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!