Alicia Herrera

Rangeland Watershed Initiative Partner Biologist

As a Partner Biologist for the Rangeland Watershed Initiative I help further the partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) in Shasta County.  I actively participate with NRCS Field Conservationists, working land producers, and other resource professionals in the development of ranch and farm conservation plans on private lands in order to encourage bird conservation, watershed vitality, rangeland health, and wildlife-friendly management.

I am California born and raised but ventured from the nest to attend Knox College in Illinois where I first discovered my passion for bird conservation at the school’s Green Oaks Biological Field Station.  Once back in California, I joined (then) PRBO Conservation Science as an intern on the Clear Creek Floodway Restoration Songbird Monitoring Project in Redding, CA.  I was lucky enough to participate in avian field research in Australia, Mexico, and Central America, but soon found myself back in the North State as the project leader for the Clear Creek project training and supervising seasonal crews on songbird nest monitoring, territory mapping, point counting, and bird banding.  With the creation of Point Blue’s Working Landscape Program in 2011, I transitioned into the first Partner Biologist position and currently work out of the NRCS Redding field office.

I have worked in a variety of habitats including desert scrub, wetlands, and rain forest, but my conservation interests keep me around the Sacramento Valley’s creeks and rivers focused on the conservation and enhancement of riparian habitat, and finding win-win solutions for both private producers and birds.

When I’m not mountain biking one of Redding’s amazing single-track trails, playing Ultimate Frisbee with the Redding Red Hots team, or snowboarding at Mt. Shasta, you can find me traveling in Latin America searching for endemic bird species and practicing my Spanish.

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