MADELYN RIOS

ABOUT MADELYN RIOS

 

 

My studies and work experience spans wildlife research, botanical surveys, soil sampling, stream ecology, environmental consulting, and science education. This accumulation of biological and educational exposure creates a solid knowledge of regional conservation demands.

 

I received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Science from University of California at Davis in 2001. To better understand the relationship between public outreach and ecological policy, I studied the effects of teaching science in an outdoor environment for my graduate thesis at Sierra Nevada College. I collaborated with Dr. Sudeep Chandra (Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno) on ways to integrate his graduate students into my research. The outcome of the study was very successful, and exposed students to stream ecology, sampling techniques, and management considerations. I feel this unique experience offers insight into implementation strategies of environmental planning on both public and private lands.

 

Working as a Project Scientist at Nichols Consulting Engineers in South Lake Tahoe exposed me to several local regulatory agencies, conservation districts, and land managers. Much of my time was dedicated to environmental reporting, permitting, proposal and grant writing, water quality monitoring, and data collection and analysis to complete biological assessments that satisfied both the National and California Environmental Policy Act (NEPA and CEQA). Additionally, I have over ten years of experience in wildlife biology and natural sciences with project involvement ranging from entomology in Hawaii, to botany in Nepal, and ungulate studies in Switzerland. Locally, I have worked with the United States Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit on meso-carnivore studies in urban lots, northern goshawk monitoring projects, woodpecker surveys in the Angora burn area, and multi-species diversity studies that focused on migrant avian and butterfly species.

 

My "work" at Lake Tahoe Community college as an Associate Adjunct Instructor in the Biology and Environmental Science Departments complements my summers spent chasing birds and critters as an Environmental Scientist for the Tahoe Resource Conservation District.