By Rei Scampavia Western populations of Monarch butterflies overwinter in groves of trees, such as eucalyptus, along the Pacific Coast (Photo credit: Marisa Ishimatsu) With its distinctive bright orange and black wings, the monarch butterfly is one of the most well-studied, charismatic, and culturally significant insects native to North America. These iconic butterflies migrate each … Continue Reading »
WRA Resilience Experts Presenting at the 2021 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference
WRA is proud to sponsor the 2021 Colorado Wildland Fire Conference in Grand Junction, Colorado the week of September 20–23. This year’s event will focus on “Moving Forward in Evolving Wildfire Landscapes” and will bring together individuals and organizations with a focus on reducing community vulnerability to wildfire. Two WRA experts are presenting at this … Continue Reading »
WRA Restoration Experts Presenting at SERCAL 2021!
WRA is proud to sponsor the 2021 SERCAL conference, which will encompass online technical sessions and panels throughout the week of September 13–17, 2021. This year’s conference theme is Restoration in our Backyard. Two WRA experts are presenting at this year’s conference: Wetlands Session Panel: Cutting Green Tape, An Introduction Permitting Small Habitat Restoration Projects … Continue Reading »
WRA Landscape Restoration Gains New Leadership with Addition of Jason Mills, Senior Restoration Contractor
WRA, Inc. is excited to announce the addition of Jason Mills as Senior Restoration Contractor for its subsidiary company WRA Landscape Restoration Inc. Mr. Mills’ leadership and expertise in vegetation management and fire ecology in California signifies strategic growth for the company’s support of restoration and resiliency work for public and private clients. As a … Continue Reading »
WRA Congratulates New Principals and 2021 Staff Promotions
WRA, Inc. is excited to announce our new principals and recent staff promotions! New Principals Please join us in congratulating Matt Richmond and Leslie Allen, two existing shareholders, on their promotion to Principals. Matt has 21 years of experience, nearly half of those years tenured with WRA. He launched WRA’s Petaluma office in 2018 and … Continue Reading »
Brooklyn Basin: Creating New Possibilities for a Restored Waterfront Community
By Ariella Simke, Freelance Writer; Leslie Lazarotti; Ellie Knecht On 64 acres of previously industrial waterfront along the Oakland Estuary, a new community with public parks, Bay Trail improvements, and residential and commercial living space is taking shape. Brooklyn Basin is transforming into a lively place to live, work, and enjoy the outdoors. The ambitious … Continue Reading »
Mitigation Banking at Ridge Top Ranch Provides Habitat for Endangered Frogs and Butterflies
By: Ariella Simke, Freelance Science Writer and Geoff Smick, Chief Executive Officer High in the golden hills of southern Solano County, California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii) hop through the network of restored ponds scattered around the expansive Ridge Top Ranch Wildlife Conservation Bank property. The ponds act as a wildlife corridor, constructed to allow the … Continue Reading »
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at WRA
By Pema Lin, Vice President of People Operations My name is Pema Lin, and I’m the Vice President of People Operations at WRA. People Operations is just a fancy way of saying that I think deeply about the intersection of humanity and how we work to achieve great things. Since I started at WRA, I’ve … Continue Reading »
WRA, Inc. Welcomes Jennifer Hyman, Restoration Engineering Director
WRA, Inc. is pleased to welcome Jenn Hyman, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP as Restoration Engineering Director. With more than 28 years of experience, Ms. Hyman is a licensed civil engineer providing planning, design, and construction management services to support restoration and water infrastructure projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Ms. Hyman’s leadership of … Continue Reading »
WRA Adds 14 New Shareholders in 2021
WRA is excited to announce the addition of new company shareholders in 2021: Brian Freiermuth, Sundaran Gillespie, Miles Gullingsrud, Ellie Knecht, Peter Kobylarz, Virginia Mahacek, Bianca McCarron, Karen Morfin, Ingrid Morken, Russell Prange, Michael Rochelle, Andrew Smith, Kirk Uhrlaub, and Chris Zumwalt. WRA is a private entity (S-Corporation) and proud of our legacy as an … Continue Reading »