CNLM Welcomes Gary Slater, Dave Erickson, Cara Applestein and Carola Tejeda
Center for Natural Lands Management welcomes four new staff members, Gary Slater (in our Washington office), Cara Applestein (in our Washington office), Carola Tejeda (in our Washington office) and Dave Erickson (Orange County).
Gary joined CNLM in October 2014 and is our new Avian Ecologist in Washington State. Gary comes with more than 23 years of avian research and conservation experience, including work in south Florida, western Washington, Venezuela, and the coastal lowlands of Mexico. His research focused on a wide variety of topics, including the re-introduction of passerine bird species, particularly bluebirds and other cavity nesters, and large-scale monitoring to assess the impacts of management actions (including prescribed fire) on bird populations. In addition, he has experience with exceptionally rare birds, including the endangered Cape Sable seaside sparrow, whose total population is estimated to be approximately 2,000 individuals in the seasonally flooded prairies of Everglades National Park. Gary earned his bachelor’s in wildlife science from Purdue University and holds a master’s in wildlife ecology from the University of Florida.
Dave joined CNLM in March, 2015, as our new Preserve Manager in Orange County, California. Dave comes with extensive experience in habitat and species restoration, weed control, sensitive species monitoring, GIS applications, range management, and fire ecology. He has a strong background in species-specific habitat restoration, habitat management (waterfowl, Aleutian geese, and Tule elk), and efforts with sensitive/listed species including the California red-legged frog, Tidwater goby, Western snowy plover, Bakersfield cactus, beach lavia, steelhead, and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Dave earned a bachelor’s degree in geography and a bachelor’s degree in film and media studies from UC Santa Barbara and a master’s in natural resources with a certificate in restoration ecology from the University of Idaho.
Cara joined us in March 2015 as our new Conservation Project Manager in our Olympia, Washington office. Cara has worked with CNLM for the past two years now, first as a Prairie Science Specialist Americorps member in the fall of 2013 and then continued on to assist with several restoration research and management projects both on and off Joint Base Lewis McChord. Prior to joining our team she surveyed rare plant species in eastern Oregon with the Bureau of Land Management, studied avian communities in the forests of New Hampshire and monitored vegetation and wildlife with the Army Corps of Engineers in Pennsylvania. She received her Master’s degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Maryland and her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Dickinson College.
Carola joined CNLM in February 2015 as a Conservation Assistant in our Olympia, Washington office. Carola’s diverse background includes international conservation efforts, including working on scarlet macaws in Guatemala, education and outreach efforts for Thurston county, and several conservation projects in wetland ecology and water quality with the Department of Transportation and Washington’s Department of Natural Resources. She received her master’s in environmental studies from the Evergreen State College and a bachelor’s in biology from Texas Christian University.