Featuring Our Associate Scientist

Krissy has been working as a professional wildlife biologist for about 10 years. She developed an interest in conservation after spending her childhood growing up in Hawaii and then Lake Tahoe. Krissy began her academic career at Lake Tahoe Community College where she received an Associate of Art degree in Natural Resources. She then completed a B.S. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at U.C. Berkeley. Her post-graduate work experience included implementing landscape conservation plans to improve watershed health at Lake Tahoe and monitoring sensitive species throughout the Sierra Nevada. Krissy then returned to school, where she earned an M.S in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Ohio University.

For her master’s thesis, Krissy led a long-term road monitoring project. This project evaluated road impacts on migratory amphibians. It also assessed the effectiveness of a road crossing tunnel system designed to reduce road mortality and improve landscape connectivity. This project used behavioral analysis to test different treatments. The results will be used to improve the design of amphibian and reptile tunnel systems nationwide. Through her experience in graduate school, she developed a passion for developing sustainable infrastructure practices that promote wildlife conservation.