Zachary Cava

Experience

• 

  Riverbend Environmental Education Center

  May 2006 - Aug 2006

  Camp Counselor

  Coordinated and managed outdoor activities for children with emphasis on environmental education

• 

  Ithaca College

  Jan 2008 - Dec 2009

  - Provided care and maintenance for live organisms kept for educational and research purposes - Supported professors in teaching the laboratory component of "Principles of Biology"

  • Assistant Laboratory Technician

    Aug 2005 - Dec 2009

  • Teaching Assistant

    Jan 2008 - May 2009
• 

  The Wetlands Institute

  May 2008 - Aug 2008

  Research Intern

  - Conducted road surveys; recovered eggs from road-killed diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)- Monitored and cleaned eggs during incubation- Performed PIT tag injection/identification- Installed roadside barrier fencing and nest exclosures- Prepared data for public presentation

• 

  Hudson Valley Herpetological

  Sept 2008 - Dec 2009

  Herpetoculturist

  - Assisted in captive care and propagation of an extensive herpetofaunal collection- Prepared and administered food, water, and medical treatment as needed- Cleaned and disinfected enclosures, equipment, and facility- Recorded relevant data and observations on a regular basis- Conducted research and prepared written material for website development

• 

  San Diego State University/Clark Lab

  May 2009 - Jul 2009

  Field Technician Assistant

  - Aided in study of predator-prey interactions between rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) and ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi)- Tracked daily movements of telemetered snakes and recorded behavior- Participated in mark-recapture of squirrels, rattlesnakes, and other herpetofauna- Utilized videography and biorobotics to study behavioral interactions

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  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

  Apr 2010 - Nov 2010

  Herpetological Intern

  - Participated in research and management of several populations of threatened turtles- Tracked telemetered turtles; mapped locations and movements with GPS and GIS- Monitored nesting activity/success, excavated nests, installed predator exclosures- Characterized and delineated vernal pools- Conducted amphibian egg mass counts and dipnet surveys- Maintained/manipulated local wetlands for healthy species diversity

• 

  U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

  Jan 2011 - Feb 2012

  Biological Science Technician (GS-0404-06)

  - Tracked telemetered tortoises and gathered data for a large-scale translocation project- Characterized habitats utilized by tortoises; identified relevant flora, weather conditions, etc.- Affixed, removed, and repaired radio transmitters, floy tags, and temperature loggers- Conducted tortoise health assessments, including tissue sampling, rehydration, and X-rays- Surveyed transects for unmarked tortoises and signs of canid/lagomorph presence- Excavated nests and collected eggs for incubation- Supervised and trained interns Show less

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  Great Basin Institute

  Mar 2012 - May 2014

  Telemetry Technician

  - Tracked group of tortoises in continuous circuit throughout the day using radiotelemetry- Collected data on tortoise activity patterns for use in analysis of Line Distance Sampling results

• 

  Owner of The Sanberg Group

  Nov 2012 - Jul 2014

  Wildlife Biologist

  - Conducted preconstruction surveys/sweeps for desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and other sensitive species- Performed biological compliance monitoring during construction activities- Supervised biological monitors during construction activities- Prepared daily field monitoring reports documenting project progress- Managed GIS data

• 

  SUNY Buffalo State

  Aug 2014 - Aug 2016

  Teaching Assistant

  - Assisted in preparation, teaching, and grading of laboratory portion of Introduction to Cell Biology

• 

  Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

  Oct 2017 - Mar 2018

  Frosted Flatwoods Salamander Technician

  - Assisted with projects focused on the conservation of the Federally Threatened Frosted Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma cingulatum)- Installed and monitored drift fence arrays daily (2 encircled wetlands, 142 funnel traps total)- Processed salamanders for mark-recapture- Conducted time-constrained searches for salamander eggs; documented and collected eggs for captive rearing- Maintained “cattle tank” mesocosms for headstarting larval salamanders

• 

  The Orianne Society

  Mar 2018 - Jun 2018

  Spotted Turtle Technician

  - Conducted statewide inventory of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata) in Georgia and Florida

• 

  Eric C. Hansen Biological Consulting

  Aug 2018 - Nov 2019

  Staff Biologist

  • Participated in field studies, trainings, and/or biological monitoring of the federally and state-protected Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas), California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense), and California Red-legged Frog (Rana draytonii)• Built, deployed, and maintained traps; recorded data for occupancy/demography studies• Handled and transported snakes; recorded morphometric data; marked via branding and PIT tags

• 

  The Wildlife Project

  Oct 2019 - Mar 2020

  Biologist

  • Check pit-fall traps for California tiger salamander (CTS); Conduct pre-construction surveys for CTS and California red-legged frog• Handle and relocate CTS • Conduct research and edit manuscripts for publication

• 

  Dudek

  Jan 2020 - Mar 2022

  Biologist

  • Perform biological monitoring and surveys for special-status species including California tiger salamander, western spadefoot, western pond turtle, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, Swainson's hawk, burrowing owl, and nesting birds• Served as field lead for the Rancho Seco Solar II project (January - Dec. 2020)

• 

  Arcadis

  Jan 2021 - Mar 2021

  Biologist

  • Served as a biologist for the Camp Fire Hazard Tree Removal Program• Conducted biological surveys of areas where tree-felling was planned• Identified and classified watercourses, sensitive species habitat (California red-legged frog, foothill yellow legged frog, western pond turtle), valley elderberry longhorn beetle) and birds’ nests• Established buffers around sensitive biological resources• Conducted worker environmental awareness training; document impacts to resources

• 

  Sol Ecology, Inc.

  May 2021 - now

  Biologist

  • Perform biological monitoring and surveys for special-status species including giant gartersnake, California tiger salamander, Swainson's hawk, and burrowing owl

• 

  BioMaAS Inc.

  Nov 2021 - Dec 2021

  Biologist

  • Perform biological monitoring during PG&E vegetation management

• 

  The Biophilia Group

  Mar 2022 - now

  Oversees company’s day-to-day activities, including special-status species surveys, habitat assessments, biological compliance monitoring, environmental planning and management, field and lab-based research, educational workshops, and technical writing and reporting. Project Name: Southern California Gas Pipeline SL44-307 Emergency Repairs-Served as a lead biologist; regularly coordinated with various stakeholders, including other biologists, project managers, private landowners and SoCalGas representatives-Provided biological monitoring and pre-construction surveys for sensitive resources including California red-legged frogs, California newts, steelhead trout, and nesting birds.

  • Co-Owner

    Jan 2020 - now

  • Biologist

    Mar 2022 - Jul 2022