Christopher Garza Email & Phone Number

Austin, Texas, United States

Austin, Texas, United States

- Field lead and head author for site assessments and natural area management guidelines which include plant inventories, plant community maps, user impacts, erosion issues, invasive plants, wetlands, etc. and detailed recommendations and actionable tasks for ecological improvement in the next 3-5 years- Collect data and GIS layers to create maps that can effectively display ecological data to land managers- Conduct construction administration on restoration projects to ensure that projects are completed sustainably and in accordance with government agency, and other tree, soil, etc. standards/BMPs

Houston, Texas, United States

- Project manager for several environmental projects, including wetland delineations, threatened & endangered species habitat assessments, and phase I environmental site assessments. - Responsible for coordination between field survey teams, clients, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and other government agencies to assist with Clean Water Act permitting. - Field lead for wetland delineations, threatened & endangered species habitat assessment, phase I environmental site assessments, tree surveys, and rare plant surveys. - Field lead and project manager for a large-scale wetland mitigation/restoration project working with construction crews and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Responsible for successfully establishing wetland plants within created wetlands. - Assist in oyster surveys, seagrass surveys, and freshwater mussel surveys for both infrastructure and restoration projects in the region. - GIS specialist responsible for mapping field data and acquiring and mapping data from outside sources, including FEMA floodplain data, NRCS soil survey data, LiDAR data, infrared imagery, USGS topographic maps, National Hydrography Datasets, and National Wetlands Inventory data.

Houston, Texas Area

Houston, Texas Area

- Acquire, analyze, and manage GIS data on a project or ongoing basis. Assist in documentation and communication of site implementation and maintenance- Help develop conservation, grounds, and other mission oriented project criteria, priorities and focus areas.- Responsible for the safety and security of volunteer staff under his/her supervision.- Collaborate with the Conservation Director and the Conservation staff to identify and differentiategrounds projects appropriate for volunteer groups and staff.- Lead or assist with field studies and in making technical evaluations.- Lead or assist in validating technical data and with the development and analysis of associated software and/or systems.- Interface with outside contractors hired to complete conservation projects on the grounds.- Assist in site maintenance of trails, invasive species removal, herbicide application, seeding/planting and other site duties as needed.- Conduct ecological and other environmental assessments to provide pre and post implementationperformance.- Teaching adult education classes such as forest ecology, forest entomology,and entomology for beginners- Curating the insect collection

Bryan/College Station, Texas Area

- Collected field data on forest conditions and bark beetle activity in sites throughout the Colorado Plateau- Managed a database and analyzed over 20 years of field data collected at the study sites using Microsoft Excel, Access, and SQL Server- Used ArcGIS, remotely sensed aerial imagery, and FIA data to simulate a forest landscape to the level of the individual tree- Developed a risk assessment model in order to determine the probability of host mortality from bark beetle attacks based on tree/stand characteristics and beetle pressure data- Mapped risk to epidemic and endemic populations within the simulated landscape- Lectured and instructed undergraduates in a fundamental of ecology course (4 labs over two semesters)- Assisted graduate students in an advanced GIS course and a landscape analysis & modeling course

- Investigated forest regeneration in an invasive privet (Ligustrum sp.) removal study- Conducted plant surveys for a rain garden and potential wood duck pond locations- Maintained trails, gardens, and ponds- Provided assistance in tree identification classes

Grand Marais, Mn

- Provided trail and campsite maintenance (removing branches or fallen trees that blocked portages/trails, digging latrines, replacing fire grates)- Used cross-cut saw to fell "hazard trees"- Participated in a number of erosion control projects- Gained experience with tools such as crosscut saws, bow saws, axes, pulaskis- Gained experience with strenuous hiking, canoeing, camping, and portaging

Houston, Texas

- Conducted genetic research on enzyme activity of Lotus japonicus utilizing MapQTL5 software- Prepared hydroponic solutions and used them to grow plants with controlled nutrient levels- Gained experience with the ferric reductase assay apparatus and UV-visible spectroscopy

Master Of Science (Ms), Forestry, Gpa: 3.91

Bachelor'S Degree, Biology, General, Gpa: 3.68