M.S. Range Management (with Graduate Certificate in Geospatial Information, Science, and Technology), University of California, Berkeley, 2016
B.S. Conservation and Resource Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2010
- Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting: Senior Ecologist, 2018–present
- Point Reyes National Seashore: Range Management Specialist, 2016-2018
- University of Califronia, Berkeley: Graduate Student Researcher, 2014-2016
- Condor Country Consulting, Inc.: Staff Biologist, 2013-2014
- Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting: Staff Ecologist and GIS Analyst, 2009-2013
- East Bay Regional Park District: Wildland Vegetation Intern, 2014, 2015
- Yosemite National Park: Backcountry Botany Technician, 2011, 2012
Ms. Foss is an ecologist with a robust understanding of science-based adaptive land management, field survey protocols, and ecological principles. Ms. Foss is an ecologist with a robust understanding of science-based adaptive land management, field survey protocols, and ecological principles. A representation of the diversity of projects Ms. Foss has managed include: a water quality rangeland improvement grant; grassland mapping and rapid assessment; riparian restoration; native plant nursery operation and volunteer programs; rare plant population modelling; CEQA and NEPA compliance; and biological preserve monitoring. As a project manager, she has collaborated with agency partners, academic collaborators, private ranching operations, non-profit land trusts, environmental advocacy groups and volunteers. She has established positive and productive working relationships with contractors and sub-contractors in construction, biological consulting, and invasive plant management companies. She is active in local conservation groups and is currently on the Board of Directors for the California-Pacific Section of the Society for Rangeland Management.
Depending on project needs, Ms. Foss has conducted established industry-standard survey protocols, or where appropriate, has created and implemented biological survey protocols adapted to site-specific factors. She has coordinated and conducted rangeland monitoring, rare plant surveys, plant community mapping, floristic inventories, sensitive wildlife surveys, wetland delineations, and baseline inventories on sites throughout California. She is familiar with state and federal regulations protecting special-status species.
Ms. Foss possesses strong geospatial and tabular data collection, management and statistical analysis capabilities. She has employed these skills to support sound science-based adaptive management decisions such as assessing effectivity of rare plant management, locating agricultural improvements, and selecting the most effective option for invasive pest management. She is comfortable working with Garmin, Trimble GPS units, Juno GPS units, ArcGIS, TerraSync, ENVI, and R.
Selected wetlands project experience includes assisting with large branchiopod dip-net surveys, California tiger salamander seine and drift fence studies, California red-legged frog monitoring, California yellow-legged frog surveys and life cycle monitoring, fish seining, crab trapping, water quality testing, and wetland delineations. Selected terrestrial project experience includes plant community mapping, forest composition monitoring, sub-alpine meadow monitoring, rare plant and botanical surveys. She also has a strong familiarity of California amphibian, mammal and bird species.