 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Megan Lulow, Ph.D.
Senior Field Ecologist
Megan Lulow, Ph.D. is senior field ecologist for Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s (IRC) Science and Stewardship team. She has been with IRC for the past two years. Megan develops and implements programs in applied research, resource and recreation monitoring, exotic species control, ecological restoration, and fire and fuels management. She primarily works on projects that streamline IRC’s conservation management actions and that identify the priority areas on the wildlands in need of improvement. She also focuses on implementing ecological restoration projects. “My favorite project thus far has been our comprehensive assessment of priority restoration sites using a spatially explicit return on investment approach,” says Megan. “The project has involved many steps, including on-the-ground assessments of the ecological status of the wildlands, which I like to do because it gets me out in the field. Although we have identified a lot of degraded habitat, it feels good to be working on a productive project with a goal to improve habitat in areas key to making a significant difference on a regional scale.” Megan hopes to work with others to establish an exemplary ecological restoration program that not only makes a significant difference to the flora and fauna in our region, but can be utilized by other reserves and parks. She also wants to demonstrate that ecological restoration is feasible on a landscape level. “Megan’s commitment to the conservation and regeneration of our degraded grasslands, woodlands, and sage scrub habitats on The Irvine Ranch and her experience with restoration in California ecosystems make her well suited for leading the habitat renewal projects that we are planning,” says Dr. Jutta Burger, senior field ecologist, IRC. “Her expertise with grassland ecology and restoration are especially valuable, given that much of the native grasslands that once occurred regionally are badly degraded and in need of repair.” Prior to joining IRC, Megan was the assistant director of the Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center, a biological field station in the University of California Natural Reserve System. She received her doctorate in ecology from the University of California Davis with an emphasis in restoration, plant ecology, and plant-soil relations. Her doctoral research focused on the roles of priority effects, invasion resistance, and management techniques in restoring diverse communities of California native grasslands. Megan loves spending quality time enjoying nature with her family and friends. She enjoys traveling and has been to Hinchinbrook Island, Kakadu National Park and Lamington National Park in Australia. She’s also been to Costa Rica and goes to Baja California a couple times a year. To learn more about the Irvine Ranch Conservancy team please visit http://www.irconservancy.org/about/ourteam.aspx
|
