Sandra L. Jacobson

Wildlife Biologist

USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station

1731 Research Park Dr

Davis, CA 95618

, 530-759-1707

Sandra is a Wildlife Biologist for the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station, Davis, CA. She has a BA in Zoology and a MS in Natural Resources/Wildlife, both from Humboldt State University. Sandra has served as a wildlife biologist for the USDA Forest Service since 1980, working on three national forests at the district and forest levels in California and Idaho. As a district wildlife biologist on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests for 13 years, she managed grizzly bears, woodland caribou and other threatened or endangered wildlife. Currently she serves as a subject matter expert for transportation ecology across the country, and facilitates research on highway projects through the Pacific Southwest Research Station. When not at work, Sandra is an avid Argentine tango dancer, a private pilot, and is a Certified Personal Trainer.

Some transportation-related accomplishments include:

  • FHWA Environmental Excellence Award 2015 for Excellence in Environmental Leadership, as Steering Committee member of ARC Solutions
  • FHWA Exemplary Environmental Initiative 2012 Award Winner: Wildlife Passages on the Lava Butte US 97 Project (USFS Representative)
  • FHWA Exemplary Environmental Initiative 2009 Award Winner: Oregon Wildlife Movement Strategy (USFS Representative)
  • Member of 6-person International Team of experts convened to work on Elephant and Tiger Habitat Connectivity in three national parks in the Himalayas, India
  • USFS Region 6 Center of Excellence for Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife/Highway Interactions
  • Regional Forester’s Award for Excellence in Highway Impacts Mitigation
  • Charter member Transportation Research Board (National Academy of Science) Committee on Ecology and Transportation and past Research Subcommittee Chair
  • National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 25-27: Evaluating the Use and Effectiveness of Wildlife Crossing Structures team member
  • International Conference on Ecology and Transportation Steering and Program Committee
  • Highway 89 Stewardship Team coordinator
  • Expert panel member SAFETEA-LU congressionally-mandated report on animal/vehicle collisions
  • Western Governors Association’s Initiative on Wildlife Movement and Crucial Habitat Transportation Team
  • ARC North American Wildlife Crossing Design Competition Technical Advisory Committee
  • Transportation Research Board Interagency Partnership Award nominee for US 97 Lava Butte project
  • UC Davis Road Ecology Center Advisory Group member

Darin Martens

Project Liaison and Landscape Architect

US Forest Service/Wyoming Department of Transportation

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

307-739-5545

As project liaison for USFS since 2002, Darin coordinates DOT projects on Forest Service lands, focusing on natural resource impacts, mitigation and reclamation. He has been involved in the planning and construction of over 20 wildlife crossing structures in northwest Wyoming, and collaborated on projects receiving the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Exemplary Environmental Initiatives Award in 2012 and 2015. Darin has assisted Forests in Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Tennessee with highway reconstruction, restoration, mitigation for visual impacts, as well as wildlife crossings and aquatic passages. He previously served with the National Park Service (NPS) from 1993-2002 as a Landscape Architect in the Rocky Mountain Regional Office and Grand Teton National Park; work that included NPS/FHWA road design projects and visitor services/amenity design in western parks. Darin holds a BS in Landscape Architecture, a MA in Facilitation of Collaborative Processes/Adult Learning and Technology, and a Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources. He is a licensed/registered Landscape Architect in Wyoming and member of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Julia Kintsch

Conservation Ecologist & Founder, ECO-resolutions LLC

303-818-1460

Julia is a conservation ecologist and the founder of ECO-resolutions, ecological resources consulting. She specializes in wildlife conservation and collaborative conservation, bringing diverse groups and interests together to move them into a collaborative space to solve challenging conservation issues. She has extensive experience in conservation planning, ecological resource management, and mitigating impacts from infrastructure and human activities on wildlife. Prior to founding ECO-resolutions, Julia was a conservation scientist at Freedom to Roam, director of programs at the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project, and a conservation planner at the Nature Conservancy.

Julia has received awards for her work in conservation planning, and is recognized across North America as an expert in wildlife crossing siting and design, offering a unique understanding of the features that influence successful passage for different species. She has extensive experience in developing guidelines and recommendations for road-wildlife mitigation. Her project work has its roots in field research, monitoring and analysis. Julia has designed and implemented collaborative processes for heterogeneous stakeholder groups. She has organized and taught workshops and conferences to improve communication and information sharing among diverse professions, possessing a keen awareness of the needs and concerns of biologists, planners and engineers. She conducts her work in the context of larger planning processes and economic interests to ensure that wildlife needs are met in an ecologically effective, efficient and sustainable manner to promote environmental streamlining and prevent project delays.

Julia is a Certified Ecologist endorsed by the Ecological Society of America. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and later attended Duke University, where she received a master’s degree in conservation biology and landscape ecology. Early in her career, Julia was a Peace Corps volunteer working in environmental education in Senegal, West Africa. When not at work, Julia enjoys mountain biking and backcountry skiing in the Rockies and beyond.