(888) 224-1221
LocationsWHO WE ARE
About Us
At Cramer Fish Sciences, we help clients in California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Montana and Alaska find reliable and practical solutions to challenges with fish populations and riparian and aquatic ecology.
We use science to help solve issues with salmon and trout populations along the entire West Coast.
Cramer Fish Sciences is built around a core group of senior scientists with distinguished careers in fish, aquatic ecology, genetics, biostatistics, and population modeling, mixed with upcoming scientists that have outstanding scholastic achievement and fresh training in leading-edge methods and technologies. Support, field research, and population monitoring is provided by teams of well-rounded full-time and seasonal technical and field staff.
Leadership Team
Gregg Schumer
Vice President, Director of Lab Services, Senior Molecular Biologist West Sacramento, California
Joseph E. Merz, Ph.D.
President, Principal Scientist, Adjunct Professor (UCSC), Internal Director West Sacramento, California
Kyle Burdick, M.S.
Vice President, Operations Portland, Oregon
Philip Roni, Ph.D.
Vice President, Principal Scientist, Affiliate Professor (UW), Internal Director Issaquah, Washington
Gregg Schumer
Vice President, Director of Lab Services, Senior Molecular Biologist
B.S. Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Phone: (916) 231-1687
West Sacramento, California
Gregg has two decades of experience applying molecular biological techniques in the fields of human pathogens, vaccine production, molecular ecology, fisheries genetics, and the detection of cryptic aquatic species by environmental DNA (eDNA). Gregg has led the effort within CFS to transfer relevant molecular biological and genetics technologies from the world of human pathogens to the study of fish ecology. Gregg leads the development of protocols and techniques for identifying and evaluating the distribution of cryptic, invasive, and listed or endangered aquatic species by eDNA.
Selected Publications
Blankenship, S., G. Schumer, J. Van Eenennaam, and Z. Jackson. 2017. Estimating number of white sturgeon adults from egg relatedness. Fisheries Management and Ecology 24(2):163-172.
Finger, A., G. Schumer, A. Benjamin, A. Schreier, and S. Blankenship. 2017. Effective population size of delta smelt. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Sciences.
Bergman, P., G. Schumer, S. Blankenship, and E. Campbell. 2016. Detection of adult green sturgeon using environmental DNA analysis. PLoS One 11:e0153500. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153500.
Schreier, B. M., M. R. Baerwald, J. L. Conrad, G. Schumer, and B. May. 2016. Examination of predation on early life stage delta smelt in the San Francisco estuary using DNA diet analysis. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145(4):723-733.
Brandl, S., G. Schumer, B. M. Schreier, J. L. Conrad, B. May, and M. R. Baerwald. 2015. Ten real-time PCR assays for detection of fish predation at the community level in the San Francisco Estuary-Delta. Molecular Ecology 15(2):278-284.
Baerwald, M. R., B. M. Schreier, G. Schumer, and B. May. 2012. Detection of threatened delta smelt in the gut contents of the invasive Mississippi silverside in the San Francisco Estuary using TaqMan Assays. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(6):1600-1607.
Hamelin, M. E., M. Baz, Y. Abed, C. Couture, P. Joubert, É. Beaulieu, N. Bellerose, M. Plante, C. Mallett, G. Schumer, G. P. Kobinger, and G. Boivin. 2010. Oseltamivir-resistant pandemic A/H1N1 virus is as virulent as its wild-type counterpart in mice and ferrets. PLoS Pathogens 6(7):e1001015. DOI:10.1371/journal.ppat.1001015
Baerwald, M. R., G. Schumer, B. M. Schreier, and B. May. 2011. TaqMan assays for the genetic identification of delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and wakasagi smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis). Molecular Ecology Resources 11(5):784-785.
Blankenship, S., M. Teply, and G. Schumer. 2011. Sampling and analysis to assess brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) population trends in High Lake (Oregon) using environmental DNA monitoring. Report to Burns Paiute Tribe.
Kobinger, G. P., H. Feldmann, Y. Zhi, G. P. Schumer, G. P. Gao, F. Feldmann, S. Jones, and J. M. Wilson. 2006. Chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine protects against Zaire Ebola virus. Journal of Virology 346(2):394-401.
Joseph E. Merz, Ph.D.
President, Principal Scientist, Adjunct Professor (UCSC)
B.S. Environmental and Systematic Biology; M.S. Biological Conservation; Ph.D. Conservation Ecology
Phone: (916) 250-2344
West Sacramento, California
Joe has more than 26 years of experience working for state, city, university, and public entities as a fisheries ecologist and performing studies and monitoring fish populations to protect and enhance their habitat. He has completed numerous assessments of habitat manipulation on aquatic resources, including habitat enhancement, flow manipulation, invasive species removal, and regulation implementation, particularly for Chinook salmon and steelhead. Joe has extensive experience with habitat typing and delineation with the use of GIS and aerial maps, has designed multi-million dollar projects to restore river channels and floodplains, and has trained numerous professionals in these techniques.
Selected Publications
Sturrock, A. M., S. M. Carlson, J. D. Wikert, T. Heyne, S. Nusslé, J. Merz, H. Sturrock, R. C. Johnson. 2019. Un-natural selection of salmon life histories in a modified riverscape. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14896
Harrison, L. R., E. Bray, B. Overstreet, C. J. Legleiter, R. A. Brown, J. E. Merz, R. M. Bond, C. L. Nicol, and T. Dunne. 2019. Physical controls on salmon redd site selection in restored reaches of a regulated, gravel-bed river. Water Resources Research 55. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024428.
Anderson, J. T., G. Schumer, P. J. Anders, K. Horvath, and J. E. Merz. 2018. Confirmed observation: a North American green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris recorded in the Stanislaus River, California. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9(2):624-630.
Merz, J. E., L. Caldwell, M. Beakes, C. Hammersmark, and K. Sellheim. 2018. Balancing competing life stage requirements in salmon habitat rehabilitation: between a rock and a hard place. Restoration Ecology. Early View only. DOI: 10.1111/rec.12900.
Gundersen, D. T., S. C. Zeug, R. B. Bringolf, J. E. Merz, Z. Jackson, and M. A. H. Webb. 2017. Tissue contaminant burdens in San Francisco estuary white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus): implication for population recovery. Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 73(2):334-347.
Sellheim, K., M. Willmes, J. A. Hobbs, J. J. G. Glessner, Z. J. Jackson, and J. E. Merz. 2017. Validating fin ray microchemistry as a tool to reconstruct the migratory history of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(5):844–857.
Merz, J. E., D. G. Delaney, J. D. Setka, and M. L. Workman. 2016. Seasonal rearing habitat in a large Mediterranean-climate river: management implications at the southern extent of pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). River Research and Applications 32(6):1220-1231.
Merz, J. E., P. S. Bergman, J. L. Simonis, D. Delaney, J. Pierson, and P. Anders. 2016. Long-term seasonal trends in the prey community of delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Estuaries and Coasts 39(5):1526-1536.
Sabal, M., S. Hayes, J. Merz, and J Setka. 2016. Habitat alterations and a nonnative predator, the striped bass, increase native Chinook salmon mortality in the Central Valley, California. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36(2):309-320.
Sellheim, K. L., M. Vaghti, and J. E. Merz. 2016. Vegetation recruitment in an enhanced floodplain: Ancillary benefits of salmonid habitat enhancement. Limnologica 58:94-102.
Sellheim, K., C. Watry, B. Rook, S. Zeug, J. Hannon, J. Zimmerman, K. Dove, and J. Merz. 2015. Juvenile salmonid utilization of floodplain rearing habitat after gravel augmentation in a regulated river. River Research and Applications 32(4):610-621.
Anderson, I. J., M. K. Saiki, K. Sellheim, and J. E. Merz. 2014. Effect of Didymoshenia geminata blooms on benthic macroinvertebrates in the Lower American River California. Southwestern Association of Naturalists 59(3):389-395.
Merz, J., T. M. Garrison, P. S. Bergman, S. Blankenship, and J. C. Garza. 2014. Morphological discrimination of genetically distinct Chinook salmon populations: an example from California’s Central Valley. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 34(6):1259-1269.
Merz, J. E., P. S. Bergman, J. F. Melgo, and S. Hamilton. 2013. Longfin smelt: spatial dynamics and ontogeny in the San Francisco Estuary, California. California Fish and Game 99(3):122-148.
Kyle Burdick, M.S.
Vice President, Operations
M.S. Management
Phone: (503) 420-7317
Portland, Oregon
Kyle has 30+ years of experience working with organizations driving profitability and fostering growth through strategic leadership, effective relationship building and change management initiatives. His background has spanned diverse industry sectors and has included the formulation and execution of strategic roadmaps, often in the face of challenging market conditions. For Kyle, improving the client experience through the optimization of internal operations, streamlined processes, business development and ensuring top-notch quality assurance, is a top priority.
Philip Roni, Ph.D.
Vice President, Principal Scientist, Affiliate Professor (UW)
B.A. Business Administration (Marketing); M.S. Fisheries Science; Ph.D. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Phone: (206) 960-4484
Issaquah, Washington
Phil has nearly 30 years of experience as a fisheries research scientist and directs the CFS Northwest science team. He focuses on designing, implementing, completing, and publishing definitive studies to address pressing questions related to protection, management, and restoration of aquatic systems. His research for the last 20 years has concentrated on planning, prioritization, and evaluation of various watershed restoration techniques. He regularly teaches courses and has published numerous papers on restoration science, including the comprehensive book, “Stream and Watershed Restoration: A Guide to Restoring Riverine Processes and Habitats” (2013 Wiley-Blackwell).
Selected Publications
Krall, M. P. Roni, C. Clark, and K. Ross. 2021. Effects of livestock exclusion on stream banks and riparian vegetation in Washington and Oregon. Northwest Science 95: 1-21.
Clark, C., P. Roni, J. Keeton, and G. Pess. 2020. Evaluation of the removal of impassible barriers on anadromous salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin. Fisheries Management and Ecology 27:102-110.
Roni, P., J. E. Hall, S. M. Drenner, and D. Arterburn. 2019. Monitoring the effectiveness of floodplain habitat restoration: A review of methods and recommendations for future monitoring. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water:e1355.
Roni, P. 2019. Does river restoration increase fish abundance and survival or simply concentrate fish? The effects of project scale, location, and fish life history. Fisheries 44:7-19.
Roni, P., P. J. Anders, T. J. Beechie, and D. J. Kaplowe. 2018. Review of tools for identifying, planning, and implementing habitat restoration for Pacific salmon and steelhead. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 38(2):355-376.
Roni, P., Johnson, C., T. De Boer, T. and G. Pess. 2016. Interannual variability in the effects of physical habitat and parentage on Chinook salmon egg-to-fry survival. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 73:1-13.
Roni, P., T. Beechie, C. Jordan, and G. Pess. 2015. Basin scale monitoring of river restoration: recommendations from case studies in the Pacific Northwest USA. Pages 73–98 in N. Fisher, P. LeBlanc, C. A. Rose, and B. Sadler, editors. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 78, Bethesda, Maryland.
Roni, P., T. Beechie, G. Pess, and K. Hanson. 2015. Wood placement in river restoration: fact, fiction and future direction. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 72(3): 466-478.
Roni, P., and T. Beechie. 2013. Stream and watershed restoration: a guide to restoring riverine processes and habitats. Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, U.K.
Roni, P., T. Bennett, R. Holland, G. Pess, K. Hanson, R. Moses, M. McHenry, W. Ehinger, and J. Walter. 2012. Factors affecting migration timing, growth and survival of juvenile coho salmon in two coastal Washington watersheds. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141: 890-906.
Roni, P., G. Pess, S. T. Beechie and S. Morley. 2010. Estimating changes in coho salmon and steelhead abundance from watershed restoration: how much restoration is needed to measurably increase smolt production? North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:1469-1484.
Roni, P., K. Hanson, and T. Beechie. 2008. Global review of physical and biological effectiveness of stream rehabilitation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:856-890.
Roni, P. 2005. Monitoring stream and watershed restoration. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.
Roni, P., T. J. Beechie, R. E., Bilby, F. E. Leonetti, M. M. Pollock, and G. P. Pess. 2002. A review of stream restoration techniques and a hierarchical strategy for prioritizing restoration in Pacific Northwest watersheds. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 22:1-20.
Roni, P., and T. P. Quinn. 2001. Effects of artificial wood placement on movements of trout and juvenile coho salmon in natural and artificial channels. Transactions of American Fisheries Society 130:675-685.
Principal and Senior Scientists
Hans Berge, M.S.
Program Manager III Portland, Oregon
Jason Hall, M.S.c.
Program Manager I Issaquah, Washington
Jesse T. Anderson, B.S., Q.S.P.
R&D Program Manager Ripon, California
Jesse Wiesenfeld, M.S.
Science Operations Manager West Sacramento, California
Kai Ross, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist Issaquah, Washington
Kirsten Sellheim, M.S.
Senior Scientist West Sacramento, California
Rocko Brown, Ph.D.
Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist West Sacramento, California
Steven Zeug, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist Meadow Vista, CaliforniaHans Berge, M.S.
Program Manager III
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife; M.S. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences
Phone: (503) 446-5942
Portland, Oregon
Hans has over 20 years of experience working in state and local governments developing natural resource policies, managing salmon and aquatic habitat restoration projects, and conducting research in terrestrial and aquatic systems. He has expertise in leading project teams to conduct research and perform complex analyses, scope and implement restoration projects, develop salmon recovery plans, implement effective monitoring programs, complete fish passage improvement projects, and identify solutions to a variety of complex fisheries and environmental issues. He excels at working with multi-dimensional stakeholder groups to use science to address pressing natural resource challenges.
Selected Publications
Berge, H. B., H. Haemmerle, and T. Miskovic. 2017. Monitoring the effectiveness of forest practice rules in protecting aquatic resources. Northwest Woodlands 33(3):14-27.
Tabor, R. A., A. Bell, D. Lantz, H. B. Berge, and D. Hawkins. 2017. Phototaxic behavior of subyearling salmonids in the nearshore area of two urban lakes in western Washington state. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146:753-761.
Black, R. W., C. R. Czuba, C. S. Magirl, S. McCarthy, H. Berge, and K. Comanor. 2016. Effects of a levee setback on aquatic resources using two-dimensional flow and bioenergetics models. United States Geological Survey Scientific Investigation Report 2016-5025, Reston, Virginia.
Tabor, R. A., R. Peters, H. B. Berge, and R. Piaskowski. 2016. Diet of the torrent sculpin, Cottus rhotheus, in the Cedar River, Washington: effect of season, habitat type, and predator size with emphasis on piscivory. Northwestern Naturalist 97:190-204.
David, A. T., C. A. Simenstad, J. R. Cordell, J. D. Toft, C. S. Ellings, A. Gray, and H. B. Berge. 2015. Wetland loss, juvenile salmon foraging performance, and conspecific density-dependence in Pacific Northwest estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts 1-14.
Quinn, T. P., M. H. Bond, and H. B. Berge. 2015. Use of egg size differences in anadromous (sockeye salmon) and non-anadromous (kokanee) forms of Oncorhynchus nerka to infer ancestral origin of a landlocked population. Ecological Research 30(3):547-554.
Tabor, R. A., D. W. Lantz, J. D. Olden, and H. B. Berge. 2015. Assessment of introduced prickly sculpin populations in mountain lakes in two areas of western Washington State. Northwest Science 89(1):1-13.
Tabor, R. A., H. B. Berge, M. M. Klungle, B. E. Thompson, D. W. Lantz, and B. E. Price. 2014. Predation of juvenile salmonids by resident trout and other fishes in the lower Cedar River, Washington. Final report to Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle, Washington.
Burton, K. D., L. G. Lowe, H. B. Berge, H. K. Barnett, and P. L. Faulds. 2013. Comparative dispersal patterns for recolonizing Cedar River Chinook above Landsburg Dam, Washington, and the source population below the dam. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 142(3):703-716.
Konrad, C., H. B. Berge, R. Fuerstenberg, K. Steff, T. Olsen, and J. Guyenet. 2011. Channel dynamics in the Middle Green River, Washington, from 1936 to 2002. Northwest Science 85(1):1-14.
DeGasperi, C. L., H. B. Berge, K. R. Whiting, J. J. Burkey, J. L. Cassin, and R. R. Fuersteerg. 2009. Linking hydrologic alteration to biological impairment in urbanizing streams of the Puget Lowland, Washington, USA. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 45(2):512-533.
Overman, N. C., D. B. Beauchamp, H. B. Berge, M. M. Mazur, and J. K. McIntyre. 2009. Differing forage fish assemblages influence trophic structure in neighboring urban lakes. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138:741-755.
Matzen, D. A., and H. B. Berge. 2008. Assessing small stream biotic integrity using fish assemblages across an urban landscape in the Puget Sound Lowlands of Western Washington. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137:677-689.
Jason Hall, M.S.c.
Program Manager I
B.S.c. Environmental Science; M.S.c. Marine Biology
Phone: (206) 960-4585
Issaquah, Washington
Jason has over 18 years of experience in the design and implementation of fisheries research, restoration effectiveness monitoring, and status and trends monitoring studies. He has worked on numerous projects focused on salmonid ecology, life history diversity, habitat restoration, and habitat use during riverine, estuarine, and marine life stages. His most recent work has focused on nearshore and estuarine environments with a particular focus on using geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing to address watershed and regional-scale habitat status, trends, and restoration effectiveness questions. In addition, he has published numerous papers in scientific journals and regularly presents at conferences.
Selected Publications
Roni, P., J. E. Hall, S. M. Drenner, and D. Arterburn. 2019. Monitoring the effectiveness of floodplain habitat restoration: A review of methods and recommendations for future monitoring. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water:e1355.
Stefankiv, O., J. Hall, B. Timpane-Padgham, C. Nicol, C. Fogel, T. J. Beechie, and G. R. Pess. 2019. Salmon Habitat Status and Trends: Monitoring Protocols. U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Processed Report NMFSNWFSC-PR-2019-03.
Stefankiv, O., T. J. Beechie, J. E. Hall, G. R. Pess, and B. Timpane-Padgham. 2019. Influences of valley form and land use on large river and floodplain habitats in Puget Sound. River Research and Applications 35:133-145.
Hall, J. E., C. M. Greene, O. Stefankiv, J. Anderson, B. Timpane-Padgham, T. J. Beechie, and G. R. Pess. 2018. Large river habitat complexity and productivity of Puget Sound Chinook salmon. PLoS One 13(11):e0205127.
Hall, J. E., T. P. Khangaonkar, C. A. Rice, J. Chamberlin, T. Zackey, F. Leonetti, M. Rustay, K. Fresh, A. Kagley, and M. Rowse. 2018. Characterization of annual salinity and temperature patterns in a large river delta to support tidal wetland habitat restoration efforts. Northwest Science 92(1):445-461.
Hall, J. E., P. Roni, T. Bennett, J. McMillan, K. Hanson, R. Moses, M. McHenry, G. Pess, and W. Ehinger. 2016. Life history diversity of steelhead in two coastal Washington watersheds. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145(5):990-1005.
Hall, J. E., M. M. Pollock, S. Hoh, C. Volk, J. Goldsmith, and C. E. Jordan. 2015. Evaluation of deep-planting and herbivore protection methods to restore riparian vegetation in a semiarid watershed without irrigation. Ecosphere 6(12):263.
Greene, C.M., J.E. Hall, and E. Beamer. 2012. Biological and physical effects of “fish-friendly” tide gates. ESRP/WA RCO, Olympia, WA.
Greene, C., C. Rice, L. Rhodes, K. Fresh, H. Daebenberger, B. Beckman, J. E. Hall, J. Chamberlin, P. McCollum, and S. Steltzner. 2012. Evaluating the ecological health of Puget Sound’s pelagic food web. US EPA National Estuaries Program, Washington, DC.
Greene, C. M., J. E. Hall, K. R. Guilbault, and T. P. Quinn. 2010. Improved viability of populations with diverse life-history portfolios. Biological Letters 6:382-386.
Hall, J. E., D. M. Holzer, and T. J. Beechie. 2007. Predicting floodplain locations and channel migration potential in the Columbia River. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 43(3):786-797.
Kiffney, P. M., C. Green, J. E. Hall and J. Davies. 2006. Tributary streams create spatial discontinuities in habitat, biological productivity and diversity in main stem rivers. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63(11):2518-2530.
Jesse T. Anderson, B.S., Q.S.P.
R&D Program Manager
B.S. Ecology and Systematic Biology
Phone: (209) 353-2225
Ripon, California
Jesse has over 20 years of fisheries experience in the Central Valley and leads the CFS Research and Development Lab. He is responsible for coordinating field efforts and projects throughout the region. Jesse has over 16 years of experience designing, constructing, operating, and monitoring resistance board weirs in a wide variety of river environments throughout the world. He has extensive experience with a wide variety of field research techniques, environmental permitting, stormwater monitoring, and habitat restoration. Jesse is also an FAA certified commercial sUAS (drone) pilot.
Selected Publications
Anderson, J. T., G. Schumer, P. J. Anders, K. Horvath, and J. E. Merz. 2018. Confirmed observation: a North American green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris recorded in the Stanislaus River, California. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9(2):624-630.
Anderson, J. T., J. E. Merz, C. B. Watry, and M. K. Saiki. 2015. Comparison of selected population characteristics of adult Chinook salmon during upstream passage through a resistance board weir and during carcass surveys. California Fish and Game 101(1):24-39.
Anderson, J. T., D. Olsen, K. Sellheim, T. Hinkelman, and J. E. Merz. 2014. Juvenile salmonid out-migration monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park in the Stanislaus River, California. Biannual Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Comprehensive Assessment and Monitoring Program.
Anderson, J. T., C. B. Watry, and A. Gray. 2007. Upstream fish passage at a resistance board weir using infrared and digital technology in the lower Stanislaus River, California. Annual Report to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anadromous Fish Restoration Program, Grant No. 813326G004, Stockton, California.
Jesse Wiesenfeld, M.S.
Science Operations Manager
B.S. Organismal Biology; M.S. Fisheries Biology
Phone: (916) 250-1705
West Sacramento, California
Jesse has nearly a decade of experience working in fisheries. His diverse background allows him to contribute to a variety of CFS projects spanning multiple biological disciplines. Jesse has served as the lead biologist on predation assessments, otolith microstructure studies, as well as numerous restoration monitoring projects to benefit salmonids. His analytical experience includes macroinvertebrate and fisheries community analysis, genetic analysis, and otolith microstructure analysis. His other experience includes PIT tag antenna arrays, electrofishing, stomach content analysis, salmonid carcass and redd surveys, rotary screw trapping, seining, trawling, and snorkel surveys. Jesse is an expert at identifying California’s diverse fishes, and an experienced boat operator in lakes, rivers, and deltas.
Selected Publications
Selheim, K. L., R. A. Brown, J. T. Anderson, M. Vaghti, J. C. Wiesenfeld, P. A. Colombano, J. K. Sweeney, and J. E. Merz. 2019. Merced River Ranch and Henderson Park restoration projects on the Merced River, California. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Beaks M. P., J. C. Wiesenfeld, and R. A. Brown. 2018. Spatial Stream Network Modeling of Suisun Creek. Report to the California Land Stewardship Institute.
Wiesenfeld, J. C., D. H. Goodman, and A. P. Kinziger, 2018. Riverscape genetics identifies speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) cryptic diversity in the Klamath–Trinity Basin. Conservation Genetics 19(1):111-127. DOI:10.1007/s10592-017-1027-6.
Merz, J. M., A. Brodsky, K. Sellheim, J. K. Sweeney, and J. C. Wiesenfeld. 2017. Evaluation of gravel placement on juvenile salmonid prey assemblages in the lower American River, California, 2013-2015 Data Report. Report to the Sacramento Water Forum.
Wiesenfeld, J. C., S. C. Zeug, A. Brodsky, K. Sellheim, and J.E. Merz. 2017. San Joaquin River Restoration Floodplain Production Study Report. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Blankenship, S. M., G. Schumer, and J. C. Wiesenfeld. 2015. Delta smelt effective population size preliminary report. Report to the State and Federal Contractors Water Agency.
Kai Ross, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
B.A. Applied Mathematics; M.S. Environmental Systems – Mathematical Modeling; Ph.D. Quantitative Ecology and Resource Management
Phone: (206) 960-4498
Issaquah, Washington
Kai is a biometrician and modeler with over 10 years of broad experience in mathematical modeling, spatial analysis, and data visualization. His work focuses on providing decision support for natural resource management through mathematical and statistical modeling, exploring and visualizing data, and quantifying trade-offs. He has a wide-range of experience with mathematical modeling including optimization modeling (integer and multi-objective models), simulation modeling (agent/individual-based models, growth and yield), statistical modeling (model and parameter fitting, both frequentist and Bayesian), and spatial analysis using geographic information systems (GIS).
Selected Publications
Timm R. K., L. Caldwell, A. Nelson, C. Long, M. B. Chilibeck, M. Johnson, K. Ross, A. Muller, and J. M. Brown. 2019. Drones, hydraulics, and climate change: inferring barriers to steelhead spawning migrations. WIREs Water 6:e1379.
Roni, P., M. Krall, C. Clark, and K. Ross. 2019. Salmon Recovery Funding Board reach-scale project effectiveness monitoring program: 2018 Final Report. Report to the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Recreation and Conservation Office, Olympia, Washington.
Roni, P., C. Clark, M. Krall, S. Burgess, and K. Ross. 2019. Bonneville Power Administration Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program – 2018 Annual Report. Report to Bonneville Power Administration, Project Number 2016-001-00, Portland, Oregon.
Ross, K. L., S. F. Tóth, and W. Jaross. 2018. Forest harvest scheduling with endogenous road costs. Interfaces 48(3):260-270.
Clark, C., M. Krall, K. Ross, and P. Roni. 2018. OWEB-SRFB coordinated monitoring program for livestock exclusion projects: 2017 Final Report. Report to the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board, Olympia, Washington.
Caldwell, L., D. Stroud, F. Carpenter, L. Belcher, M. Morasch, K. Denton, and K. Ross. 2017. Merwin upstream passage adult trap efficiency: 2016 Final Report. Report to Pacific Power (A Division of PacifiCorp).
Ceder, K., M. Teply, and K. Ross. 2016. Eastside modeling effectiveness project (EMEP). Report to the Washington Department of Natural Resources Cooperative Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research Committee, Olympia, Washington.
Ross, K. L. 2016. Extending harvest-scheduling using spatial optimization: road access and edge effects. Doctoral dissertation. University of Washington, Seattle.
Ross, K. L., and S. F. Tóth. 2016. A model for managing edge effects in harvest scheduling using spatial optimization. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 31(7):646-654.
Van Kirk, R., S. Martin, K. Ross, and M. Douglas. 2014. Computer simulation modeling to determine trailhead quotas for overnight wilderness visitor use. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 32(3).
Ross, K. 2011. A simulation model for wilderness use in Yosemite National Park. Master’s Thesis. Humboldt State University, Arcata, California.
Kirsten Sellheim, M.S.
Senior Scientist
B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; M.S. Population Biology
West Sacramento, California
Kirsten is a Senior Scientist in the CFS River Science and Restoration lab in West Sacramento, California. She is responsible for coordinating and leading field efforts for monitoring and restoration projects throughout the Central Valley. Kirsten has 16 years of experience conducting field-based fisheries studies and has written and edited numerous scientific manuscripts and technical reports related to river restoration, spawning and outmigration monitoring, community ecology, invasive species, and restoration prioritization. She has extensive experience with state and federal permitting, particularly for restoration projects. She trains technicians and biologists and has developed field and laboratory protocols, study designs, and safety protocols for field monitoring.
Selected Publications
Merz, J. E., L. Caldwell, M. Beakes, C. Hammersmark, and K. Sellheim. 2018. Balancing competing life stage requirements in salmon habitat rehabilitation: between a rock and a hard place. Restoration Ecology. Early View only. DOI: 10.1111/rec.12900.
Sellheim, K., M. Willmes, J. A. Hobbs, J. J. G. Glessner, Z. J. Jackson, and J. E. Merz. 2017. Validating fin ray microchemistry as a tool to reconstruct the migratory history of white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146(5):844-857.
Sellheim, K., M. Vaghti, and J. Merz. 2016. Vegetation recruitment in an enhanced floodplain: ancillary benefits of salmonid habitat enhancement. Limnologica 58:94-102.
Sellheim, K., C. Watry, B. Rook, S. Zeug, J. Hannon, J. Zimmerman, K. Dove, and J. Merz. 2015. Juvenile salmonid utilization of floodplain rearing habitat after gravel augmentation in a regulated river. River Research and Applications 32(4):610-621.
Zeug, S. C., K. Sellheim, C. Watry, J. D. Wikert, and J. Merz. 2014. Response of juvenile anadromous salmon to managed flow: lessons learned from the southern extent of Chinook salmon in North America. Fisheries Management and Ecology 21(2):155-168.
Anderson, I. J., M. K. Saiki, K. Sellheim, and J. E. Merz. 2014. Differences in benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages associated with a bloom of Didymosphenia geminata in the Lower American River, California. The Southwestern Naturalist 59(3):389-395.
Zeug, S. C., K. Sellheim, C. Watry, B. Rook, J. Hannon, J. Zimmerman, D. Cox, and J. Merz. 2014. Gravel augmentation increases spawning utilization by anadromous salmonids: a case study from California, USA. River Research and Applications 30(6):707-718.
Edwards, K. F., K. M. Aquilino, R. J. Best, K. L. Sellheim, and J. J. Stachowicz. 2010. Prey diversity is associated with weaker consumer effects in a meta- analysis of benthic marine experiments. Ecology Letters 13(2): 194-201.
Sellheim, K. L., J. J. Stachowicz, and R. C. Coates. 2010. Effects of a nonnative habitat-forming species on mobile and sessile epifaunal communities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 398: 69-80.
Rocko Brown, Ph.D.
Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist
B.S. Environmental Engineering; M.S. Hydrologic Sciences; Ph.D. Hydrologic Sciences
Phone: (916) 250-2022
West Sacramento, California
Rocko is the Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist at CFS and is responsible for leading studies and analyses of hydrologic and geomorphic processes that shape fish habitat. Rocko has more than 17 years of experience analyzing hydrology, hydraulics, and sediment transport associated with projects that restored fish habitat, aided flood control, modified hydrology, removed dams, and stabilized stream banks, and he is skilled in a wide range of field methods and analytical tools employed in leading studies of fluvial geomorphology. These include surveying; remote sensing; 2D modeling of flow, sediment, and habitat; GIS analysis; hyporheic exchange; steam habitat design; and fish passage assessments.
Selected Publications
Harrison, L. R., E. Bray, B. Overstreet, C. J. Legleiter, R. A. Brown, J. E. Merz, R. M. Bond, C. L. Nicol, and T. Dunne. 2019. Physical controls on salmon redd site selection in restored reaches of a regulated, gravel-bed river. Water Resources Research 55. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR024428.
Brown R. A., and G. B. Pasternack. 2019. How to build a digital river. Earth Science Reviews. In review.
Harrison L. R., E. Bray, B. Overstreet, C. Legleiter, R. A. Brown, J. E. Merz, R. M. Bond, C. L. Nicol, and T. Dunne. 2019. Large-scale restoration of salmon spawning habitat in a regulated, gravel-bedded river. Water Resources Research. In review.
Pasternack, G.B., D. Baig, M. D. Weber, and R. A. Brown. 2018. Hierarchically nested river landform sequences. Part 1: Theory. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43(12):2510-2518.
Pasternack, G. B., D. Baig, M. D. Weber, and R. A. Brown. 2018. Hierarchically nested river landform sequences. Part 2: Bankfull channel morphodynamics governed by valley nesting structure. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 43(12):2519-2532.
Brown, R. A., and G. B. Pasternack. 2017. Bed and width oscillations form coherent patterns in a partially confined, regulated gravel–cobble-bedded river adjusting to anthropogenic disturbances. Earth Surface Dynamics 5:1-20. DOI:10.5194/esurf-5-1-2017.
Brown, R. A., G. B. Pasternack, and T. Lin. 2016. The topographic design of river channels for form-process linkages. Environmental Management 57(4):929-942. DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0648-0.
Brown, R. A., G. B. Pasternack, and W. W. Wallender. 2014. Synthetic river valleys: creating prescribed topography for form-process inquiry and river rehabilitation design. Geomorphology 214:40-55.
Brown, R. A., and G. B. Pasternack. 2014. Hydrologic and topographic variability modulates channel change in mountain rivers. Journal of Hydrology 510:551-564.
Pasternack, G. B., and R. A. Brown. 2013. Ecohydraulic design of riffle-pool relief and morphological-unit geometry in support of regulated gravel-bed river rehabilitation. Pages 337-355 in I. Maddock, A. Harby, P. Kemp, and P. Wood, editors. Ecohydraulics: an integrated approach. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Hoboken, New Jersey.
Brown, R. A., and G. B. Pasternack. 2013. Monitoring and assessment of the 2011-2012 gravel/cobble augmentation in the Englebright Dam reach of the Lower Yuba River, CA. Report to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, University of California at Davis, Davis, California.
Beakes, M., J. Moore, N. Retford, R. A. Brown, J. Merz, and S. Sogard. 2012. Evaluating statistical approaches to quantifying juvenile Chinook salmon habitat in a regulated California river. River Research and Applications 30(2):180-191.
Brown, R. A., and G. B. Pasternack. 2009. Comparison of methods for analyzing salmon habitat rehabilitation designs for regulated rivers. River Research and Applications 25:745-772.
Steven Zeug, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist
B.S. Fisheries Biology; Ph.D. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
Phone: (916) 240-6237
Meadow Vista, California
Steve has 18 years of experience conducting fisheries research in a diversity of aquatic systems from large floodplain rivers and estuaries in Texas and California to headwater streams in Costa Rica. His interests include river restoration strategies, predator-prey interactions, community dynamics, and population modeling. He has conducted research on a wide range of species from gar and large river minnows to anadromous salmonids and sturgeon. Steve actively leads a team of biologists conducting numerous projects at CFS, ranging from field investigations and monitoring efforts to interdisciplinary modeling of complex adaptive management programs.
Selected Publications
Zeug, S. C., J. Wiesenfeld, K. Sellheim, A. Brodsky, J. E. Merz. 2019. Assessment of juvenile Chinook salmon rearing habitat potential prior to species reintroduction. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 39:762-777.
Zeug, S. C., K. Sellheim, J. Melgo, J. E. Merz.. In Press. Spatial variation of juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) survival in a modifies California river. Environmental Biology of Fishes.
Brodsky, A., S. C. Zeug, J. Nelson, J. Hannon, and P. Anders. 2019. Does broodstock source affect post-release survival of threatened steelhead? Implications of replacing a non-native hatchery stock for recovery. Environmental Biology of Fishes, Special Edition. In Review.
Zeug, S. C., F. V. Feyrer, A. Brodsky, and J. Melgo. 2017. Piscivore diet response to a collapse in pelagic prey populations. Environmental Biology of Fishes 100(8):947-958.
Zeug, S. C., A. Brodsky, N. Kogut, A. R. Stewart, and J. E. Merz. 2014. Ancient fish and recent invaders: white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) diet response to invasive species-mediated changes in a benthic prey assemblage. Marine Ecology Progress Series 514:163-174.
Zeug, S. C., and B. J. Cavallo. 2014. Controls on the entrainment of juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) into large water diversions and estimates of population-level loss. PLoS One 9(7): e101479. DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0101479.
Zeug, S. C., K. Sellheim, C. Watry, B. Rook, J. Hannon, J. Zimmerman, D. Cox, and J. Merz. 2014. Gravel augmentation increases spawning utilization by anadromous salmonids: a case study from California, USA. River Research and Applications 30(6):707-718.
Zeug, S. C., K. Sellheim, C. Watry, J. D. Wikert, and J. Merz. 2014. Response of juvenile Chinook Salmon to managed flow: lessons learned from a population at the southern extent of their range in North America. Fisheries Management and Ecology 21:155-168.
Zeug, S. C., and B. J. Cavallo. 2013. Influence of estuary conditions on the recovery rate of coded wire tagged Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in an ocean fishery. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 22:157-168.
Zeug, S. C., P. S. Bergman, B. J. Cavallo, and K. S. Jones. 2012. Application of a life cycle simulation model to evaluate impacts of water management and conservation actions on an endangered population of Chinook Salmon. Environmental Modeling and Assessment 17:455-467.
Zeug, S.C., L. K. Albertson, H. S. Lenihan, J. Hardy, and B. Cardinale. 2011. Predictors of Chinook population extirpations in the Central Valley of California. Fisheries Management and Ecology 18:61-71.
Albertson, L. K., B. J. Cardinale, S. C. Zeug, H. S. Lenihan, L. Harrison, and A. M. Wydzga. 2011. Impacts of gravel augmentation on invertebrate assemblages in a restored river. Restoration Ecology 19:627-638.
Zeug, S. C., D. Peretti, and K. O. Winemiller. 2009. Movement into floodplain habitats by gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) revealed by dietary and stable isotope analyses. Environmental Biology of Fishes 84:307-314.
Genidaqs
Andy Lara, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Brian Applegate, B.S.
Laboratory Technician West Sacramento, California
Cheryl Dean, B.S.
Senior Laboratory Manager West Sacramento, California
Dan Bingham, M.S.
Geneticist Portland, Oregon
Hilary Starks, M.S.
Senior Research Associate West Sacramento, California
Katie Karpenko, B.S.
Senior Research Associate West Sacramento, California
Mae Sierra, B.A.
Laboratory Technician II West Sacramento, California
Michelle Leung, B.S.
Senior Laboratory Technician West Sacramento, California
Scott Blankenship, Ph.D.
Senior Geneticist West Sacramento, CaliforniaAndy Lara, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician
B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Portland, Oregon
Andy is an Aquatic Ecologist with a variety of experience in population and community ecology, and freshwater conservation, ranging from the bayous of East Texas to the glacial rivers of Washington State’s North Cascades. Andy is skilled in multiple field sampling techniques, including backpack electrofishing, seine netting, hoop net trapping, eDNA collection, and various tagging techniques such as PIT tagging, Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE), and VHF transmitters for radio telemetry. He also has experience in technical laboratory methods, including stable isotope analysis, taxonomic identification and morphological measurements of aquatic species, and stomach content analysis. His previous research includes the study of taxonomic and functional diversity of freshwater fishes in East Texas, the investigation of connectivity and spatial distribution among different habitat types, the repatriation and tracking, via radio telemetry, of poached alligator snapping turtles into East Texas watersheds, as well as occupancy trapping for existing turtle populations. Recently, Andy participated in backcountry electrofishing and habitat survey expeditions to examine the existing salmonid populations in Northern Washington, and on a mark-and-recapture study utilizing electrofishing and PIT tagging of remote populations of O. mykiss in Southern California’s Piru Creek. Andy is also skilled in data analysis of community structures and dynamics, and population genetics. Through other work, He is also well-versed in public relations, civic engagement, and outreach focused on diversity, inclusion, and equity.
Brian Applegate, B.S.
Laboratory Technician
B.S. Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation)
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Cheryl Dean, B.S.
Senior Laboratory Manager
B.S. Biological Sciences
Phone: (916) 250-1717
West Sacramento, California
Cheryl is the Genidaqs Senior Laboratory Manager at Cramer Fish Sciences, and has over 22 years of experience developing laboratory techniques and generating genetic data in support of listed species conservation, fisheries and hatcheries management, and introduced species monitoring. She specializes in applying genetic tools to address natural resource management, protected species recovery, and habitat restoration issues. Cheryl’s work has primarily focused on salmonid population genetics, including applying genetic tools for mixed stock analysis (population dynamics), genetic mark-recapture (vital rates), and population genetic statistical analyses (population health). Additionally, Cheryl has worked on numerous other species, including using genetic monitoring to examine the reproductive success of sage grouse reintroduction programs, evaluate changes in population structure of California honey bee, and assess landscape effects on connectivity (gene flow) in mountain goats.
Selected Publications
Small, M., D. Burgess, C. Dean, and K. Warheit. 2011. Does Lower Crab Creek in the Eastern Washington desert have a native population of Chinook salmon? Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 140:808-821.
Pearse, D., L. Wooninck, C. Dean, and J. Garza. 2007. Identification of northeastern pacific rockfish using multilocus nuclear DNA genotypes. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136:272-280.
Hedgecock, D., M. Banks, V. Rashbrook, C. Dean, and S. Blankenship. 2001 Applications of population genetics to conservation of Chinook salmon diversity in the Central Valley. Pages 45-70 in R. L. Brown, R.L., editor. Fish Bulletin 179: Contributions to the biology of Central Valley Salmonids. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California.
Banks, M., V. Rashbrook, M. Calavetta, C. Dean, and D. Hedgecock. 2000. Analysis of microsatellite DNA resolves genetic structure and diversity of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in California’s Central Valley. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57(5):915-927.
Dan Bingham, M.S.
Geneticist
B.S. Wildlife Biology; M.S. Wildlife Biology
Phone: (503) 925-6665
Portland, Oregon
Dan is a Geneticist with more than a decade of experience in fisheries science. Dan’s specialty is in applied ecology and population genetics, including environmental DNA applications. Prior to joining CFS, he served as the founding partner at Rogue Biological Consulting in Portland, OR, where he helped public utilities, tribes, and government agencies meet natural resources management objectives. Dan also spent several years as a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service where his work concentrated conservation issues facing Pacific salmon and trout. He has authored numerous journal articles focused on the application of science in natural resources management. Dan was the External Director of the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in 2017 and has served as Vice President of the Northwest Association of Environmental Professionals since 2018.
Selected Publications
Bingham, D. M. 2018. Genetic monitoring of invasive bullfrogs in the Yellowstone River floodplain, Montana. Contract report to the U.S. Geological Survey, Bozeman, Montana.
Bingham, D. M., and L. Caldwell. 2018. Comparison of environmental DNA (eDNA) and electrofishing protocol surveys in streams managed by SDS Lumber Company. Contract report to SDS Lumber Company, Bingen, Washington.
Bingham, D. M., and L. Caldwell. 2018. Forest Practices Board water-type protocol field surveys. Contract report to SDS Lumber Company, Bingen, Washington.
Bingham, D. M., P. C. Gerrity, and S. Painter. 2018. Genetic tagging is an effective way to monitor survival of released hatchery saugers: conservation efforts in the Wind River, Wyoming. Environmental Practice 20:92-103.
Bingham, D. M. 2017. Statistical power to resolve parent-offspring relationships in Wind River saugers: applications in parentage-based tagging. Report to Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Lander, Wyoming.
Bingham, D. M., P. Buckskin, and H. Osborne. 2016. Isolation, migration, and local recruitment drive persistence of cutthroat trout in tributaries near American Falls Reservoir. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36:590-605.
McKelvey, K. S., M. K. Young, T. M. Wilcox, D. M. Bingham, K. L. Pilgrim, and M. K. Schwartz. 2016. Patterns of hybridization among cutthroat trout and rainbow trout in northern Rocky Mountain streams. Ecology and Evolution 6:688-706.
Bingham, D. M. and G. Wyatt. 2015. Genetic evaluation of coastal cutthroat trout in Timothy Lake, Oregon. Contract report to Portland General Electric, Clackamas, Oregon.
Bingham, D. M. and P. Gerrity. 2015. Rapid genetic characterization of adult saugers spawned for hatchery supplementation: spawn year 2015. Report to Wyoming Game & Fish Department, Lander, Wyoming.
Bingham, D. M., B. M. Kennedy, K. C. Hanson, and C. T. Smith. 2014. Loss of genetic integrity in hatchery steelhead produced by juvenile-based broodstock and wild integration: conflicts in production and conservation goals. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 34:609-620.
Bingham, D. M. 2013. Relative reproductive success of hatchery- and natural-origin steelhead in Abernathy Creek, Washington. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Longview, Washington.
Bingham, D. M., R. F. Leary, S. Painter, and F. W. Allendorf. 2012. Near absence of hybridization between sauger and introduced walleye despite massive releases. Conservation Genetics 13:509-523.
Hilary Starks, M.S.
Senior Research Associate
B.S. Aquatic Biology, M.S. Ocean Sciences
Phone: (916) 250-2327
West Sacramento, California
Hilary has over 10 years of experience developing and implementing molecular genetic techniques for use in population ecology and management. She has applied these techniques to examine the coho salmon population in the Klamath River and to help inform coho hatchery practices in California. More recently, her research has focused on developing and implementing environmental DNA detection methods to investigate patterns of biodiversity in marine systems.
Selected Publications
Djurhuus, A., C. J. Closek, R. P. Kelly, K. J. Pitz, R. P. Michisaki, H. A. Starks, K. R. Walz, E. A. Andruszkiewicz, E. Olesin, K. Hubbard, E. Montes, D. Otis, F. E. Muller-Karger, F. P. Chavez, A. B. Boehm, and M. Breitbart. 2020. Environmental DNA reveals seasonal shifts and potential interactions in a marine community. Nature Communications 11(254). DOI:10.1038/s41467-019-14105-1.
Closek, C. J., J. A. Santora, H. A. Starks, I. D. Schroeder, E. A. Andruszkiewicz, K. M. Sakuma, S. J. Bograd, E. L. Hazen, J. C. Field, and A. B. Boehm. 2019. Marine vertebrate biodiversity and distribution within the central California Current using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and ecosystem surveys. Frontiers in Marine Science 6(732). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2019.00732.
Andruszkiewicz, E. A., H. A. Starks, F. P. Chavez, L. M. Sassoubre, B. A. Block, and A. B. Boehm. 2017. Biomonitoring of marine vertebrates in Monterey Bay using eDNA metabarcoding. PLoS One 12:e0176343. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176343
Starks, H. A., A. J. Clemento, and J. C. Garza. 2015. Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. Molecular Ecology Resources 16:277-287. DOI:10.1111/1755-0998.12430 .
Clemento, A. J., A. Abadía-Cardoso, H. A. Starks, and J. C. Garza. 2011. Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Molecular Ecology Resources 11(Suppl. 1):50-66. DOI:10.1111/j.1755-0998.2010.02972.x.
Katie Karpenko, B.S.
Senior Research Associate
B.S. Biology: Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Phone: (916) 550-9793
West Sacramento, California
Katie’s experience includes collecting data from salmonid habitat restoration sites using various techniques, including: fyke trapping, beach seining, Hess and drift sampling, flow transects, environmental data collection, and PIT tagging. She plays a key role in processing lab-based data, and specializes in invertebrate identification, data entry and Access database management. Katie also works on projects with GENIDAQS. She has extensive experience collecting eDNA samples in the field, extracting DNA from tissue and eDNA samples, set up and programming of the eDNA auto-sampler, and extraction protocol development.
Mae Sierra, B.A.
Laboratory Technician II
B.A. Geography
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Mae is a lab technician with diverse expertise in laboratory research. She has a background in ephemeral wetland restoration research, where her work helping to investigate the role of carbon cycling in vernal pool restoration practices granted her familiarity with the complex processes at place within California’s wetlands. She has extensive experience in the field, contributing to restoration efforts on the Channel Islands and in the Mojave Desert, in addition to her work sampling water and soil in ephemeral wetlands. Her laboratory background extends to the research and development of novel medical devices, where she utilized a wide array of microbiological techniques.
Michelle Leung, B.S.
Senior Laboratory Technician
B.S. Animal Biology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Michelle is a laboratory technician with Genidaqs at Cramer Fish Sciences. She works to collect, extract, and analyze eDNA samples from tissues and filters, write standard operating procedures, and maintain lab equipment. Michelle has worked in various labs including those studying marine invertebrates biology, plant biology, microRNAs in honey bees pheromone pathways and human vectored diseases in laboratory rodents. Her extensive background in laboratory research is a great support for Cramer Fish Sciences in solving challenges in aquatic ecology and fish populations.
Scott Blankenship, Ph.D.
Senior Geneticist
B.S. Biological Sciences; Ph.D. Genetics
Phone: (916) 231-1683
West Sacramento, California
Scott has over 19 years of experience applying genetic data to population monitoring and fisheries science, including extensive technical experience combining the newest tools of molecular biology and genetics theory with field observations of fish populations and their habitat. He is a recognized expert on the standardization of genetic data and sampling methodology for salmon and has collaborated on the design and implementation of species reintroduction programs, conservation hatchery programs, habitat restoration performance, regional genetic databases, innovative monitoring techniques, and the integration of genetic and geospatial information.
Selected Publications
Blankenship, S., G. Schumer, J. Van Eenennaam, and Z. Jackson. 2017. Estimating number of white sturgeon adults from egg relatedness. Fisheries Management and Ecology 24(2):163-172.
Finger, A., G. Schumer, A. Benjamin, A. Schreier, and S. Blankenship. 2017. Effective population size of delta smelt. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Sciences.
Bergman, P., G. Schumer, S. Blankenship, and E. Campbell. 2016. Detection of adult green sturgeon using environmental DNA analysis. PLoS One 11:e0153500. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153500.
Rawding, D. J., C. S. Sharpe, and S. M. Blankenship. 2014. Genetic-based estimates of adult Chinook salmon spawner abundance from carcass surveys and juvenile out-migrant traps. Transactions of American Fisheries Society 143:55-67.
Moran, P., D. J. Teel, M. A. Banks, T. D. Beacham, M. R. Bellinger, S. M. Blankenship, J. R. Candy, J. C. Garza, J. E. Hess, S. R. Narum, L. W. Seeb, W. D. Templin, C. G. Wallace, and C. T. Smith. 2013. Divergent life-history races do not represent Chinook salmon coast-wide: the importance of scale in quaternary biogeography. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 70:415-43. DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2012-0135.
Limborg, M. T., S. M. Blankenship, S. F. Young, F. M. Utter, L. W. Seeb, M. H. H. Hansen, and J. E. Seeb. 2012. Signatures of natural selection among lineages and habitats in Oncorhynchus mykiss. Ecology and Evolution 2(1):1-18. DOI:10.1002/ece3.59.
Blankenship, S .M., M. R. Campbell, J. E. Hess, M. A. Hess, T. W. Kassler, C. C. Kozfkay, A. P. Matala, S. R. Narum, M. M. Paquin, M. P. Small, J. J. Stephenson, K. I. Warheit, and P. Moran. 2011. Major lineages and metapopulations in Columbia River Oncorhynchus mykiss are structured by dynamic landscape features and environments. Transactions of American Fisheries Society 140:665–684.
Blankenship, S. M., B. May, and D. Hedgecock. 2002. Evolution of a perfect simple-sequence-repeat locus in the context of its flanking sequence. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19(11):1943-1951.
Hedgecock, D., M. Banks, V. Rashbrook, C. Dean, and S. Blankenship. 2001 Applications of population genetics to conservation of Chinook salmon diversity in the Central Valley. Pages 45-70 in R. L. Brown, R.L., editor. Fish Bulletin 179: Contributions to the biology of Central Valley Salmonids. California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California.
Annie Brodsky, B.S.
Project Manager II
B.S. Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity
Phone: (530) 240-6330
Meadow Vista, California
Annie has nearly 10 years of experience working on anadromous and estuarine fishery issues in California. She serves as a CFS biologist and leads planning, supervising, and conducting field projects. Annie has experience in stream habitat mapping and use assessments, evaluating and modeling fish migration and survival, and analyzing aquatic organism and environmental data. She has compiled field-collected data into spatial layers for analysis, visualization, and mapping in GIS to support natural resource research, assessment, and management. Annie has extensive experience with numerous monitoring and sampling methods and equipment; with developing field and laboratory protocols and organizing field research for genetic, monitoring, and biotelemetry studies; and with the identification and handling of sensitive species such as delta smelt, white sturgeon, and Chinook salmon.
Selected Publications
Brodsky, A., Zeug, S.C., Nelson, J. et al. 2020. Does broodstock source affect post-release survival of steelhead? Implications of replacing a non-native hatchery stock for recovery. Environmental Biology of Fishes. DOI: 10.1007/s10641-020-00951-2.
Zeug, S. C., R. Null, A. Brodsky, M. Johnston, and A. J. Ammann. 2019. Effect of release timing on migration survival of juvenile fall run Chinook salmon from Coleman National Fish Hatchery. Environmental Biology of Fishes, Special Edition. In Review.
Abadía-Cardoso, A., A. Brodsky, B. Cavallo, M. Arciniega, J.C. Garza, J. Hannon, and D. Pearse. 2019. Anadromy Redux? Genetic analysis to inform development of an indigenous American River steelhead broodstock. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 10(1):137-147.
Zeug, S. C., F. V. Feyrer, A. Brodsky, and J. Melgo. 2017. Piscivore diet response to a collapse in pelagic prey populations. Environmental Biology of Fishes 100(8):947-958.
Brodsky, A., S. C. Zeug, I. Courter, and S. Blankenship. 2016. Alternative broodstock for the Nimbus Hatchery Steelhead Program. Report to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Bay Delta Office, Sacramento, California.
Zeug, S. C., A. Brodsky, N. Kogut, A. R. Stewart, and J. E. Merz. 2014. Ancient fish and recent invaders: white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) diet response to invasive species-mediated changes in a benthic prey assemblage. Marine Ecology Progress Series 514:163-174.
Phil Smith, M.S.
Project Manager II
B.S. Biological Sciences; M.S. Biostatistics
West Sacramento, California
Phil has over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, including 17 years in project management capacities. He is an accomplished project manager, successfully leading product and service projects to completion. He has experience fostering customer relationships, focusing on a collaborative approach to ensure effective solutions. He has expertise working with stakeholders from a variety of functional groups, concentrating on partnerships to ensure requirements are addressed and met. As part of the Cramer Fish Sciences team, Phil is responsible for leading genetics and eDNA-based service projects.
Alex Constandache, Ph.D.
Senior Biometrician
B.S. Physics; Ph.D. Physics
Phone: (530) 240-6365
Meadow Vista, California
Alex spent the past 17 years working as a physicist, software engineer and data scientist. As a physicist, he worked on nonlinear dynamical systems and wrote computational fluid dynamics software for astrophysical simulations. As a software engineer, he worked on information indexing and retrieval systems (search engines). As a data scientist he developed and deployed analytics pipelines for performing statistical analysis, optimization and forecasting, based on large data sets, in various domains, such as e-commerce, advertising and finance.
His interests lie in the areas of Bayesian inference and Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. He has experience applying such methods to causal inference, synthetic counterfactual analysis, and stochastic optimization and control problems.
Selected Publications
Constandache, A., Bari, O., Forecasting a Stock’s Remaining Intraday Volume, 2018 First International Conference on Probabilistic Programming PROBPROG 2018.
Ulicny, B., Constandache, A., Cunningham, J., Traub, M., Yu, K., Azeglio, C., Saito-Varadi, M., 2016. Thomson Reuters and the FEIII challenge. Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Data Science for Macro-Modeling, DSMM@CIKM 2016.
Constandache, A., Das, A., Popowicz, Z. 2003 A Benney-like lattice. Czechoslovak journal of physics.
Constandache, A., Ashok Das, and F. Toppan. 2002 Lucas polynomials and a standard Lax representation for the polytropic gas dynamics. Letters in Mathematical Physics.
Brunelli, J. C., Constandache, A., Das, A. 2002 A Lax equation for the non-linear sigma model. Physics Letters B.
Barcelos-Neto, J., Constandache, A., Das A. 2000 Dispersionless fermionic KdV. Physics Letters A.
Apryle Craig, Ph.D.
Biometrician
B.S. BioEngineering; M.S. Ecology; Ph.D. Environmental and Forest Sciences
Phone: (360) 456-4621
Issaquah, Washington
Apryle is a quantitative ecologist, with a focus on assessing changes to vegetation and fish communities before and after an impact. Her work focuses on applications of mixed models, machine learning, multivariate analyses, and data visualization to address a wide range of ecological questions. Apryle excels at study design, data collection, and data management, having led field data collection and data analysis teams for multi-year riparian restoration projects at Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.
Kiera McNeely, M.A.S
Biometrician
B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; M.A.S. Applied Statistics
Phone: (360) 456-4621
West Sacramento, CA
Kiera is a dedicated biometrician with extensive experience in fisheries research, specializing in rockfish growth studies, marine invertebrate diversity, and quantifying migrating salmonids using sonar technology. Her recent work in the Columbia River and the Sandy River Basin involved extensive field data collection for local salmonid populations through creel efforts and spawning ground surveys. The surveys consisted of live salmonid counts, carcass counts plus sampling, and with redd surveys using GPS technology. She also possesses experience with commercial and tribal fisheries sampling, mark-recapture studies, PIT tagging, and sturgeon population studies. With a recent master’s degree in Statistics, Kiera is transitioning her focus to fisheries population dynamics and modeling. She brings experience with mark-recapture studies, stock assessments, multivariate analyses, Bayesian inferences, Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, and spatial data modeling. Proficient in R and SQL, with knowledge of conducting machine learning models using python, Kiera excels in data analysis and modeling. Additionally, she is skilled in experimental design, data collection, and data management, which are essential for conducting robust statistical analyses on any given project.
Senior Biologists
Avery Scherer, Ph.D.
Senior Ecologist West Sacramento, California
Johnny Caspers, P.E., M.S.
Restoration Engineer West Sacramento, California
Kristin Connelly, M.S.
Senior Biologist Portland, Oregon
Ryan Flaherty, M.S.
Senior Biologist Portland, Oregon
Tyler Rockhill, P.E., M.S.
Restoration Engineer II Boise, IdahoAvery Scherer, Ph.D.
Senior Ecologist
B.S. Aquatic Biology; Ph.D. Marine Ecology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Avery is an aquatic ecologist with 10 years of experience working in diverse ecosystems, from streams in eastern Kentucky and Hawaii to oyster and coral reefs in south Texas and the Caribbean. Her research interests include predator prey relationships, trophic cascades, and the influence of species interactions on ecosystem structure and function. She is also interested in science communication and outreach; she has experience in informal science education programs as well as with science writing and social media. As an ecologist at CFS, Avery helps to design and conduct research on the role of stream ecology in the efficacy of river restoration for salmon and steelhead.
Johnny Caspers, P.E., M.S.
Restoration Engineer
M.S. Environmental Engineering
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Johnny is a restoration engineer with a background in environmental remediation, water resources, and habitat restoration. His experience includes aquatic habitat restoration design, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, groundwater recharge design, topographic data collection, and construction monitoring. Through this work he has developed a fundamental understanding of surface water and groundwater interaction, restoration design, and project implementation across a variety of scales. Additionally, Johnny is proficient in a wide variety of computer-based tools including AutoCAD Civil 3D, ArcGIS, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, XPStorm, and MODFLOW. These skills along with his experience conducting topographic surveys and measuring discharge with Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters and Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers underscore Johnny’s ability to serve in a variety of technical roles. This technical basis and a diverse background allows Johnny to perform a wide variety of tasks at a high level, while bringing a holistic approach to restoration design.
Kristin Connelly, M.S.
Senior Biologist
B.S. Aquatic & Fishery Science, minor in Quantitative Science; M.S. Environmental Science
Phone: (503) 850-9051
Portland, Oregon
Kristin has over 9 years of experience conducting, analyzing and reporting the results of biological field and laboratory studies in the Pacific Northwest. She has led and supported fisheries trophic ecology and monitoring studies in freshwater and marine environments using a variety of field methods, including gill nets, seines, traps, mid-water trawls, fish marking, electrofishing and hydroacoustic. In addition, she has experience sampling and identifying macroinvertebrates and zooplankton, and has conducted limnological sampling and habitat assessments. Kristin is skilled at gut contents analysis, stable isotope analysis, fish age/growth estimation using aging structures, and boat operation. She has experience analyzing and reporting the results of fisheries food-web and monitoring studies, including bioenergetics modeling and multivariate community analyses. Kristin’s duties include developing field protocols, leading field crews, analyzing biological and spatial data, and report writing.
Ryan Flaherty, M.S.
Senior Biologist
B.A. Ecology; M.S. Marine Resource Management
Phone: (503) 850-9610
Portland, Oregon
Ryan is an exceptional fisheries biologist with over a decade of experience conducting and leading a variety of sampling and monitoring projects. Ryan has extensive field experience that includes deployment and operation of biotelemetry equipment, collection of juvenile outmigrant data (rotary screw and incline plane traps, PIT tagging, snorkeling), water quality sampling, boat operations, and assessment of aquatic and riparian habitats. Prior to joining Cramer Fish Sciences, Ryan worked on studies evaluating survival rates of juvenile salmonid passage through hydroelectric projects and estimating the exposure of ESA-listed salmonids to harmful levels of total dissolved gas. As a graduate student, Ryan researched how genetics-based tools can be used to identify catch distributions for Chinook salmon at refined space-time scales that are beyond the capacity of traditionally reported coded-wire tag data. Ryan is well versed in managing and analyzing complex data sets in R and GIS, developing web-based applications to host and visualize data, and preparing and editing technical reports and publications.
Selected Publications
Arntzen, E. V., R. J. Flaherty, A. H. Colotelo, R. D. Harnish, J. Vavrinec, S. A. Zimmerman, J. D. Tagestad, and K. Stertz. 2018. Assessment of the effects of total dissolved gas exposure of upper Willamette River Chinook salmon and steelhead below Foster Dam. PNNL-27325. Final report prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Portland, Oregon, by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington.
Liss, S. A., J. S. Hughes, E. F. Fischer, R. J. Flaherty, and J. P. Duncan. 2017. Willamette Valley high head bypass downstream passage prototype evaluation: radio telemetry evaluation of the connecting and bypass pipes at Green Peter Dam, 2016. PNNL-26198. Final report prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, Portland, Oregon, by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington.
Hughes, J. S., S. A. Liss, R. J. Flaherty, E. S. Fischer, B. J. Bellgraph, C. V. Vernon, and G. E. Johnson. 2017. Evaluation of juvenile salmonid passage and behavior at Foster Dam using radio telemetry, 2016. PNNL-26416. Final report prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon, by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington.
Flaherty, R. J. 2015. Tags versus genetics: identifying which tool provides the best information about Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) distributions in the California Current. M.S. Thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis.
Tyler Rockhill, P.E., M.S.
Restoration Engineer II
B.S. Civil/Environmental Engineering, M.S. Hydrology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Boise, Idaho
Tyler is a Restoration Engineer with extensive experience in water resources and hydraulic engineering in the Pacific Northwest. His experience includes aquatic habitat restoration design, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, sediment modeling, large wood design, floodplain mapping, geomorphic and habitat assessment, and hydrometric surveying. Tyler’s diverse background includes experience at every step of a project from prioritization and planning to site assessment, literature review, data collection and surveying, modeling and design, permitting, and construction. This experience allows for an interdisciplinary, process-based understanding of project delivery. He has experience developing hydrologic and hydraulic models such as HEC-RAS, SRH-2D, River2D, HEC-HMS, HPSF, MGSFlood, HY-8, SWAT, WMS, SWMM, and StormShed. He is an experienced jet boat and raft operator in lakes, rivers, and deltas, including for the purposes of topobathymetric and hydrometric surveys. Tyler has experience working on a broad range of river engineering projects such as culvert replacements, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, floodplain mapping, and bank erosion/scour protection.
Selected Publications
Collins, V. and T. Rockhill. 2021. Oso Landslide Memorial Site Hydraulic Analysis, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for Snohomish County Parks and Recreation.
Collins, V., Payne, J., Rockhill, T., Nelson, A., Dufficy, A., and M. Ohrt. 2021. Abbott Levee Habitat Improvement Project: 100% Basis of Design Report, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District.
Collins, T., Brown, J. and T. Rockhill. 2021. Ferndale Levee Improvement Project Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Geomorphology Existing Conditions Report, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District.
Dillon, P., Brooks, P. and T. Rockhill. 2020. Avondale Road Erosion Existing Hydrologic and Hydraulic Conditions, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for City of Redmond.
Collins, V., Leytham, M. and T. Rockhill. 2020. Coweeman River Levee Raise Hydrograph Development Memorandum, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for Shannon & Wilson.
Bennett, T., Rockhill, T., and D. Jones. 2020. Maddox Creek/Big Ditch Alternatives Evaluation, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Inc, prepared for Skagit County Drainage and Irrigation District #17
Washington State Department of Transportation. 2018. SR 529 Steamboat Slough Mitigation Site.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 2017. Wyoming Stream Quantification Tool (WSQT) User Manual and Spreadsheet. Beta Version.
Meixner, T., Papuga S.A., Luketich, A.M., Rockhill, T., Gallo, E.L., Anderson, J., Salgado, L. Pope, K. Gupta, N., Korgaonkar, Y., Guertin, D.P. 2017. Green Infrastructure Increases Biogeochemical Responsiveness, Vegetation Growth and Decreases Runoff in a Semi-Arid City, Tucson, AZ, USA. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2017, abstract #H34H-06.
Tyler Rockhill. 2017. Influence of Soil Physical and Chemical Properties on Soil CO2 Efflux in Semi-Arid Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Department of Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences. University of Arizona. Master’s Thesis.
Chatel, J., and Vouno, S., 2012 Sawtooth Bull Trout Management Indicator Species Monitoring Report, United States Forest Service
Biologists
Andrew Veary, B.S.
Image Analyst I West Sacramento, California
Bobbie Flores, M.N.R.
Data Stewardship Manager West Sacramento, California
Emma-Kate Stecker, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training Boise, Idaho
Ericka Hegeman, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II Issaquah, Washington
Ethan Skiles, B.S.
R&D Field Biologist Ripon, California
Francesca Nash , M.M.A.
Fisheries Biologist Issaquah, Washington
Ian McDonald, M.Sc.
GIS Analyst Issaquah, Washington
Jackson Raecke, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training Boise, Idaho
Jacob Taylor, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training West Sacramento, California
Jamie Sweeney, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II West Sacramento, California
Jasmine Williamshen, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II Meadow Vista, California
Kyle Horvath, B.S.
R&D Fabrication Manager Ripon, California
Lis Cordner, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II West Sacramento, California
Maeghen Wedgeworth, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist West Sacramento, California
Matthew Ziemer, B.S.
R&D Field Biologist West Sacramento, California
Michael Briggs, B.S.
GIS Analyst Boise, Idaho
Mollie Ogaz, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II West Sacramento, California
Nicole Farless, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist Boise, Idaho
Pete Moniz, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II West Sacramento, California
Philip Colombano, M.S.
Senior Restoration Biologist West Sacramento, California
Zack DeLuca, M.S.
Geomorphologist Boise, IdahoAndrew Veary, B.S.
Image Analyst I
B.S. Natural Resource Conservation
West Sacramento, California
Andrew has experience performing freshwater fisheries assessments using common capture techniques, age/growth sampling, diet composition, water quality sampling, and laboratory analysis. He was a fisheries observer in the North Atlantic on both scallop and groundfish commercial fishing vessels, as well as an observer for marine mammals. His training allowed him to observe on vessels that fished using several gear types, including dredge, mid-water/bottom trawl, gillnet, rod and reel, and longline. He spent over 300 days at sea collecting extensive biological data pertaining to targeted catch, bycatch, environmental factors, as well as fishing effort and behavior. He is currently working to develop robust code to help automatically detect, enumerate, and classify organisms from images in order to automate processes and efficiently produce quantitative metrics from fisheries surveys.
Bobbie Flores, M.N.R.
Data Stewardship Manager
B.S. Environmental Science; M. Natural Resources – Wildlife Management
Phone: (916) 250-2065
West Sacramento, California
Bobbie Flores is Program Administrator for the California field office in West Sacramento. Bobbie is instrumental in organizing data management, workflows, and training for the California staff. She has experience providing field monitoring for fish and wildlife for various resource agencies, private science firms and non-profits and often leads field and lab-oriented experimental efforts. She has broad and growing experience conducting monitoring to assess risks for species of management concern and their habitat. This includes construction monitoring for special-status fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, and invertebrates on the American, Yuba, Merced, and Stanislaus rivers, as well as within the California State Park Carnegie SVRA. She has performed spawning, stranding, and snorkel surveys for steelhead/rainbow trout and Chinook Salmon on the American and Stanislaus rivers. She has also performed vernal pool surveys for special-status species.
Selected Publications
Flores, B. 2024. Hallwood Floodplain and Side Channel Restoration Project – Salmonid Redd Surveys on the Yuba River 2014-2023 ver 1. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/c63dfd5cf905769434bfc75faa05bb9e
Flores, B. 2024. Pre- and Post- construction snorkel surveys at the project and reach stretches, Yuba River, CA, 2014 through 2024 ver 3. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/d4d6cc89479bd9343f77186b99a54c8c
Ehlo, C., and Flores, B. 2024. Monitoring O. mykiss Life Stages on the Stanislaus River ver 4. Environmental Data Initiative. https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/219bfe77080a80b845e718228d3c00a4
Flores, B., K. Ross, A. Veary, J. Wiesenfeld, and Merz, J. 2024. Enhancing ecological assessments through continuous monitoring: a case study on zooplankton and fish dynamics. Presented to American Fisheries Society Cal-Neva Annual Conference. AFS.
Flores, B. A. Craig, C. Dean, M. Ferrell., R. Mager, J. Merz. 2024. No Net Habitat Loss – Quantifying Fish Response to Levee Setback Projects. Presented to Interagency Ecological Program Annual Workshop. Sacramento, CA.
Flores, B., W. Thorpe, K. Ross, L. Cordner, R. Mager, and Merz, J. 2023. Priming the Pump: Meins Landing Managed Food Web Experiment. Presented to American Fisheries Society Cal-Neva Annual Conference. AFS.
Flores, B., and Merz, J. 2022. Video sampling allows better sampling design for less effort. Scientific poster presented to American Fisheries Society Cal-Neva Annual Conference. AFS.
Merz, J., K. Sellheim, J. Sweeney, B. Flores, and Y. Karpenko. 2021. Water quality, fish community, and eDNA monitoring during the 2021 drought. Technical memorandum to the Sacramento Water Forum. Sacramento, CA.
Flores, B., Merz, J. and Kenney, I. 2019. Evaluating Camera-Captured Morphometric Data for an Imperiled Fish with a Flume Experiment. Scientific poster presented to American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society 2019 Joint Annual Conference. AFS.
Emma-Kate Stecker, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training
B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering
Phone: (888) 244-1221
Boise, Idaho
Emma-Kate is a Restoration Engineer in Training with experience in environmental engineering and fish monitoring and surveying. She has worked on a variety of projects supporting water distribution and water treatment across the Pacific Northwest. She is skilled in AutoCAD Civil 3D, and ArcGIS to support technical drawing development and design and has assisted on roadway design, water drainage, environmental monitoring, and construction management. Emma-Kate also has experience in the field collecting and compiling ecological data in both rivers and lake environments. She has conducted fish population surveys, fish diet analyses, mammalian surveys, macroinvertebrate surveys, electrofishing, and water quality monitoring and analysis. Her blend of ecological experience and engineering allows Emma-Kate to support project efforts through a variety of field and design tasks.
Ericka Hegeman, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
M.S. Ecology, B.S. Environmental Science
Phone: (530) 240-6437
Issaquah, Washington
Ericka is an aquatic ecologist with approximately 15 years of experience working on a diverse set of research projects that span project management of endangered amphibian recovery and disease ecology, native freshwater mussel habitat modeling, anadromous fish food web structure assessment, and stormwater mitigation decision science. She also has experience with space use modeling for desert tortoises, wildfire risk modeling, and vulnerability mapping. She has extensive experience collecting biological, habitat, and water quality data in both urban and wilderness settings. Her technical skills include database development and management, GIS spatial analysis and cartography, and R coding and statistical analysis.
Selected Publications
Hegeman, E. E., and P. S. Levin. 2023. Using human health disparities and salmon health to guide spatial prioritization of green stormwater infrastructure. Landscape and Urban Planning 240:104905
Knapp, R. A., M. B. Joseph, T. C. Smith,E. E. Hegeman, V. T. Vredenburg, J. E. E. Jr, D. M. Boiano, A. J. Jani, and C. J. Briggs. 2022. Effectiveness of antifungal treatments during chytridiomycosis epizootics in populations of an endangered frog. PeerJ 10:e12712.
Farnsworth, M. L., B. G. Dickson, L. J. Zachmann,E. E. Hegeman, A. R. Cangelosi, T. G. Jackson Jr, and A. F. Scheib. 2015. Short-term space-use patterns of translocated MojaveDeserttortoise in southern California. PloS one10(9):e0134250.
Hegeman, E. E., B. G. Dickson, and L. J. Zachmann. 2014. Probabilistic models of fire occurrence across National Park Service units within the Mojave Desert Network, USA. Landscape Ecology 29(9):1587–1600
Hegeman, E. E., S. W. Miller, and K. E. Mock. 2014. Modeling freshwater mussel distribution in relation to biotic and abiotic habitat variables at multiple spatial scales. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71(10):1483–1497.
Ethan Skiles, B.S.
R&D Field Biologist
B.S. Biology
Phone: (209) 353-2282
Ripon, California
Ethan has five years of experience collecting physical and biological data in California streams and rivers. In the field, Ethan works to collect physical data using various techniques including video monitoring, spawning surveys, fyke trapping, beach seining, PIT tagging, and invertebrate sampling. He has experience with fish handling, identification, and tagging, along with data QA/QC and entry. In the lab, he helps maintain lab equipment and identify macroinvertebrates. Ethan also assists in the fabrication and testing of sampling equipment.
Francesca Nash, M.M.A.
Fisheries Biologist
B.S. Marine Sciences. M.M.A. Marine & Environmental Affairs
Issaquah, Washington
Francesca has experience conducting, analyzing and reporting on habitat restoration, marine subtidal and intertidal ecological monitoring, and vulnerable or endangered species-specific surveys and habitat assessments. She is a trained AAUS scientific SCUBA diver and used this training to record long-term ecological data of invertebrate, algae, and fish species’ distribution and abundance, using a variety of survey techniques. Much of her past work involved marine tidal surveys, species identification, water quality monitoring, microscopic larvae identification, boat and scientific instrument deployment and operation, and eelgrass habitat restoration and monitoring. Francesca’s Master’s involved a vast literature review of global fisheries to identify metrics and indicators from implemented fishery area-based management tools that resulted in positive biodiversity outcomes for ecosystems. Francesca enjoys being out in the field, using R and Excel to answer ecological questions, and applying an environmental policy lens.
Ian McDonald, M.Sc.
GIS Analyst
M.Sc. Wetland Geography
Issaquah, Washington
Ian is a GIS Analyst with a wide range of expertise using geospatial technologies to monitor riverine and wetland environments. Ian has experience using multi-type remote sensing to classify flood waters in synergy with digital elevation models (DEMs) to derive flood water depth maps. His previous experience also includes using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to monitor the changes of morphological features in wetland environments. Ian has experience using ecological modeling to evaluate the response of invasive carp species to various control methods. His field experience ranges from work collecting data points with high precision GPS to the removal of invasive vegetation as a restoration technician.
Jackson Raecke, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training
B.S. Civil Engineering, B.S. Environmental Engineering
Phone: (888) 244-1221
Boise, Idaho
Jackson is a Restoration Engineer in Training with experience in civil and environmental engineering, focusing on transportation and hydraulic/hydrologic design. He has worked on several projects in the Mountain West with an emphasis on monitoring and design of transportation facilities and hydraulic structures. He has experience working in AutoCAD Civil 3D, ArcGIS, Excel and CEIWR-HEC software to model a variety of both existing and proposed designs for urban and rural roads, culvert analysis, storm sequencing, environmental permitting and watershed mapping. Jackson also has field experience performing on-site analysis of culverts and other transportation projects. His focus on hydrology and hydraulics engineering provides Jackson with the tools to support a wide range of fisheries projects from both the design office and the field.
Jacob Taylor, E.I.T., B.S.
Restoration Engineer in Training
B.S., Environmental Resources Engineering
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Jacob is a Restoration Engineer in Training with experience in civil and environmental engineering. He has worked on a variety of projects and programs in Northern California’s Klamath Basin and the California Central Valley. His work emphasizes using remote-sensing methods (LiDAR, sonar, UAS imagery, underwater imagery) to assess physical responses to dam removal. He contributed to the development of methods and analysis focused on tracking a large pulse of fine sediment through the downstream coarse-grained river corridor. In addition, Jacob has served in a civil engineering capacity on flood control structures in the California Central Valley, performing construction inspections, risk assessment, database management, surveying, and permitting. His education and experience have equipped him with skills in H&H modeling, GIS software, and surveying equipment. Jacob’s background in environmental resources engineering provides him with a broad toolbelt of engineering and surveying skills to aid in river restoration and design of fish habitat.
Jamie Sweeney, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
B.S. Marine Biology; M.S. Animal Biology
Phone: (916) 250-1570
West Sacramento, California
Jamie has over nine years of experience monitoring and analyzing data collected from habitat restoration projects in the California Central Valley. Her skills include spawning and stranding surveys, seining, macroinvertebrate sampling, carcass surveys, rotary screw and fyke trap operation, fish and macroinvertebrate identification, and trace element/stable isotope microchemistry analysis. In addition to monitoring restoration projects, Jamie plays an important role in data visualization, spatial and statistical data analysis, and report writing. Her current research specializes in using microchemistry to explore life history diversity and early development of white sturgeon in the Sacramento/San Joaquin rivers in California.
Selected publications
Sweeney, J.K., Willmes, M., Sellheim, K., Lewis, L.S., Hobbs, J.A., Fangue, N.A. and Merz, J.E., 2020. Ontogenetic patterns in the calcification and element incorporation in fin rays of age-0 White Sturgeon. Environmental Biology of Fishes 103(11): 1401-1418.
Selheim, K. L., R. A. Brown, J. T. Anderson, M. Vaghti, J. C. Wiesenfeld, P. A. Colombano, J. K. Sweeney, and J. E. Merz. 2019. Merced River ranch and Henderson Park restoration projects on the Merced River, California. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sweeney, J., K. Sellheim, and J. Merz. 2017. Lower American River Monitoring: 2017 Steelhead spawning and stranding surveys annual report. Central Valley Project, American River California. Mid – Pacific Region. Report to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Anderson, J., J. Sweeney, T. Hinkelman, K. Horvath and J. Merz. 2016. Juvenile salmonid outmigration monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park in the Stanislaus River, California. Annual Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Comprehensive Assessment and Monitoring Program.
Sellheim, K., M. Beakes, J. Merz, and J. Sweeney. 2016. Mokelumne River salmonid spawning and rearing habitat potential: analysis of coarse sediment and floodplain extent. Report to the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
Sellheim, K., J. Merz, D. Stroud, and J. Sweeney. 2016. Lower American River monitoring: 2016 steelhead spawning and stranding surveys Annual Report. Central Valley Project, American River California. Mid – Pacific Region. Report to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Sellheim, K., J. Merz, P. Haverkamp, and J. Sweeney. 2015. Lower American River Monitoring: 2015 steelhead spawning and stranding surveys annual report. Central Valley Project, American River California. Mid – Pacific Region. Report to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Jasmine Williamshen, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
B.S. Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology; M.S. Environmental Science and Management
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Meadow Vista, California
Jasmine is an aquatic ecologist with extensive experience implementing research studies and conducting robust field surveys to sample aquatic organisms and measure physical habitat to better understand how to improve habitat for native fishes. She spent six years working as a biological technician monitoring and surveying fish communities and survival using beach seines, otter trawls, gill nets, fyke traps, rotary screw traps, PIT tags, snorkel surveys, carcass surveys, and electrofishers. She has also performed numerous laboratory methods such as otolith microstructure analysis, diet analysis, and macroinvertebrate identification. Her graduate work involved designing and implementing a project to investigate the effects of flow releases from Lewiston Dam (Trinity River, CA) on downstream drifting invertebrates as a food resource for juvenile salmonids, where she was able to combine her research interests in altered stream flows and food web ecology. Jasmine is also proficient in using programming software to organize, analyze, and visualize quantitative and spatial data, including R, ArcGIS, and Adobe Illustrator.
Selected Publications
Kyle Horvath, B.S.
R&D Fabrication Manager
B.S. Environmental Management and Protection, Natural Resource Planning
Phone: (209) 353-2234
Ripon, California
Kyle works to collect, analyze, and enter physical and biological data, monitor restoration construction activities, assist in the fabrication of sampling equipment, and contribute to technical reports. He has extensive experience in fish identification, monitoring, sampling, handling, tagging, and tracking techniques in California’s freshwater systems. Kyle is also well versed in working with construction companies during restoration projects, including assisting in permit compliance, habitat rehabilitation efforts, and wildlife monitoring.
Selected publications
Anderson, J. T., G. Schumer, P. J. Anders, K. Horvath, and J. E. Merz. 2018. Confirmed observation: a North American green sturgeon Acipenser medirostris recorded in the Stanislaus River, California. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9(2):624-630.
Anderson, J., J. Sweeney, T. Hinkelman, K. Horvath and J. Merz. 2016. Juvenile salmonid outmigration monitoring at Caswell Memorial State Park in the Stanislaus River, California. Annual Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Comprehensive Assessment and Monitoring Program.
Lis Cordner, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
M.S. Biology
West Sacramento, California
Lis is a fish biologist with eight years of experience working in a diverse array of ecosystems. While she has primarily worked with salmonids in Washington and Alaska, she also has experience working with native fishes in southern Utah, sea turtles in Texas, and black bears in Yosemite, to name a few. She has developed protocols for sampling efforts related to fish passage and trapping efficiency, including spawning surveys and fish collection efforts. She has experience with a large number of sampling and monitoring techniques, including seining, electrofishing, downstream and upstream migrant trapping, carcass and redd surveys, gill netting, radio, acoustic, and PIT tag technology, macroinvertebrate sampling, stream morphology assessments. She has also worked extensively with threatened and endangered species.
Maeghen Wedgeworth, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist
B.S. Biology; M.S. Natural Resource and Ecology Management
West Sacramento, California
Maeghen is a fisheries biologist with experience in both freshwater and estuarine fish research including abundance estimation, occupancy relationships, mark-and-recapture, and life history studies. She recently served as an inshore fisheries biologist for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources – Marine Resources Research Institute where she conducted long-term population monitoring of freshwater and estuarine finfish, sharks, turtles, and marine mammals. She has diverse field survey experience including snorkel, eDNA, radio-telemetry tracking, electrofishing, seine net, trammel net, gill net, longline, drumline, and trawl gears. She is an experienced boat operator in rivers, deltas, bays, and nearshore waters. Additionally, she is experienced in laboratory techniques including otolith, fin-ray, microplastics, and histological sample processing and staging. Maeghen also has experience managing and analyzing fisheries abundance, occupancy, life history, and hierarchical data using RStudio, SAS, and JAGS programs. During her graduate career, she developed protocols and led research on Prairie Chub abundance and life history relationships in the Red River basin of Texas and Oklahoma.
Selected Publications
Steffensmeier, Z. D., S. K. Brewer, M. M. Wedgeworth, T. A. Starks, A. W. Rodger, E. Nguyen, and J. S. Perkin. In press. Conservation at the Nexus of Niches: Multidimensional Niche Modelling to Improve Management of Prairie Chub (Machrybopsis australis). North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
Steffensmeier, Z. D., M. M. Wedgeworth, L. Yancy, N. Santee, S. K. Brewer, and J. S. Perkin. 2022. Paradigm versus paradox on the prairie: testing competing stream fish movement frameworks using an imperiled Great Plains minnow. Movement ecology 10(1):1-18.
Wedgeworth, M. M., R. Mollenhauer, and S. K. Brewer. In press. Variation in Prairie Chub hatch relationships across wet and dry years in the upper Red River basin. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.
Steffensmeier, Z.D., M.M. Wedgeworth, L. Yancy, N. Santee, S. K. Brewer, and J. S. Perkin. 2022. Paradigm versus paradox on the prairie: testing competing stream fish movement frameworks using an imperiled Great Plains minnow. Movement ecology 10:1-18.
Mollenhauer, R., S. K. Brewer, J. S. Perkin, D. Swedberg, M. M. Wedgeworth, and Z. D. Steffensmeier. 2021. Connectivity and flow regime direct conservation priorities for pelagophil fishes. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 31: 3215-3227.
Wedgeworth, M. M., 2021. “Variation in Abundance and Hatch Date of Prairie Chub Machrybopsis australis in the upper Red River Basin.” Thesis dissertation. Oklahoma State University.
Matthew Ziemer, B.S.
R&D Field Biologist
B.S. Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Matthew has experience working in both marine and freshwater fisheries in California with governmental and private agencies. In the field, Matthew works to collect physical and biological data using various techniques including beach seining, fyke trapping, macroinvertebrate sampling, and snorkeling. He has experience with fish handling and identification along with data entry and QA/QC.
Michael Briggs, B.S.
GIS Analyst
B.S. Wildlife Resources
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Boise, Idaho
Michael is a GIS Analyst with experience in spatial analysis model development, small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) operations, and salmonid monitoring. Michael has experience gathering and compiling spatial and remote sensing data from multiple sources and conducting GIS analysis to support watershed assessments, restoration effectiveness monitoring, low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) designs, conservation planning, and habitat assessments. He is skilled in creating GIS databases and maps of study areas and analytical results. Michael has experience collecting and compiling both GIS and ecological data in the field. He has summarized, tabulated, and written survey reports. He is a licensed sUAS pilot and has experience piloting missions over the Pacific Northwest’s forests, mountains, rivers, and streams to produce orthomosaic imagery and digital elevation models. He has conducted salmonid carcass and redd surveys, rotary screw trapping, PIT tagging, electrofishing, weir operation, mammalian surveys, and avian surveys. Michael is skilled in the esophageal implantation of acoustic tags and monitoring the migration of O. mykiss and O. tshawytscha using telemetry equipment. Michael previously served as a fisheries technician for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game where he installed and operated a rotary screw trap and several weirs to monitor remote populations of O. mykiss and O. tshawytscha in the Red River and Crooked River. Michael draws from his experience to leverage spatial data for novel approaches to river restoration and assessment.
Mollie Ogaz, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
B.S. Environmental Science & Management; M.S. Ecology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Mollie is a fisheries biologist with extensive experience in fish monitoring and surveying across the Central Valley and northern California, including PIT tagging, backpack electrofishing, and installation and operation of rotary screw traps, fyke traps, and PIT tag antenna arrays. In addition, she has experience in macroinvertebrate and zooplankton collection in freshwater rivers and streams throughout California and collecting field data from rafts and other inflatables. Mollie recently served as the lead field biologist to monitor fish utilization of floodplains in the Central Valley as well as collection of zooplankton and water samples from reservoirs and rivers in the Lake Shasta area of California. Additionally, she oversaw the laboratory processing and analysis of juvenile Chinook Salmon and stomach contents identification for determination of diet and growth in different habitats throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and Estuary. Mollie has experience with numerous technical laboratory methods, including fish tissue dissection, macroinvertebrate identification, and tissue preparation for isotopic analysis. Throughout her fisheries career, Mollie has led backpack electrofishing surveys, rotary screw trapping, beach seining, fyke trapping, gillnetting, and macroinvertebrate and zooplankton collection throughout California. She is an expert at identifying California’s diverse freshwater fishes, as well as being as experienced boat operator in lakes, rivers, and deltas. Mollie also has extensive experience in analyzing fisheries diet and growth data and using linear models to explore migration cues.
Selected Publications
Ogaz, M.H, Rypel, A. L., Moyle, P. B., Lusardi, R. A, and Jeffres, C.A. Should they stay or should they go: Do behavioral cues enable native fishes to exit a California floodplain? [Manuscript submitted for publication].
Sturrock, A.M., Ogaz, M.H., Neal, K., Corline, N.J., Peek, R., Myers, D., Schluep, S., Levinson, M., Johnson, R.C., and Jeffres, C.A. 2022. Floodplain trophic subsidies in a modified river network: Managed foodscapes of the future? [Manuscript submitted for publication].
Ogaz, M.H., Moyle, P.B., Lusardi, R.A., and Rypel, A.L. 2020. Habitat Utilization and Outmigration Dynamics of Fishes on a Restored Floodplain in California’s Central Valley [Unpublished master’s thesis]. University of California, Davis.
Jeffres, C.A., Holmes, E., Ogaz, M.H., Saron, G., Tilcok, M, Montgomery, J., and Katz, J. 2017. Fish Food on Floodplain Farm Fields: Report of the 2017 Pilot Year Investigations.
Nicole Farless, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist
M.S. Fisheries and Aquatic Science
Boise, Idaho
Nicole Farless is a stream ecologist with experience in flow regime analysis, aquatic habitat surveys, fish community sampling, and two-dimensional hydraulic modeling. Nicole has years of experience studying the impacts of hydropeaking on downstream communities and habitat. Her work focuses on mitigating the impacts to fish and macroinvertebrate communities through improving available habitat, water quality, sediment regime, and flow connectivity. She has experience measuring discharge, bathymetry, and water surface elevation using global positioning system (GPS) equipment and geographic information systems (GIS) to plot and analyze the data. She also has experience conducting gravel augmentations to improve stream habitat and tracking substrate movement using passive integrative transponder (PIT) tags. Nicole received her M.S. in Fisheries and Aquatic Science from Oklahoma State University. For her thesis, she determined the thermal tolerance of fishes occupying spring-fed and non-spring fed stream systems and developed flow ecology relationships for fish species associated with various trophic and reproductive guilds.
Selected Publications and Reports
Starnes V., N. Farless, R. O’Hearn. 2023. Niangua River System Water Quality Alterations. Missouri Department of Conservation. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-55-R-5; F21AF02257.
Farless N. and V. Starnes. 2022. Niangua River System Flow Fluctuations. Missouri Department of Conservation. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-55-R-5; F21AF02257.
Farless N. and B. Landwer. 2020. Lower Osage River Habitat and Fish Community Evaluation. Missouri Department of Conservation. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project; F11AF00170.
Farless N., E. Baebler, B. Landwer, D. Lobb. 2018. Evaluation of Habitat for Mussels and Their Fish Hosts in the Lower Osage River. Missouri Department of Conservation. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project; F11AC01144.
Worthington T., A. Echelle, J. Perkin, R. Mollenhauer, N. Farless, J. Dyer, and S. Brewer. 2018. The Emblematic Minnows of the North American Great Plains: A Synthesis of Threats and Conservation Opportunities. Fish and Fisheries 19:271–307.
Farless N., and S. Brewer. 2017. Thermal Tolerances of Fishes Occupying Groundwater and Surface-Water Dominated Streams. Freshwater Science 36:866–876.
Worthington T., S. Brewer, N. Farless, T. Grabowski, M. Gregory. 2014. Interacting Effects of Discharge and Channel Morphology on Transport of Semibuoyant Fish Eggs in Large, Altered River Systems. PLoS ONE 9:1–9.
Worthington T., S. Brewer, N. Farless. 2013. Spatial and Temporal Variation in Efficiency of the Moore Egg Collector. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 33:1113–1118.
Pete Moniz, M.S.
Fisheries Biologist II
B.S. Enviornmental Sciences; M.S. Hydrologic Sciences
West Sacramento, California
Pete is a fisheries biologist with extensive experience in habitat restoration and fish passage effectiveness monitoring in California and the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, he has used beach seines, trawls, gill nets, fyke traps, rotary screw traps, snorkel surveys, carcass and redd surveys, electrofishing (backpack and boat), and telemetry (PIT, radio, and acoustic) to monitor the abundance, habitat use, and movement of native and non-native fish species in both California and British Columbia. Additionally, Pete has analyzed physical habitat using data collected from depth and velocity, pebble count, and core sampling surveys, hydraulic models, topographic and bathymetric surveys (e.g., RTK GPS, total station, echo sounder), and remote sensing. He has also helped design and fabricate patented sampling equipment and has conducted environmental monitoring for a variety of instream construction projects. Before joining Cramer Fish Sciences, Pete was a Registered Professional Biologist in British Columbia where he designed, led, and managed telemetry-based field studies of salmonids and White Sturgeon using PIT, radio, and acoustic telemetry technology. In graduate school, Pete developed and validated juvenile salmonid habitat suitability models of the lower Yuba River and evaluated how rearing habitat evolved along the river over time.
Selected Publications
Moniz, P. J., and D. Ramos-Espinoza. 2023. Bulkley River Sockeye Salmon Telemetry Project Data Summary – 2022. Prepared for Wet’suwet’en, Smithers, British Columbia.
Buchanan, J., A. Hébert, P. J. Moniz, D. Ramos-Espinoza, and A. Putt. 2023. BRGMON-9 Seton River Habitat and Fish Monitoring Implementation Year 10 (2022). Prepared for Splitrock Environmental, Lillooet, British Columbia, and BC Hydro, Burnaby, British Columbia.
Cook, K. V., P. J. Moniz, and D. Ramos-Espinoza. 2023. Site C Fishway Effectiveness Monitoring Program (Mon-13) & Trap and Haul Fish Release Location Monitoring Program (Mon-14). Construction Year 8 (2022). Prepared for BC Hydro, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hébert, A., P. J. Moniz, D. Ramos-Espinoza, and K. V. Cook. 2023. Lajoie Dam Improvement Project (GM-0246): Effects Assessment of the 2022 Drawdown of Downton Reservoir. Fisheries Act Authorization 22-HPAC-00271. Prepared for Splitrock Environmental, Lillooet, British Columbia, and BC Hydro, Burnaby, British Columbia.
Moniz, P. J., K. V. Cook, and D. Ramos-Espinoza. 2022. Site C Fishway Effectiveness Monitoring Program (Mon-13) & Trap and Haul Fish Release Location Monitoring Program (Mon-14). Construction Year 7 (2021). Prepared for BC Hydro, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Buchanan, J., A. Hébert, P. J. Moniz, D. Ramos-Espinoza, C. White, P. Freeman, and A. Putt. 2022. BRGMON-9 Seton River Habitat and Fish Monitoring Implementation Year 9 (2021). Prepared for Splitrock Environmental, Lillooet, British Columbia, and BC Hydro, Burnaby, British Columbia.
Moniz, P. J., and G. B. Pasternack. 2021. Chinook salmon rearing habitat–discharge relationships change as a result of morphodynamic processes. River Research and Applications 37(10):1386-1399.
Cook, K. V., P. J. Moniz, A. Putt, and D. Ramos-Espinoza. 2021. Site C Fishway Effectiveness Monitoring Program (Mon-13). Construction Year 6 (2020). Prepared for BC Hydro, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Hébert, A., P. J. Moniz, D. Ramos-Espinoza, J. Buchanan, C. White, and A. Putt. 2021. BRGMON-9 Seton River Habitat and Fish Monitoring Implementation Year 8 (2020). Prepared for Splitrock Environmental, Lillooet, British Columbia, and BC Hydro, Burnaby, British Columbia.
Moniz, P. J., G. B. Pasternack, D. A. Massa, L. W. Stearman, and P. M. Bratovich. 2020. Do rearing salmonids predictably occupy physical microhabitat? Journal of Ecohydraulics 5(2):132-150.
Philip Colombano, M.S.
Senior Restoration Biologist
B.S. Aquatic Biology; M.S. Natural Resources
Phone: (916) 250-1922
West Sacramento, California
Philip is a biologist with over a decade of experience in fisheries research and monitoring throughout California. He leads field work for a variety of projects including restoration effectiveness monitoring and applied research. He has extensive experience performing downstream migrant trapping, carcass and redd surveys, habitat mapping, snorkel surveys, electrofishing, seining, fish tagging including PIT, elastomer, and CWT, benthic macroinvertebrate collection and identification, and physical data collection. He performs data analysis and visualization, writes reports, and assists with manuscript preparation. Additionally, Philip performs the extensive environmental permitting and reporting required for implementing research and restoration projects in California.
Selected Publications
Selheim, K. L., R. A. Brown, J. T. Anderson, M. Vaghti, J. C. Wiesenfeld, P. A. Colombano, J. K. Sweeney, and J. E. Merz. 2019. Merced River Ranch and Henderson Park restoration projects on the Merced River, California. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cramer Fish Sciences. 2018. Middle Piru Creek rainbow trout sampling in support of Santa Felicia Dam fish passage: biological assessment. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the United Water Conservation District.
Cramer Fish Sciences. 2018. Merced Irrigation District’s Merced River instream and off-channel habitat rehabilitation project: biological and essential fish habitat assessment. Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service on behalf of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Cramer Fish Sciences. 2017. Stanislaus river channel and floodplain rehabilitation project at Rodden road biological assessment. Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cramer Fish Sciences and cbec eco-engineering. 2017. Hallwood side channel and floodplain restoration project environmental assessment/initial study. Report to the Yuba County on behalf of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Cramer Fish Sciences. 2016. Stanislaus River salmonid habitat restoration project at Buttonbush: biological and essential fish habitat assessment. Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service on behalf of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Colombano, P. A. 2012. Response of coastal stream habitat and juvenile steelhead to the Honeydew Fire in Humboldt County, California. Master’s Thesis, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California.
Zack DeLuca, M.S.
Geomorphologist
M.S. Geoscience, B.S. Geology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Boise, Idaho
Zack DeLuca is a fluvial geomorphologist with experience incorporating geologic insights into a variety of complex multidisciplinary projects. He is focused on systems thinking approaches to geomorphic questions that combine surficial geology, local land-use history, sediment connectivity, and hydrology. Zack has completed geomorphic assessments, field surveys, and built complex 1D and 2D hydraulic models in HEC-RAS. He has experience using geographic information systems (GIS) and Python for geomorphic and hydrologic analyses and cartography. Zack received his M.S. in Geoscience with an emphasis on fluvial geomorphology from the University of Montana. His thesis evaluated the geomorphic response to extreme flooding in Northern Yellowstone National Park using a combination of rapid assessments, analysis of high-resolution topography data, and hydraulic modeling to reconstruct flood conditions, estimate flood forces and sediment transport potential, and quantify geomorphic change following flooding.
Biological Technicians
Ana Olsen, B.S.
Biological Technician Issaquah, Washington
Bret Fessenden, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Emma Lauchner, B.S.
Biological Technician II West Sacramento, California
Griffith Bell, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Hanadi Succar, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Hannah Lambach, B.S.
Senior Permitting Technician West Sacramento, California
Jackson Hoeke, M.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Jamie Byrne, B.S.
Biological Technician Meadow Vista, CA
John Lyssenko, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Joe Spindler, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Joshua O’Bannon, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Karyme Orozco Salazar, B.S.
Biological Technician II West Sacramento, California
Liz Hansen, B.S.
GIS Technician I Boise, Idaho
Melinda Paulus, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician Issaquah, Washington
Mitch Gladding, B.S.
Biological Technician II West Sacramento, California
Natasha Mayo, B.S.
Biological Technician II Ripon, California
Nathan Stram, B.S.
Biological Technician II West Sacramento, California
Pryclynn Kubatka-Campbell, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician Issaquah, Washington
Rahul Rai, M.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Shannon Forsberg, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Sienna Doering, B.S.
Biological Technician Portland, Oregon
Taylor Truett, B.S.
Biological Technician West Sacramento, California
Thomas Avilla, B.S.
Senior R&D Biological Technician Ripon, California
Tyler Brownell, B.S.
Senior R&D Biological Technician West Sacramento, CaliforniaAna Olsen, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Fish, Marine Biology, Aquatic and Fisheries Science
Issaquah, Washington
Bret Fessenden, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician
B.S. Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
Portland, Oregon
Bret is a Senior Biological Technician with experience in fish population monitoring and surveying, with a focus on salmonids. In his most recent position he has served as a fisheries technician and field crew leader for the US Fish and Wild Service in Red Bluff California. As a fisheries technician he has specialized in video technologies to monitor threatened and endangered species on the tributaries of the Sacramento River. He has extensive experience with the installation, maintenance, and data processing of various monitoring technologies. These include, Vaki Riverwatchers, Didson and Aris Sonars, and surveillance style video monitoring systems. Bret has played a leading role in the surveying and video monitoring of reintroduction efforts of Sacramento River Winter-Run Chinook Salmon into Battle Creek near Anderson, CA. He has led field crews on salmonid carcass and redd surveys, long-term rotary screw trapping efforts, electrofishing projects, and benthic macroinvertebrate surveys. Bret is also proficient in managing Access Databases and GIS data in ArcGIS.
Emma Lauchner, B.S.
Biological Technician II
B.S. Microbiology
West Sacramento, California
Emma is a biological technician II with experience in fish monitoring and surveying across the Pacific Northwest, southern California, and the Central Valley, including PIT tagging, and installation and operation of rotary screw traps, fyke traps, and PIT tag antenna arrays. She also has experience with seining, electrofishing, and snorkel surveys. She recently served as the lead technician to monitor remote populations of O. mykiss in Piru Creek, CA utilizing mark-and-recapture techniques. She led the day-to-day operations of a rotary screw trap, fyke trap, and PIT tag antenna arrays to monitor emigrating O. mykiss on Piru Creek as well as surveying for California red-legged frogs, arroyo toads, and southwestern willow flycatchers. Emma also has experience monitoring fisheries populations using various technologies such as, analyzing ARIS and reviewing videos from the Sampling Platform. She has experience with laboratory methods, like scale mounting and macroinvertebrate identification. Before joining CFS, she performed lab testing on water samples during her internship at the Bozeman Water Treatment Plant and conducted sportfishing surveys and performed PIT tag retrieval to assist in the monitoring and management of salmonid populations of the Puget Sound.
Griffith Bell, B.S.
Senior Biological Technician
B.S. Oceanography and Environmental Science
Portland, Oregon
Griffith is a biological technician with a wide range of field experiences throughout the Willamette Valley. Since he began his time at Cramer, he has gained extensive experience in fish monitoring techniques such as PIT tagging, gill netting, nearshore sampling, live fish transport, and mark and recapture studies. Griffith has worked in collaboration with government agencies at both the state and federal levels, as well as in conjunction with other private consultants. Growing up in Oregon, Griffith has gained over a decade of local experience boating and navigating the waterways of the Willamette Valley and possesses firsthand knowledge of its native species. Griffith graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR, with a B.S. in Oceanography and Environmental Science with an option in Aquatic Biology. Most recently, Griffith worked at Cramer Fish Sciences as a field lead, focusing on capturing the behavior and survival of emigrating populations of juvenile spring chinook in reservoirs throughout the Willamette Valley using PIT tags, nearshore traps, gill nets, and limnology profiling.
Hannah Lambach, B.S.
Senior Permitting Technician
B.S. Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity
Phone: (888) 224-1221
West Sacramento, California
Hannah is a Senior Permitting Technician for the California field office in West Sacramento. She has previous experience working with private environmental consultant companies upholding state and federal laws for both biological resources and vegetation management. Hannah has worked on fire restoration projects as a biological monitor conducting surveys for endangered species including the foothill yellow-legged frog and state protected nesting birds. As a technician at CFS, Hannah tends to administrative duties and assists with macroinvertebrate sampling, data management, video image processing and technical document editing. Her diverse background in environmental ecology and field data collection makes her a valuable member of the CFS team.
Jackson Hoeke, M.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Marine Biology; M.S. Marine Science
Portland, Oregon
Jamie Byrne, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Marine Science
Meadow Vista, California
Jamie is a biological technician working out of the West Sacramento and Auburn offices. She has gained experience working in the field, lab, and office on projects throughout California, especially the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the wider Central Valley. Her field experience includes rotary screw trap maintenance, beach seines, macroinvertebrate collection, electrofishing surveys, and fish identification, tagging, and sample collection. She has gained laboratory experience analyzing ARIS videos as well as processing invertebrate and zooplankton samples. Throughout her time with CFS, she has worked on motorized and unmotorized watercraft and in a variety of environments and conditions. Prior to joining CFS, she conducted creel surveys, drafted reports, worked in a hatchery, and conducted carcass surveys in the North Central region of California. In addition to fisheries work, she has also surveyed aquatic invasive species and amphibians, and used drones to research marine landscape ecology and intertidal community dynamics.
John Lyssenko, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Environmental Biology
Portland, Oregon
John is a Biological Technician with a broad range of field experience. He has experience in fish monitoring techniques and population dynamic analyses, including PIT tagging, gill net sampling, mark-and-recapture studies, line-transect distance sampling, and acoustic telemetry. With over a decade of boating experience on oceans, lakes, and rivers throughout the Pacific Northwest, John has honed his skills in identifying Oregon’s diverse fish populations. John has experience collaborating with a diverse array of partners, some of which include private landowners, watershed councils, federal agencies, and tribes. John graduated from Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR, with a B.S. in Environmental Biology. Most recently, John worked at Cramer Fish Sciences as a field lead, focusing on capturing the behavior and survival of emigrating juvenile spring chinook salmon from the Hood River into the Columbia River using acoustic telemetry. He is now pursuing an M.S. in Fisheries Science at Oregon State University, starting in the fall of 2024.
Joe Spindler, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Portland, Oregon
Joshua O'Bannon, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Portland, Oregon
Karyme Orozco Salazar, B.S.
Biological Technician II
B.S. Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
West Sacramento, California
Karyme is a Biological Technician II at the West Sacramento office. She has extensive experience working in the lab, identifying freshwater macroinvertebrates and preparing samples such as tissue, scales, and otoliths for analysis. In previous roles, she assisted with projects regarding invasive plants in California, fire resiliency, coyote behavioral patterns, and turtle spawning. At CFS, she has participated in various data collection surveys such as beach seine, snorkel, steelhead spawning and pit tag mark-recapture.
Liz Hansen, B.S.
GIS Technician I
B.S. Geography
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Boise, Idaho
Liz Hansen is a GIS Technician with a background in mapping systems, natural resource research and management, and small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) operations. Her combination of field experience and technical proficiency enables her to integrate practical environmental knowledge with advanced geospatial analysis to contribute valuable insights for river system analysis and restoration projects. Specifically, Liz’s field work experience involves plant identification, habitat analysis, and data collection using methods such as electrofishing, GPS, and drone surveying. She has contributed to studies on the Utah fish population densities, trout otolith and carp spine aging surveys, and the management of the threatened June sucker (Chasmistes liorus). Liz has used both ArcGIS and QGIS to analyze habitat suitability, track aquatic invasive species, delineate watersheds, and to support habitat monitoring surveys. She is also a licensed sUAS pilot and has experience conducting drone surveys over varied terrain to monitor rare plants and vegetation conditions. Liz draws from her experiences working in natural resources to assist in the analysis and restoration of river systems.
Melinda Paulus, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences
Phone: (206) 960-4008
Issaquah, Washington
Melinda has experience in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska collecting and analyzing fisheries and aquatic habitat data. Prior to joining CFS, Melinda evaluated sockeye mortality in Alaska and the effects of restoration on juvenile salmon densities as part of NOAA’s Strait of Juan de Fuca Intensively Monitored Watershed project. Melinda helps to collect data for habitat assessments and restoration monitoring programs by performing bathymetric, habitat, wood, and riparian surveys. She is skilled in boat and beach seining, eDNA sampling, and collecting physical samples from salmon (otoliths, gastric lavage). At CFS, Melinda conducts literature reviews, helps collect, QA/QC, and summarize field data in maps and figures, and assists with technical reports.
Mitch Gladding, B.S.
Biological Technician II
B.S. Biological Sciences
West Sacramento, California
Mitch is skilled at working in California freshwater and estuarine environments using a wide variety of sampling techniques, such as beach seining, fyke trapping, hoop trapping, and electrofishing. He has fish handling, identification, and tagging skills, and is also experienced in processing macroinvertebrate samples in the laboratory. Mitch has assisted in the conduction of laboratory experiments involving juvenile Chinook Salmon and Green Sturgeon metabolism and is also skilled in the care of captive fishes. He has experience working as a crew member aboard research vessels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Estuary collecting water quality and zooplankton samples. Mr. Gladding also has experience conducting population surveys for salmonid, reptile, and amphibian species, while navigating challenging terrain in the Upper American River Watershed. He is also experienced in deployment and recovery of environmental loggers in remote areas. Mitch works extensively with CFS staff on restoration monitoring and PIT tag mark-recapture studies in the lower reaches of the American and Yuba rivers. He is experienced in reviewing video recordings from the Sampling Platform and has supported the CFS team in the construction of resistance board weirs. He is also skilled in navigating swift water on foot or using non-motorized craft.
Natasha Mayo, B.S.
Biological Technician II
B.S. Freshwater Fisheries Biology
Ripon, California
Natasha is a biological technician experienced in fish and wildlife surveying across the Sierra Nevada, Central Valley, and Pacific Northwest. Natasha possesses an A.S. in Water Resource Management and is a Certified California Naturalist. She brings immense training in species identification, ecological conservation, and various capture methods such as electrofishing, hook-and-line, minnow traps, seine nets, weirs, screw traps, and trawling. Natasha also has hands on experience with PIT tags, fin clips, floy tags, and dye marking for population monitoring and otolith analysis as well as scale aging, fish diet composition, and macroinvertebrate community structures. In addition, Natasha specializes in aquatic system plumbing, construction, and maintenance, biosecurity measures, fish spawning, husbandry, and incubation management.
Nathan Stram, B.S.
Biological Technician II
B.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
West Sacramento, California
Nathan is a Biological Technician and is experienced in identifying, surveying and monitoring fish species in the California Central Valley. He has experience beach seining, rotary screw traps, electrofishing, data QA/QC, spawning surveys, fish handling, fish tagging, invertebrate drift net sampling, egg box incubation, weir fabrication and welding. He has additional experience working on a stream survey crew in Nevada using backpack electrofishing and experience working at a fish hatchery in Idaho.
Pryclynn Kubatka-Campbell, B.S.
Biological Technician
B. S. Biology, Wildlife and Fisheries Science
Phone: (425) 275-9397
Issaquah, Washington
Pryclynn is a biological technician with extensive field experience performing habitat assessments and assessing restoration across Washington and Oregon. She is skilled in a variety of protocols (AEM, CHaMP, and USFS Level II), and survey techniques, including habitat and bathymetry mapping using an RTK GPS, snorkel surveys, macroinvertebrate collection, and longitudinal profile surveys. She also has experience in writing technical reports, SEPA and NEPA Environmental Impact Statements, and Habitat Conservation Plans. At CFS, Pryclynn contributes to multiple projects by performing literature reviews, data collection, QA/QC, data analysis, and mapping in GIS.
Rahul Rai, M.S.
Biological Technician
M.S. Biological Sciences, B.S. Zoology
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Portland, Oregon
Shannon Forsberg, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Environmental Science
Portland, Oregon
Sienna Doering, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S. Environmental and Ocean Sciences
Portland, Oregon
Taylor Truett, B.S.
Biological Technician
B.S., Biology concentrated towards Marine Biology
West Sacramento, California
Taylor is experienced in monitoring and surveying anadromous fish species in the Central Valley and Sacramento River watershed. She examined the distribution, abundance, and population trends of Central Valley steelhead trout in the Sacramento River watershed by using mark-recapture methods with large-wire fyke traps on motorized watercraft. She has experience handling, anesthetizing, tagging, and collecting biological samples from adult steelhead trout. While working at a dam on the Snake River, she performed Gas Bubble Trauma exams, while also participating in collecting, sorting, and sampling juvenile anadromous fish. She is skilled in making standardized observations such as species identification, length, age, signs of diseases or pathogens, and collecting fin clips or tagging fish. In addition, Taylor also has over two years of experience working in a water toxicity lab where she conducted Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) testing, Toxicity Identification/Reduction Evaluations (TIE/TRE), water quality criteria development, and Water-Effect Ratio (WER) studies. At CFS, she assists with macroinvertebrate identification, snorkel surveys on the Lower American River, and running a screw trap on the Stanislaus River. Taylor also has professional experience working with marine species. She previously worked in the Florida Keys where she helped college students gain hands on experience with long lines and tangle nets, while tagging and releasing various elasmobranch species in the Gulf of Mexico. She has experience conducting Aquatic Nuisance surveys using standardized scientific protocols in various waters throughout Colorado where she monitored and mapped zebra mussels, quagga mussels, New Zealand mud snails, and Eurasian watermilfoil.
Thomas Avilla, B.S.
Senior R&D Biological Technician
B.S. Agriculture Resource Management
Phone: (209) 605-4990
Ripon, California
Thomas has experience in GIS systems, SCADA, and orchard monitoring. He has also been involved in a research project discovering the uses and accuracy of remote satellite imagery for irrigation scheduling. Thomas graduated from Chico State University with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Resource Management in May of 2021. He has experience in fish identification and knowledge of local river systems.
Tyler Brownell, B.S.
Senior R&D Biological Technician
B.S. Marine Biology
West Sacramento, California
Tyler Brownell is a Senior Biological Technician with over a decade of extensive experience in fish population surveys and hatchery operations. His skills encompass boat operations for seining, snorkeling, and sampling across river and open ocean environments. Tyler has served as a field lead for creel surveys, monitoring angler effort and fish tagging in California’s Central Valley. Well-versed in all aspects of White Sturgeon husbandry, including spawning, tagging, egg evaluation, and machinery operation, his core fisheries background is complemented by diverse talents in fabrication, ranch operations, livestock management, plumbing, and electrical work. With his broad knowledge and hands-on experience, Tyler is an invaluable asset in both field and operational capacities.
Anne Ternes, B.A.
Technical Writer I/Proposal Coordinator
B.A. in Biology
Portland, Oregon
Anne is a technical writer who works at the intersection of community, nature, and education. They have written for multiple environmental blogs, providing inspiring information about native environments tailored to local audiences. In addition, they have written grant proposals for ecological impact research and renovation projects aimed at improving watershed and community health. Anne has extensive experience writing business proposals and supporting administration teams in establishing new and maintaining existing client relationships. Anne supports the Cramer Fish Sciences team by evaluating RFPs and collaborating with the scientific team to prepare and submit proposals.
Lauren Ellenbecker, B.A.
Technical Writer I/Proposal Coordinator
B.A. in Journalism and Media Production
Portland, Oregon
Lauren Ellenbecker is a journalist who shares stories about the Pacific Northwest’s environmental intricacies, how degradation manifests within its landscapes, who is impacted and what is being done about it. Lauren’s reporting has brought her to scorched old growth forests, rivers altered by antiquated logging operations and the dining table of a homeowner who fears their life will be swept away in a flood. These experiences contain multitudes of personal, scientific and thought-provoking tales, all of which converge with the perseverance, recovery and transformation of both humans and the environment. Now, Lauren continues to expand her knowledge but from a different angle: working alongside those moving the needle in ecosystem research and recovery. She supports the Cramer Fish Sciences team by preparing, executing and delivering proposals so they can find steadfast solutions for fish populations across the Pacific Northwest. Lauren continues to write often, whether it’s compiling a proposal, freelancing or weaving together a poem about the wonders of nature.
Business Support Team
Edward Fuller
IT Specialist Portland, Oregon
Jessica Kench, M.B.A.
Business Operations Manager Portland, Oregon
Josh Tate, B.S.
Payroll & Accounting Specialist Portland, Oregon
Karin Waible, M.B.A.
Senior Accountant Portland, Oregon
Kay Holzweissig, B.S.
Senior Billings & Contracts Administrator Portland, Oregon
Kaylie Contessa, B.A.
Administrative Specialist Issaquah, Washington
Kei Asakura, B.S.
Human Resources Generalist Portland, Oregon
Kristine Constans, B.A.
Human Resources Manager Portland, Oregon
Nicole Caraway
Billings & Contracts Administrator Portland, Oregon
Sofia Taconi, B.A.
Administrative Specialist West Sacramento, CaliforniaEdward Fuller
IT Specialist
Phone: (503) 207-4552
Portland, Oregon
Jessica Kench, M.B.A.
Business Operations Manager
B.S. Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, M.B.A.
Phone: (503) 446-5907
Portland, Oregon
Josh Tate, B.S.
Payroll & Accounting Specialist
B.S.
Phone: (503) 213-4628
Portland, Oregon
Karin Waible, M.B.A.
Senior Accountant
B.S. Accounting, M.B.A. Finance
Phone: (503) 491-9577
Portland, Oregon
Kay Holzweissig, B.S.
Senior Billings & Contracts Administrator
B.S.
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Portland, Oregon
Kaylie Contessa, B.A.
Administrative Specialist
B.A.
Phone: (360)-456-4621
Issaquah, Washington
Kei Asakura, B.S.
Human Resources Generalist
B.S.
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Portland, Oregon
Kristine Constans, B.A.
Human Resources Manager
B.A.
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Portland, Oregon
Nicole Caraway
Billings & Contracts Administrator
Phone: (888) 224-1221
Portland, Oregon
Sofia Taconi, B.A.
Administrative Specialist
B.A.
Phone: (916)-603-5002
West Sacramento, California