As an agricultural biodiversity specialist and habitat and Bee Better Certified planner, Nicole works with agricultural producers in California and beyond to create habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects and improve soil health. She also assists farms through the Bee Better Certified process. She strives to combine her background in native plants and her passion for sustainability to support growers in creating habitat for pollinators/beneficial insects while improving overall farm resilience.
Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in conservation and restoration ecology from Loyola University of Chicago and has been working in conservation and restoration since 2015, with a focus on native plant materials development. She also has experience with IPM, GIS, data management/analysis, landowner engagement, invasive species management, and habitat restoration. Most recently, she served as the native plant nursery project leader for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Native Plant Nursery in Prairie City, OR. There she planned and implemented riparian restoration projects on working lands while overseeing the care/propagation of containerized plants for use in those projects within the John Day River Basin.
She currently works remotely in Tehachapi, CA, but grew up in a small town in rural northern Illinois. She has lived all across the country but loves the western US and mountains the most! Besides being a major plant nerd, Nicole spends her free time in her garden, foraging, hiking with her dogs, reading, making pottery, rock climbing, cooking, and baking sourdough bread.