Hope Caliendo

Coastal Program Biologist

As a Coastal Program Biologist with Point Blue, my work focuses on monitoring Western Snowy Plovers and California Least Terns nesting in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Complex, collaborating with our team at Vandenberg Space Force Base, and participating in outreach events in the local community.

Originally from the Chicagoland area, I became passionate about conservation through working with the local forest preserves in savanna and prairie habitats. While at the University of Minnesota, where I received a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, I began working with the National Park Service monitoring the Great Lakes Piping Plover population and have been hooked on Ornithology ever since. I was first introduced to Point Blue in 2022 as a Banding Apprentice at Palomarin and went on to work with Maui Forest Bird Recovery Project studying endangered Honeycreepers, USFWS Steller’s Eider Project, seabird monitoring at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, and living on a tern colony for Shoals Marine Laboratory in NH. Through these positions, I fell in love with seabirds and shorebirds, developing a deep interest in their movements and behavior which I feel fortunate to observe in my current position.

Outside of work, I enjoy being outdoors camping, exploring new hiking trails, playing beach volleyball and catching concerts.

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