Who We Are

Meet Lauren Youngblood, vegetation ecologist with the Klamath Network. Lauren Youngblood grew up running around the woods in southeastern Pennsylvania—flipping logs, digging holes, and catching tadpoles in creeks. She always knew she wanted to be a biologist, dreaming of life as a marine biologist/photojournalist in a second-grade writing assignment. Learn about her early career experiences, job highlights and reflections, and what she does for fun.

Meet Tom Rodhouse, ecologist for the Upper Columbia Basin Network. Tom studies the plants and animals of our National Parks, and believes we have an important role to play in protecting these special places. Read about his adventures as a field wildlife biologist, and how he got to be where he is today.

Sean Smith’s job offers a hefty dose of variety, which is just how he likes it. As the Vegetation Ecologist for the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network, based in southern Oregon, he gets up close and personal with very diverse plant communities in the six parks served by the network. He leads vegetation community and whitebark pine monitoring, as well as the protocol for early detection of invasive species.

Meet Lisa Schomaker, botanist for the San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network. Discover how Lisa cultivated an early love of the outdoors into a career studying plant communities in national parks. Plus, get Lisa's perspective on what it's like to monitor the diverse ecosystems of the San Francisco Bay Area!

Sherry Leis, a plant and fire ecologist, shares her story about being a scientist and her love of prairie ecosystems.

Meet Data Manager Helen Thomas. Hear Helen's story in her own words as she explores how she got to be where she is today, from academia and software startups to the rewards and challenges of life as a National Park Service Data Manager.

“My current position as a marine ecologist for the National Park Service is a dream by most accounts! I often tell people when asked, “What do I do,” that I am responsible for assessing the condition of the shoreline habitats in Channel Islands National Park. In reality, my jurisdiction is not limited to the shore as I also spend chunks of time working underwater offshore in kelp forest, eelgrass, and other biogenic habitats in the park."

Eric Dinger is happiest at high elevation in the mountains, whether he’s bagging a peak or training field crews to sample high mountain lake water. As the aquatic ecologist for the Klamath Inventory and Monitoring Network in southern Oregon, he’s found a way to connect his career with his passions. He leads the monitoring of water quality and aquatic communities in streams and lakes, including in two high elevation parks: Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks.

Meet Sarah Codde, a Marine Ecologist with the San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network. She specializes in marine mammals, and leads the elephant seal and harbor seal monitoring programs at Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. What’s it like to study 6,000 pound mammals that spend half their time in the ocean and half their time on land? Read Sarah’s story to find out!

Meet Kristen Bonebrake, Data Manager for the North Coast and Cascades Network Inventory & Monitoring Network, and discover the important role that data managers play in protecting the natural resources of our parks! Explore Kristen's journey—from counting roadkill as an intern at Saguaro National Park, to collaborating with bright minds around the country to solve the complex challenges facing our nation's most special places.