree someday focusing on endangered species.
Favorite native species: American dipper
Gavin finished his Bachelor’s Degree in 2022 at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in Environmental Science and Conservation Biology (and minored in Geography!). During this second AmeriCorps term with Ecostudies Institute, he will be entering a third year of seasonal avian-related fieldwork that has taken him all across the western states, from all across his home state of California to Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, and Washington. When not contributing to Ecostudies’ many avian conservation projects, Gavin enjoys backpacking and climbing with his partner, geeking out over maps and license plates, tinkering with his bike, and snuggling with his cat.
Gavin intends to further his career in ornithological studies in his second AmeriCorps term with Ecostudies, and is preparing to enroll in ecology graduate programs as soon as Fall 2025. At Ecostudies, Gavin’s roles are quite literally as varied as the breadth of our field of study, though his primary responsibilities are coordinating the Puget Sound Shorebird Count, leading a study on White-breasted nuthatch occupancy in western Washington, and assisting demographic monitoring of the South Sound’s threatened grassland-obligate songbirds. Throughout his career, he looks forward to contributing to research and management actions that restore the presence of high-quality habitats and the sensitive avian populations that rely on them to our local landscapes, and Ecostudies Institute provides a perfect practicum in which to conduct that work.
Partnerships Program
Favorite native species: fawn lily
Sam lives and works in the North Puget Sound, facilitating restoration efforts in the San Juan Islands to enhance habitat for rare plants and butterfly species. Sam brings together a diverse background including horticulture, rare plant species restoration, and forestry consulting in the San Juans. A resident of San Juan County since 2007, she has developed a good understanding of both the human and plant communities that exist in the islands, and how they affect one another. Her interests include native prairie and rocky bald habitat enhancement, intentional burning, and increasing pollinator habitat. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in the Conservation of Natural Resources at the University of Washington’s College of Forest Resources, she continued her studies there and completed a Master of Science degree in 2008 with a focus on Forest Soils and Restoration Ecology. Sam is also a founding member of the Huntress Guild of Orcas Island.
Favorite native species: Northern inside-out flower
Cindy brings a love of all things outdoors to her position as Seed Coordinator. She started her environmental career with the US Forest Service working in Wilderness recreation and transitioned to Botany after graduation from Western Washington University with a B.S. in Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecology.
She has worked on restoration projects supporting Oregon Silverspot Butterflies, Rocky Mountain Elk, and Mardon Skipper. She has supported South Sound ecosystem restoration by working on a native seed farm providing native, source-identified, ecoregional seed for both government and non-government restoration projects.
In her free time, Cindy can be found hiking the Pacific Northwest with her wife, knitting her latest pair of socks, or snuggling with her cat, Frosty.
Favorite native species: American pika
Anita’s research interests lie in integrating genetic/genomic technologies, traditional field ecology, community engagement, as well as policy and management to conserve at-risk species. She is excited to be a part of the Ecostudies team as a Conservation Specialist to help coordinate the Cascadia Prairie-Oak Partnership and other cooperative conservation projects.
Anita is originally from New Jersey but has been migrating progressively more west as her career progresses. She received her B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences from Cornell University and an M.Sc. in Veterinary Medical Sciences from the University of Calgary. Her most recent work has focused on the conservation genomics of endangered caribou in British Columbia, but she has also worked with mesopredators in the southeastern US, songbirds in the Sonoran Desert, small mammals in the Colorado Rockies, and a variety of species in Białowieża National Park, Poland—among other fantastic projects.
Outside of work, you can find Anita climbing, reading, playing board and video games, or snuggling with her cat and refraining from adopting another one.
Favorite native species: snowberry
Shawn Ryan started at Ecostudies as a Conservation Science Intern through the Veterans Conservation Corps before moving to his current role as the Shared Resources Specialist. He primarily focuses on prairie restoration practices, including conservation grazing, non-native plant species management, herbicide treatments, and prescribed burning. Before joining the Ecostudies team, Shawn served 12 years in the Army as a vehicle mechanic and shop manager. He hopes to utilize his mechanical background to help build more efficient and effective conservation practices, along with learning a new skillset in the conservation field. During his free time, Shawn enjoys hiking and camping with his family as well as photography and building/fabricating.
Favorite native species: Taricha granulosa
Jared has lived in the PNW for most of their life. They graduated from Western Oregon University where they had the privilege to study rough skinned meets! They feel a deep sense of gratitude to be able to work on the Salish prairies and they greatly enjoy running around Mima Mounds subconsciously naming every plant they see, almost against their will.
Outside of work you can find Jared running through Capitol Forest or herping around Western Washington.
Favorite native species: Crataegus douglasii (black hawthorn)
Kyra is a recent transplant in western Washington, hailing from the forests of the Northeast. They received their bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies & Natural Systems at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. Kyra spent the summer season of 2022 learning and teaching ethnobotany and herbalism in the lowland forests of the Puget Sound and has been in love with this corner of the world ever since. Kyra’s deep desire to create harmonious relationships with other-than-human kin has brought them to intern and work with land trusts, organic and permaculture farms, environmental education camps and nonprofit organizations in New York, Connecticut, and Washington. Kyra is very interested in co-creation, community, and regeneration within ecosystems and among fellow humans and can’t wait to put those values into practice through their position as Restoration & Outreach Coordinator at Ecostudies!
Outside of work, you can find Kyra foraging in the woods, talking to plants, reading, gardening, and spending time with the people they love.
Restoration Program
Favorite native species: all of them!
Tim Atkinson is a restoration project manager, fire practitioner and aspiring botanist, and has been with Ecostudies Institute since April 2021. He supports numerous restoration projects in Western Washington focusing on the removal of invasive plants, establishment of native species and the implementation of good fire back to prairie ecosystems. Tim graduated from The Evergreen State College with a Master’s in Environmental Studies, focusing on Oregon White Oak survivorship and mycorrhizal fungi. He enjoys the variety of work Ecostudies provides, discovering seemingly disparate connections between different restoration projects; from burning under oaks in the Willamette valley to hand seeding native grasses and forbs in the San Juan Islands. His desire to foster connections in ecosystems extends to supporting connections in people. Tim approaches his work with empathy and openness, valuing clear communication and the creation of a healthy workplace culture. He is passionate about returning good fire to the land and supporting increased access to the field of ecological restoration for marginalized groups through JEDI work.
Favorite native species: Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria biflora)
Catie has worked on diverse projects devoted to supporting healthy ecosystems for over ten years. Her role at Ecostudies began in the Avian Program in 2021, monitoring prairie birds at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and examining the effects of estuary restoration on bird communities in the north Salish Sea. She transitioned to the Restoration Program in 2023, supporting all aspects of applied habitat management on Joint Base Lewis-McChord through planning and coordinating restoration actions in prairie, wetland and forest systems. She acts as a mycelium, connecting multiple perspectives and priorities to improve the life of prairies and the people linked to them.
Favorite native species: wolverine; paintbrushes
Casey, originally from the Gulf Coast, has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2010. She started her career off with a pastry arts degree, baking and creating wedding cakes. After moving, she started working outside and never went back indoors, from ziplines and horseback trail guiding to working with dogs. Now she leads crews on the JBLM prairies doing restoration work and participates seasonally in prescribed fires.
When she’s not working she guides climbs on Mt. St. Helens, sews clothes, climbs trees, and hangs out with her fur-kids.
Favorite native species: wood duck; rosy Plectritis
Mollie has lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of her life and has been working on the prairies since 2014. She studied botany, zoology, and ecology at The Evergreen State College. She does habitat restoration, prescribed fire, and leads the butterfly monitoring effort at JBLM. She loves being outside both at work and on her free time. Exploring the Olympic peninsula, riding her bicycle, and writing nerdy songs are some of her favorite activities.
Favorite native species: Monument plant (Frasera speciosa) and western larch (Larix occidentalis)
Kelsey’s role is focused on restoration of native grasslands and sagebrush steppe near Boardman, OR. Her work includes long-term vegetation monitoring and post-fire habitat restoration involving the removal of invasive plants and the establishment of native bunchgrasses, forbs, and shrubs. Kelsey was born and raised in the high desert of eastern Oregon and has worked as a research assistant, ecological restoration tech, and forester across the western U.S. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College and a M.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University. Outside of work Kelsey enjoys quilting, swimming, cooking, and exploring the landscapes of eastern OR and WA.
Favorite native species: Achillea millefolium
Theresa is originally from the Sonoran Desert in Southern Arizona and received a Bachelor’s of Environmental Science in Natural Resource Management from the University of Montana-Western in Southwest Montana where she began her career in conservation. From trail work at the Grand Canyon to fuel reduction in San Juan National Forest in Southwest Colorado, disaster relief in Florida, Native seed collection in New Mexico and the Mojave Desert between California and Arizona, stream restoration in Montana and vegetation monitoring in Oregon and New Mexico, she has hopped around the West seeking out a variety of conservation experiences. Most recently, she worked in a community focused local food production program in Northwest New Mexico getting hands-on experience with small farm operations and community distribution. Theresa joined Ecostudies in Fall 2023 and is excited to help build restoration efforts based in Boardman, Oregon.
Outside of work, you can find Theresa hitting the trail with her bike, going on a run, reading in a hammock under some trees, planning the next backpacking trip, or outside taking photos of everything to put on iNaturalist.
Favorite native species: prairie lupine
Janelle Bouman joined Ecostudies in 2022 as a Monitoring and Restoration Technician with a focus on rare butterfly monitoring. She also participates in habitat restoration and prescribed fire. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Janelle has degrees in Biology and Humanities from Valparaiso University. Her love for the Northwest was shaped by a few years spent in community at Holden Village, a remote wilderness retreat center in the North Cascades. After relocating to the South Sound region, she is enjoying exploring the area and working to restore native prairies. When Janelle is not chasing butterflies or getting excited about plants, you can find her reading, hiking, knitting, and hanging out with her cat Percy.
Favorite native species: Douglas fir; Puget blue butterfly; opalescent nudibranch
Erin is from the sunny San Francisco Bay area and received a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. While at UCSC, she completed internships surrounding the curation of natural history museum collections and biological survey work. Erin also volunteered for several years at the California Academy of Sciences assisting in animal husbandry and aquarium maintenance. Since moving to Washington, she has served two AmeriCorps terms, one in a restoration crew for the Washington Conservation Corps and one as the Prairie Science Technician for Ecostudies. During her AmeriCorps term with Ecostudies, Erin contributed to a literature review, data analysis, vegetation monitoring, and restoration work with partners at Washington State Parks. As a Restoration Technician, she now battles non-native invasive plants on the prairies and participates in prescribed fire operations. When not at work you can find Erin gardening, reading, eating ice cream, and tending to her plant collection.
Favorite native species: Klamath Mountain catchfly
Tessa O’Grady is originally from the Central Coast of California and has lived in Washington state for 6 years. She has a B.S. in Botany from Oregon State University. She has worked previously as a botany and restoration technician in places such as Shasta-Trinity and Klamath National Forests, as well as Santa Cruz Island. At Ecostudies, she works in the field completing invasive plant removal and native plant reintroduction. Outside of work, she loves to hike with her two dogs, garden, and travel.
Favorite native species: Castilleja miniata
Caitlin began her career in environmental restoration in the Midwest in 2019 after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology and conservation. She has specialized in prairie, wetland, and oak savanna restoration and prescribed burning over the years. Caitlin fell in love with Washington early on after college, it was always a dream of hers to move here someday. Caitlin fulfilled this dream in March 2024 when she started with Ecostudies as a restoration specialist. She is excited to be continuing her restoration work in the imperiled prairie and oak savanna ecosystems. In her free time, Caitlin enjoys hiking, horseback riding, and creating art.
Favorite native species: Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana); chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis);
ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
Originally from the Midwest, Paris has been living in the South Sound area of Washington State for five years. They graduated from The Evergreen State College with a dual degree in
Conservation Biology and Restoration Ecology in 2023, during which they took part in internships with Joint Base Lewis-McChord Fish and Wildlife as a Conservation Ecology Intern, Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge as an Environmental Education Intern, and the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Wetland Ecology and Monitoring Intern. After graduating, they began an AmeriCorps term with Ecostudies Institute as a Prairie Science Technician, where they gained additional vegetation monitoring and restoration experience. Now, as a Restoration Technician, they primarily control invasives, seed native plants, and participate in prescribed fires on the prairies. Outside of work you can find Paris gardening, swimming in beautiful places, cuddling their two cats, and hiking slow enough to stop and smell the flowers, find some berries, or look for critters.
Favorite native species: Northern flicker, small-flowered trillium
Rosemary finished her BS in Biology at Pacific University Oregon and her MS in Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University, where she studied the spring phenology of American elms. They previously interned with JBLM’s Fish & Wildlife program, where they enjoyed working in both forest and prairie ecosystems. As the Prairie Restoration Technician, Rosemary primarily works on invasive control and native plant seeding. Outside of work, you can find her knitting, crocheting, or reading a good book.
Prescribed Fire Program
Favorite native species: fireweed
Rhodri is from Mohkinstsis (Calgary) and joined Ecostudies in 2020. Their career started on helitack wildfire suppression crews in the boreal forests of Nishnawbe Aski Nation territory, as well as in JEDI work (Justice, Equity, Decolonization and Intersectionality). Rhodri transitioned to the world of prescribed fire in 2019, where they now weave fire and JEDI work together.
Rhodri’s work at Ecostudies focuses on building collaborative ‘good fire’ capacity throughout the Northwest, centering partnerships with Tribes and Indigenous communities – the rightful stewards of the lands where we work. Rhodri organizes fire trainings and curriculum intended to be more accessible and appropriate for communities underrepresented/excluded from today’s fire world. They are an active fire practitioner/Single Resource Boss on ESI’s ecological burn crew, and also support prairie restoration and habitat monitoring efforts.
Rhodri has a B.S. in Biology and Equity from the University of Tkaronto, as well as a blend of ongoing grassroots and formal continuing education in the areas of fire effects/ecology, anti-oppression, wildlife tracking, land tending, and anti-colonial solidarity work. They consider themselves a lifelong student of fire and the more-than-human world.
Coming soon!
Favorite native species: torrent salamanders
Nicole Barys came to Washington from the Florida panhandle. Her job at Ecostudies involves working to return prescribed fire to the landscape, fire preparation activities, and other restoration activities as assistance is required. She began working with prescribed fire in 2018 with The Longleaf Alliance, and has additional background in wildlife biology from Nokuse Plantation and education and outreach from the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center. Outside of work, her main interest is herpetology.
Favorite native species: Oncorhynchus mykiss, Eriophyllum lanatum, Quercus garryana
Casey joined Ecostudies after a six year enlistment in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic and was a diesel mechanic prior. He realized he wasn’t passionate about the work he was doing, and decided to make a career change. Having grown up in central Mississippi, he spent a great deal of time out amongst the trees appreciating the natural world. This, among many other great influences, led him to want to pursue meaningful work in restoration and the protection of natural habitats. Having been in Washington since 2018, he has decided to become a permanent resident. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s of science degree in natural resources at Oregon State University in hopes of increasing his knowledge and expanding his impact on the work he does. In his free time, Casey enjoys hiking, fly fishing, camping, and learning native species. His role at Ecostudies focuses on prescribed fire and prairie/oak savanna restoration.
Favorite native species: Kinnikinnick
Hailing from Olympia, Remy received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Washington. In the years since, he has worked in the zero waste field developing a wildland fire recycling program, guided mountain sports throughout Western WA, and put in a season with a USFS fire suppression crew. Prescribed fire and restoration are a new world for Remy, and he’s excited to spend more time monitoring fire effects and less time mopping up. He spends his free time on trails, rocks, and snow.
Favorite native species: Dicentra formosa (bleeding hearts)
Mako is an alumni of UC Davis with a BS in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems and a BA in Native American Studies. Mako continues to develop their relationship with the land and all of its inhabitants through their work with Ecostudies. They can be counted on to say “Oh! A mushroom!” at any moment. When not working in the field, Mako can be found at home with a good book to read, good music, and their cat.
Science Program
Favorite native species: silvery blue butterfly; Kincaid’s lupine
Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Sam obtained her Bachelor of Science in ecosystem restoration and management from UW-Stevens Point in 2015. She then spent a couple of seasons working for the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service before beginning her Ph.D. with Washington State University Vancouver. She studied the biological and sociological sides of conserving native butterfly species in working lands, right here in the South Puget Sound. Sam finished her degree in 2023. When she’s not following butterflies around, Sam loves hiking, reading, sewing, and trying new restaurants.
Favorite native species: blue-thimble-flower; deltoid balsamroot; California oatgrass
Melissa’s work facilitates the development and implementation of research and monitoring projects aimed to enhance prairie and oak woodland habitat restoration across the Pacific Northwest.
Before joining Ecostudies, Melissa worked coast-to-coast on conservation projects for over a decade. Her adventures included mapping/treating invasive plants in the Idaho wilderness, chasing Northern spotted owls across Northern California, exploring habitat corridors and longleaf pine savanna habitat restoration in South Carolina, analyzing plant community assembly patterns in California serpentine grasslands, and conducting salmon surveys and riparian restoration in northwest Washington state. Outside of her work life, Melissa enjoys contra dancing, trail running, backpacking, bicycling, mushroom foraging, playing the banjolele, good food, and sharing the natural world with her kiddo.
Her academic accolades include a B.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology with honors from the University of Tennessee and a M.S. focused on plant ecology from Western Washington University.
Favorite native species: merlin; parasitic plants
Adam grew up in coastal Northern New England and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2006. He was part of the transition team that joined Ecostudies in 2020 after working on the South Sound Prairies since 2009. His work involves collaborative planning and implementation of restoration activities and developing research and monitoring projects to support the restoration and conservation of rare and federally-listed species in prairie and oak habitats in both South and North Puget Sound. A significant focus of his activities has been studying the best methods for reintroducing and maintaining rare plant populations and assessing the efficacy of restoration treatments. Adam is an Engine Boss who has participated in the successful completion of over 300 prescribed burns.
He has a Master of Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College, where he focused on topics in conservation biology with an emphasis in conservation biogeography. His thesis work involved assessing the risks to native plant communities on small islands in the San Juan Islands. Adam received his BA/BS in Natural History and Ecology at The Evergreen State College in 2011. Outside of Ecostudies, Adam has also been an outdoor educator for 20 years, teaching wildlife tracking and natural history of the Pacific Northwest. Outside of work, he enjoys painting, pottery and playing Scottish fiddle.
Favorite native species: Equisetum arvense
Andrew joined Ecostudies in April 2024 as a Vegetation Monitoring and Restoration Technician. He is from Seattle WA, and graduated from Western Washington University with a B.S in Environmental Science and a minor in Spanish. Previously, Andrew has worked with birds doing wildlife rehabilitation and has experience with prescribed fire and fire ecology. When Andrew is not working on the prairies you can find him making music, watching movies, and exploring the PNW.
Favorite native species: harsh paintbrush
Ben graduated with his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Minnesota in 2022. He then decided to follow his passion for the outdoors by pursuing a career as a conservationist. This led him to positions as a restoration technician in Minnesota, a research technician in Oregon, and now a prairie science technician with Ecostudies, In the field Ben has been working with the science team on conservation grazing projects. This includes invasive species management, soil sampling, and spreading native seed. Along with that, Ben has been assisting with the restoration team on JBLM with their efforts. Ben is looking forward to learning more about conservation grazing, vegetation monitoring season, and possibly helping out with prescribed fires! When Ben is not working he enjoys all things outdoors including backpacking, hiking and skiing.