KRISTY L. USCHYK, B.S.
A Senior Scientist With Expertise in Wetland And Riparian Restoration
KRISTY L. USCHYK, B.S.
Kristy has worked as a wildlife biologist for over 20 years. She has worked on a wide array of projects including coastal dune habitat restoration coupled with a large-scale translocation of California legless lizards. She has extensive experience in wetland and riparian restoration working with farmers in California to restore the core of highly altered watersheds with a focus on improving habitat and water quality. She has also worked with ranchers in Arizona to develop strategies for managing livestock operations in ways that protect riparian corridors.
Kristy’s career as an ecological consultant
Began in 2009 on the California Valley Solar Ranch Project on the Carrizo Plain. Through this project, Kristy and a team of biologists conducted surveys for blunt-nosed leopard lizard, burrowing owl, giant kangaroo rat, and San Joaquin kit fox to identify over 10,000 acres of suitable conservation lands. More recently, Kristy has been interested in special-status amphibians such as the California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and Santa Cruz long-toed salamander. She has applied this interest to pure research, working with colleagues documenting competition between native and hybrid tiger salamanders, while also conducting project-based biotic assessments and monitoring.
Kristy’s career as a scientist started at UC Santa Cruz while completing a bachelor’s degree in Earth Sciences. After graduating, her educational background facilitated an understanding of soils and erosion, which lead her to ecological restoration. It was through her work in habitat restoration that Kristy developed a strong interest in learning about the wildlife species that responded to these newly restored native habitats.
Kristy’s personal interests include traveling, particularly to the remote and wild places of North America or the rainforests of Costa Rica.