Ron McCann has over 40 years of experience in operations and project management. He is detail-oriented with exceptional management skills and the ability to balance multiple complex, high-level priorities while meeting project budget and timelines goals. Ron’s vast project experience includes local, state, and federal government, as well as privately funded projects.

As Landscape Restoration Manager, Ron’s role involves a combination of operations and field-based work. He collaborates closely with the Senior Restoration Contractor and Project Managers to manage resource planning and logistics, design bid documents and specifications, and performance tracking through data collection, photo point monitoring, and mapping programs. Ron supports the Crew Supervisors on-site with invasive species management, native plant installation and maintenance, installation of irrigation systems, and equipment and tool management.

Leslie Scott is an effective project manager with vast experience in natural resources management. At WRA-LR, Leslie manages the field crews performing ecological restoration services including native plant out-planting, site maintenance and irrigation, invasive plant mapping and control, stream bank stabilization, erosion control, and fire fuel management. She’s also responsible for data collection for reports and field research, documenting and mapping distributions of native resources and invasive populations for project sites, occasional tool, and vehicle maintenance, and strategically implementing ecologically driven approaches to achieve optimal success on our project sites.

Ben worked in the public sector restoring and managing lands for the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for 7 years before joining WRA’s Landscape Restoration Team. He got his start at the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (BWER) where he worked closely with department staff, non-profits, and private contractors involved in the effort of restoring the last remaining coastal wetland in Los Angeles. In addition, he worked across the South Coast Region on various projects ranging from beach seines and otter trawls at Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve to Bighorn Sheep surveys in the San Bernadino Mountains. In 2022, Ben became a Wildlife Technician for CDFW’s Wildfire Resiliency Program where he managed a crew tasked with mitigating the risk of wildfire damage to Department land. He is well-versed in native and non-native plant identification as well as the removal of invasive species through mechanical and chemical means.

Ben moved to the Bay Area in 2023 where he worked for CDFW’s Wildlife and Unstaffed Lands program in the Bay Delta Region. He split his time between collecting data for the Bay Area Deer Abundance study and assisting wildlife biologists in a variety of tasks which included biological monitoring, habitat restoration, fuels reduction, and human wildlife conflict resolution.

Conner earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Ecology and Environmental Science from St. John’s University in Queens, NY, and spent the subsequent summer with the Sea Education Association (SEA Semester) taking classes, performing research, and living on a tall ship in the Phoenix Islands Marine Protected Area in the South Pacific.

Working at WRA Landscape Restoration, Conner has earned his QWEL Certification, as well as his Sawyer I and II Certifications. He has been the teams lead heavy equipment operator on various projects and in intermittent stints, functioned as the crew leader. He is familiar with various California ecosystems, ranging from oak woodlands/savannas to mixed hardwood forests to seasonal wetlands.

Travis Claeys has over 7 years of experience in the field of habitat restoration, environmental construction, and fuel reduction in both urban and rural settings. He has worked on an array of construction projects where he operated a variety of heavy equipment. Through his time in the field, he has gained extensive experience with native and non-native plants and has spent copious amounts of time working in environmentally sensitive areas. Travis’s background also includes a variety of fuel reduction jobs where he has been tasked with standard mechanical removal, and chemical application, as well as dealing with smaller brush fuels up to 24” ABH trees.

As a Crew Supervisor, Travis leads crews on habitat restoration projects throughout Northern California. He was responsible for onsite safety programs, safe and effective herbicide application, site monitoring and maintenance, documenting project progress and expenses, updating project management on progress, and working with vendors and clients.