2016 Election Candidate Bios

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The Wildlife Society
Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group
2016 Executive Board Elections – Candidate Bio’s
Chair-Elect
Brian Kluever
I am currently a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Army at Fort Carson,
Colorado. This position allows me to both manage wildlife habitat
improvement/restoration projects and also conduct research on
wildlife-habitat relationships. I work with a host of vertebrate species,
ranging in size from Arkansas Daters to Rocky Mountain elk. I
received a B.S. from the University of Nebraska in Fisheries and
Wildlife. From there I headed to the desert where I received a Master’s
in Rangeland Ecology & Management from the University of Arizona.
After receiving my MS, I worked in the private sector as a senior
wildlife biologist, working primarily on wildlife-habitat relationships and
habitat restoration projects within the context of energy development in
Wyoming and Colorado. After several years I got an itch to go back to
school and began a PhD at Utah State University. My PhD research
focused on the effect of anthropogenic water sources on space use
and demography for a host of mammalian species in the Great Basin
Desert. Upon defending, I pulled up stakes and moved to CO to start my current position. I have been a
member of TWS since 2007, attended nearly every TWS national conference since becoming a member,
and feel I would make a great addition to the Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group.
Secretary-Treasurer
Michelle Ford
My name is Michelle Ford and I am a Certified Wildlife Biologist®
(CWB), Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) (SWS #2310), Certified
Erosion, Sediment, Stormwater Inspector (CESSWI) (CESSWI #4041),
and Registered Professional Soil Scientist. In 2001 I completed my
undergraduate degree in Applied Ecology and Environmental Science
from Michigan Technological University located in Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula. I returned to Michigan Tech in 2004 to complete my
Masters in Applied Ecology where my thesis focused on the influence
of shoreline housing development along the coast of Lake Superior on
breeding forest bird communities. Upon completion of my Masters I
began working in environmental consulting in Massachusetts and
Connecticut New England. I have been fortunate to work alongside
many qualified biologists who have helped me hone my skills in a
variety of fields, including freshwater and marine mussel surveys, bat
surveys, grassland bird surveys, and amphibian surveys. In order to
accommodate the need for a more regulate schedule and reduced
travel, I left environmental consulting in 2014 to take a position in
Middletown, Connecticut as the Environmental Planner. In my current role I serve as staff to the
Conservation Commission, conduct project reviews, pre-application meetings, and provide staff
comments for the City’s Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Agency (IWWA), write grants for a variety of
environmental initiatives including habitat protection and enhancement, brownfield assessment and
cleanup, and correspond frequently with the State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
on matters ranging from protected species habitat protection to sediment and stormwater control
implementation. Prior to being employed by the City, I served for over 2 years as an IWWA
Commissioner. I am currently an active member of the Environment, Land Use and Energy Committee
with the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, The Wildlife Society, Connecticut Association of Wetland
Scientists, Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England (SSSSNE), and the Society of Wetland
Scientists. I have been a CWB and member of TWS since 2010 and would be honored to take on the
Secretary/Treasurer position with the working group. I see this as an opportunity to give back to TWS and
to the wildlife community as a whole. I know that my organizational, report writing, and motivation to see
the group implement successful project would make me a very qualified candidate for the position. Thank
you for your consideration.
Secretary-Treasurer continued…
Casey Hendricks
My passion for wildlife began when I was younger, as it was a weekly
tradition for my dad and I to explore the mountains of New Mexico.
Every Sunday was spent driving, hiking, and watching wildlife. That
passion was only strengthened as my now-husband introduced me to
the fun and exciting world of FFA wildlife competitions as well as to my
now-favorite hobbies, hunting and fishing. During that time in my life, I
never imagined being able to turn my passion into such a fulfilling
career. Since then, I have held positions with the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service at Bitter Lake NWR and the Central Arkansas
Refuge Complex, the National Park Service at Rocky Mountain
National Park and Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument, and
with New Mexico State University and the University of Arkansas.
While I attempted to maintain emphasis on waterfowl and wetlands I
also enjoyed working with big game species and their habitats,
including mule deer, elk, and white-tailed deer. I graduated with my
Bachelor’s from New Mexico State University with Honors, majoring in
Wildlife Science and minoring in Biology and Conservation Ecology. I
completed a year of graduate school and research at the University of Arkansas, studying waterfowl
foods in bottomland hardwood forests. I have since returned to New Mexico and am currently serving as
the lead biologist for the New Mexico State Land Office. One of my main focus’ in serving in this position
has been to perform habitat restoration projects on State Trust Lands across New Mexico to benefit a
wide range of species, from Lesser Prairie Chicken habitat in the southeastern portion of the state to mule
deer habitat projects in pinon-juniper woodlands. I appreciate your consideration in electing me as your
new Secretary-Treasurer for the Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group. Thank you!
Northeast Section Representative
Heather Jensen
Heather Jensen joined the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’
Philadelphia District in December 2004. Heather currently serves as
the District’s Strategic Planner and spent several years as a
Biologist and Project Manager in the Planning Division managing
civil works projects, primarily those related to aquatic ecosystem
restoration. She also serves as the liaison to the Delaware River
Basin Commission and is the District’s Environmental Business Line
Manager. Heather has worked through many challenges and
developed innovative solutions for ecosystem restoration planning
and implementation, such as an ongoing project in the planning
stage that will likely be one of the first large scale hybrid living
shorelines projects in New Jersey. Heather recently presented the
following work at scientific conferences: Systems Approach to
Geomorphic Engineering: A Pilot Study in Barnegat Bay, NJ;
Federal River Protection and Restoration Resources as identified by
the Delaware River Urban Waters Federal Partnership; Challenges
in Planning Urban Stream Restoration Projects; Federal Role in
Dam Removal and River Restoration; and Grover's Mill Pond
Ecosystem Restoration Project, Water Quality Improvement and Beneficial Use of Dredged Material.
Prior to joining the Corps, Heather worked as an intern at The Nature Conservancy’s Neversink River
Program Office and collected field data on biological communities and developed a plan for monitoring
riparian vegetation around a dam removal site. In graduate school, as a Research Associate for the
Research Foundation of New York, she used radiotelemetry data to determine habitat preferences of a
rare turtle species and focused on habitat preferences of turtle and larval anuran populations and
implications of water level management. As an intern for the National Park Service at Assateague Island
National Seashore, she monitored and managed breeding population of Piping Plover. Heather also
served as an intern at Mote Marine Laboratory in the Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program.
Heather received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biological Sciences from Rutgers University in 2001 and
her Master of Science Degree in Conservation Biology from the State University of New York College of
Environmental Science and Forestry in 2004.
Southeast Section Representative
Sandra Patrick
My passion for wildlife and the environment began as a youngster
while sailing with my family on the Great Lakes and throughout the
tropical waters of Florida. From these experiences, I learned the
significance and value of our natural resources and habitats that must
be balanced with our modern world.
I’m a Senior Ecologist with The Mosaic Company and a Certified
Environmental Professional (CEP), specializing in wetland and wildlife
ecology. I currently manage our wildlife programs and oversee wildlife
habitat permitting, reclamation/restoration and management in central
Florida. This includes Mosaic’s extensive gopher tortoise and
burrowing owl relocation initiatives with the Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission as well as the Avian Protection Plan and
scrub jay program through the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For
wetlands, I’ve managed large, complex and strategic wetland and
reclamation projects through state and federal wetland resource
permits (FDEP & USACE), state conceptual reclamation plans; and
state (FFWCC) and federal (USFWS) wildlife habitat conservation plans.
I also frequently engage with agency regulators, public organizations and stakeholders to foster
awareness of Mosaic’s permitting, restoration and conservation efforts for wildlife, as well as frequent
involvement in regulatory rulemaking. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Natural Science with emphasis
in zoology from the University of South Florida.
I’m a newer member of TWS, but want to get more involved by becoming a board member of the Wildlife
and Habitat Restoration Working Group where my experience and skills can be utilized for the benefit of
restoring wildlife habitats and populations. I also want to attain my AWB/CWB in the near future. I’m
currently writing an article for future publication in TWS’s The Wildlife Professional. I appreciate your
consideration as a future board member to the Wildlife and Habitat Restoration Working Group. Thank
you!
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