Personnel
Joshua T. Fodor (Founder, CEO) : Restoration Ecologist, CPESC
Josh has 20 years experience in organic horticulture, habitat restoration and ecological landscape design and implementation. After completing degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies at U.C. Santa Cruz and working 5 years in organic agriculture, he founded Central Coast Wilds in 1992. Early on he combined his interest in organic production methods with his botanical skills to create the first registered organic native plant nursery in California . Josh leads design and implementation of ecological landscape plans, vegetation management plans and habitat restoration plans throughout California, particularly in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. Over the last decade he has continued his professional training in erosion control, stream restoration, watershed assessment, wetland delineation, and ecological landscape management techniques. In 2006, Josh completed an extension certificate in California Water Management and Ecosystem Restoration at U.C. Berkeley. In 2008 Josh became a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control. He teaches Principles of Restoration Landscaping at Cabrillo College and is an active member of numerous professional associations including the Ecological Landscaping Association, California Landscape Contractors Association and the Society for Ecological Restoration.
Cindy Hudson: Nursery Manager
cindy@centralcoastwilds.com
Cindy grew up in the Northern Sierra and studied Earth Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. She began her botanical career working with nurseries in the Tahoe Basin and joins us with a strong background in nursery management and a passion for California’s native flora. Upon moving to Santa Cruz in 2005, she managed Far West Nursery until 2011. Her botanical and horticulture education comes in part from working with the UCSC Arboretum as a part time employee and volunteer and attending workshops with CNPS, Jepson Herbarium, and various botanical gardens. Her experience includes seed collecting in California, New Zealand and Australia, vegetation surveys along the central coast and preparing herbarium specimens from field collections. She has recently been creating ethnobotanical interpretive signs for the native plant garden at the Tahoe Environmental Research Center field station.
Ellen Holmes: Nursery Manager, Seed Collections Curator
Ellen began working at Central Coast Wilds as a volunteer in 1996. Her aptitude became readily apparent as she quickly learned the arts of native plant identification and propagation. Her botanical studies include Jepson Herbarium workshops in Juncaceae (Rushes), Alpine Flora, Poaceae (Grasses), and Cyperaceae (Sedges). She has also attended numerous workshops taught by noted local botanist Randy Morgan, including Trifoluim (Clover), and Plant and Insect Interaction. Ellen has initiated her own Sheep Grazing Monitoring Study on the former Ft. Ord. She is an active member of the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, where she participates as a board member.
Jon Laslett: Restoration Project Manager, Ecologist
Jon received his BS from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 2003 with degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Marine Biology. He has worked on ecological monitoring, conservation, and restoration projects from Baja California to the Aleutian Islands . He also has a background in conventional construction and landscaping. In January 2007, he found a way to effectively combine these two skill sets as a project manager and ecologist at Central Coast Wilds. Since then, he has been responsible for successfully designing, estimating, implementing, maintaining, and monitoring restoration projects and ecological landscapes throughout the central coast.
Darrin Miller (MLA): Residential Project Manager, Landscape Designer
Darrin is a project manager and ecological landscape designer. His primary responsibilities include designing and managing residential ecological landscape projects as well as private and public habitat restoration projects. Darrin has professional experience in landscape design and construction, construction document drafting (traditional & AutoCAD), construction monitoring, and subconsultant coordination (architects, engineers & scientists). He also has experience in ecological fieldwork including endangered species surveys, wetland delineations, vegetation & hydrology monitoring and surveying. At Central Coast Wilds, Darrin has developed habitat garden designs for residents living in redwood forest, coastal scrub, oak woodland or grassland environments. Recent projects include: residential landscape designs & installations (including native planting designs, hardscape designs and lawn conversion projects), trail design, a road removal/re-vegetation plan, and riparian corridor and wetland restoration plans.Darrin received his Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oklahoma, specializing in ecology-based landscape design, landscape construction and ecological restoration. His past professional work includes ecological restoration and consulting, park planning and design, site design and residential/commercial landscape design and construction.
John Cairns: Project Manager, Estimator
John received a BS in Economics from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon . Shortly thereafter, he volunteered for the Peace Corps in The Gambia, West Africa working with farmers on restoration projects to combat deforestation and to establish orchards for economic development. When he returned, he worked for both Oregon Fish and Wildlife and California Fish and Game gathering data and collaborating on an Environmental Impact Report for conservation research. More recently, John has worked for various local landscape companies as both a Project Manager and an Estimator. At Central Coast Wilds, John has been involved in the estimating, management and monitoring of restoration projects in the greater South Bay Area.
Gabriel Carraher: Assistant Project Manager, Artist
Gabriel has a formal education in Fine Arts and Humanities from the San Francisco Art Institute and the New College of California. He brings a unique knowledge of permaculture and installation art to his role as project manager and field supervisor at Central Coast Wilds. Before joining Central Coast Wilds, Gabriel worked as an organic gardener and carpenter at the Occidental Art and Ecology Center in Sonoma County . As an artist Gabriel is influenced by a lifelong passion for California ‘s native landscape. He applies a trained eye for aesthetics and balance along with expertise in ecological horticulture in implementing sustainable site designs.
Alija Mujic: Restoration Project Manager, Ecologist
Alija recieved a BA in Environmental Studies and a BS in Computer Science from the University of California at Santa Cruz and soon thereafter began employment with Central Coast Wilds early in the year 2005. Since that time he has served within the roles of Project Manager, Estimator, Web Programmer, Restoration Technician and Plan Designer. As a lifetime resident of California’s Coastal Ranges, Alija has a strong commitment to and knowledge of California’s diverse and fragile habitats. Alija oversees the implementation, management and monitoring of habitat restoration projects.
Mike Lobue: Aborist, Pesticide Applicator (QAL # 37-857)
Mike has worked throughout the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas as a landscape contractor and arborist. He has implemented large invasive plant removal projects including: broom, pampas grass, arundo, eucalyptus and cotoneaster.
Reggie Knox : Farming Systems Consultant
Reggie has degrees in Community Studies and Geology from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Reggie has worked in the organic food and sustainable agriculture fields for over ten years. He has been a long-term organic farm inspector for CCOF and the Monterey Bay regional director for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Currently Reggie is a farming system consultant for Central Coast Wilds.
