NatureServe: Conservation Planning Services

Lisa Giencke, Leah Oliver, and Rickie White in the field
Photo by NatureServe

Director/Conservation Planner: Patrick J. Crist, Ph.D. (NatureServe Western Regional Office, Boulder, CO, USA): Dr. Crist directs the Conservation Planning services and Ecosystem Management Program for NatureServe. Since coming to NatureServe in 2001 he has focused on managing development of conservation planning methodology for incorporation in the NatureServe Vista decision support software and managing conservation analyses and planning projects for a variety of clients. From 1995-2001 he was the National Program Coordinator for the USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP); a nationwide biodiversity assessment program. He began his GAP career as the New Mexico GAP coordinator. He has a B.S. in landscape architecture from California Polytechnic (1984), an M.L.A. in landscape architecture and regional planning from the University of Pennsylvania (1992), and Ph.D. in Natural Resources (2003) from the University of Idaho.

Marine Ecosystem-Based Management Coordinator: Sarah Carr, Ph.D (NatureServe Home Office, Arlington, VA, USA): Dr. Carr is the Coastal-Marine Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) Tools Program Coordinator at NatureServe. She coordinates the Tools Program and Network of global experts in coastal-marine ecosystem-based management tools and applications. She is a marine scientist with experience integrating complex biological and physical models. Her research topics have ranged from blue crab migrations in North Carolina to zooplankton transport off the central California coast to sea cucumber larvae dispersal in northeastern Australia. She has a Ph.D. in Marine Science from UNC- Chapel Hill and a postgraduate diploma in Marine Sciences from the University of Otago in New Zealand. She also served as a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in EPA's Coastal Management Branch.

Chief Ecologist/Conservation Planner: Pat Comer (NatureServe Western Regional Office, Boulder, CO, USA): Pat directs the Terrestrial Ecology Department of NatureServe’s Science Division. He completed undergraduate and graduate work in Natural Resources and Forest Ecology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Pat worked in agroforestry as Peace Corps volunteer in Costa Rica. Over the past 20 years, Pat has engaged in natural resource and biodiversity conservation planning; first in Costa Rica, then with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Michigan Department of Natural Resources, where he supported the integration of biodiversity information into environmental review procedures, statewide conservation strategy development, and state/national forest planning. Pat also developed core methodology used by TNC for Ecoregional Assessments and Conservation Action Plans, and advised numerous ecoregional project teams from the Great Lakes, to Alaska, across the intermountain West U.S., across Latin America, and in China. Pat has served as a science advisor for the development of NatureServe Vista and has implemented Vista with other planning tools in the United States, Puerto Rico, Peru, Colombia, and elsewhere.

GIS Analyst/Ecologist: Jon Hak (NatureServe Western Regional Office, Boulder, CO, USA): Jon Hak works in the mapping program of NatureServe and contributes substantially to many conservation planning projects and development of methods and tools for NatureServe Vista. Jon has substantial experience in the network of Natural Heritage Programs where he managed the geographic information system (GIS) program for the Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center (ORNHIC). He applies GIS and remote sensing techniques to conservation efforts where limited amounts of existing data are available and develops methodologies to apply models of low occurrence data typical of rare, threatened and endangered species/elements in conservation planning efforts. Prior to joining NatureServe, Jon managed several projects where he worked on landscape level assessments for describing, and prioritizing wildlife habitat and species, including Oregon Gap Analysis as Co-PI, mapping shrub habitats across the Pacific Northwest, and partnering with timber interests to utilize Element Distribution Models to meet the industries sustainable forestry goals.

GIS Analyst/Conservation Planner: Regan Lyons (NatureServe Southern Resource Office in Raleigh/Durham, NC, USA): Regan Lyons is a Regional Vegetation Ecologist with expertise in the areas of conservation planning, landscape ecology, and geospatial analysis. Regan holds a M.E.M. in Ecosystem Science and Management and B.S. in Environmental Science/Biology, both from Duke University. Regan has played a major role in several conservation planning projects in the western and southeastern United States. She spearheaded a prioritization of at-risk large mammal migration corridors in Greater Yellowstone and developed a means to evaluate conservation easement effectiveness through predictive modeling of rural residential growth. Regan’s current work at NatureServe includes the development of several long-term vegetation monitoring protocols for the National Park Service and accuracy assessment of vegetation maps.

Conservation Planner/Vista Support: Ian Varley: Ian Varley develops, conducts and manages conservation planning projects for NatureServe. He provides support and guidance for planning tools and methods, especially NatureServe Vista. Previous to working for NatureServe, Ian focused on private land conservation, working with the Land Trust Alliance and Montana Land Reliance. Ian has substantial experience in Latin America, living for five years in El Salvador. Starting with several years in the U.S. Peace Corps, he later transitioned to working for SalvaNATURA, El Salvador’s largest environmental non-profit organization. With SalvaNATURA, Ian managed the 2,300 hectare Los Volcanes National Park. Besides overseeing a group of 11 park rangers, his work afforded him extensive experience coordinating with diverse stakeholder body of local communities, government officials and international-aid entities. The park was a mosaic of private and public land and it was an extraordinary setting to learn about the complex themes that often characterize neotropical conservation, especially where natural ecosystems, human activity and natural disasters intersect. He holds an M.E.M in Ecosystem Science and Conservation from Duke University in Durham, NC and received his B.A. from the University of Montana in Geography and Spanish.

Plant Ecologist/Project Manager: Rickie White: Rickie White works on spatial data and mapping approaches, conservation planning, and project management for NatureServe’s Conservation Services Division. Most recently, Rickie worked with Lynn Scharf to complete a biodiversity analysis of lands in Albemarle County, Virginia that helped the University of Virginia better account for biodiversity on their lands in future planning activities. Rickie is currently coordinating technical data including spatial content for LandScope America: the Conservation Guide to America’s Natural Open Places. He has a B.S. in Biology and M.A. in Ecology from UNC-Chapel Hill.