Sue Gardner, Director, (415) 561-3067

Christina Crooker, Restoration Coordinator, (415) 561-3070

Ryan Jones, Program Coordinator, (415) 561-3073

Jennifer Brink, Office Operations, (415) 561-3076

Dan Sorensen, Restoration Intern, (415) 561-3074

Meghan O’Connor, Education Intern, (415) 561-3071

Susie Bennett, Restoration Intern, (415) 561-3023

Alex Hooker, Restoration Intern, (415) 561-3074

Eliot Crafton, Education Intern, (415) 561-3078

Erin Mullen, Education and Outreach Intern, (415) 561-3078

Summer Lindzey, Butterfly Monitor, (415) 561-3070

Fax (415) 561-3010

Sue Gardner, Director, Site Stewardship Program
Sue’s career as a natural resources manager started in 1991 at Point Reyes National Seashore where she worked to restore habitat in the parks wilderness area. In 1993, she became the first staff person for the Site Stewardship Program and has spent the last 14 years pioneering ways to involve the community in restoration work, with an emphasis on protecting threatened and endangered species. Sue earned a B.A. in Business Economics and a minor in Environmental Studies at UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Under Sue’s leadership, the Site Stewardship Program is considered to be on the cutting edge of building community and educational partnerships to support natural resource efforts in the park. Sue and her staff regularly share their proven methods at conferences and with visiting park managers from local, state, federal and international conservation agencies. You can find Sue at sgardner@parksconservancy.org.

Ryan Jones, Volunteer and Education Coordinator, Site Stewardship Program
Ryan Jones decided he wanted to become a natural resource ranger as a high school student! In 1995, Ryan participated in a field trip to the Presidio nursery with Galileo High School's Outdoor Adventure Program (GOAPe- pronounced “Go-Ape). Inspired by his visit, Ryan joined the Presidio Park Stewards as a volunteer. In the summers of 1994 and 1995, Ryan served as a naturalist for the San Francisco Girls and Boys Club in Camp Mendocino. He returned to the park in the summer of 1996 as a high school intern with the Presidio Park Stewards, followed by a yearlong internship with the park in 1997. Ryan participated in the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School for three summers, where he moved from participant to instructor. In 1998, Ryan was hired by the park as a Biological Technician in the Presidio. In 2002, Ryan joined the Site Stewardship Program, where he develops service-learning programs on restoration topics for youth and runs all of the education programs. He is currently completing his degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies from San Francisco State University. Ryan is also an accomplished artist who teaches "Art in the Field" classes. His illustrations appear in numerous Bay Area conservation publications. Ryan can be reached at rjones@parksconservancy.org

Christina Crooker, Restoration Coordinator, Site Stewardship Coordinator.

Christina began her career working on conservation issues at her home state of Hawaii. There, she researched endangered birds, monitored federally listed plants and tree snails, monitored the impact of invasive plant and animal species on native plant communities, micro-propagated rare plants, and controlled invasive species. Her conservation ethic was shaped early on during her time as a biologist for the U.S. Army in Hawaii where she managed 88 rare and endangered species on four military reservations on Oahu. From 1997 to 2003 she served as a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where she conducted formal consultations for endangered species. She also served for two years as deputy chair for the Oahu Invasive Species Committee. Since her move to California in 2003, she has focused her work in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. As a project manager at Fort Baker, she was responsible for running all aspects of the natural resource program including overseeing restoration and volunteer programs, designing and implementing research and monitoring programs, fundraising, and providing expertise and support on compliance issues. In her current position with the Site Stewardship Program, Christina plans and oversees restoration projects at four sites hosting the federally listed Mission blue butterfly, San Bruno elfin, San Francisco garter snake, and the California red-legged frog. Contact Christina at ccrooker@parksconservancy.org.

Dan Sorenson, Restoration Intern, Site Stewardship Program

Dan has joined the Site Stewardship Program as one of the ecological restoration interns. He is very excited to be participating in such a wonderful program. Hailing from Long Island, NY he received his B.S. degree in Environmental Studies with a focus in Biological applications from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. Upon graduation he took an internship with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, located in Naples, FL, as the conservation associate for land acquisition and management. There he managed some of Conservancy owned properties and followed local/regional land acquisition and management policy. Dan spent this past year working as a supervisor of conservation at Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick, NY. At this former landfill site he was in charge of the operation and maintenance of the 42 acre facility. Now he is in San Francisco enjoying the mild temperatures and getting acquainted with the biology and ecology of the area. Dan is looking forward to a year of restoring habitat and working with great people as a part of the Site Stewardship Program. Contact Dan at dsorensen@parksconservancy.org.

Meghan O’Connor, Education Intern, Site Stewardship Program

Meghan O’Connor is the education intern here at the Site Stewardship Program. Meghan is originally from New Hampshire. She moved to San Francisco from Boston, MA where she was working as an office manager. Meghan has a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from the University of Vermont. She took time to study ecotourism in Belize her junior year at UVM, intensifying her love of traveling. While attending school she worked in a molecular botany lab where she completed independent research projects on the legume Medicago truncatula. Right after college, she interned with the Student Conservation Association on an island off the North Carolina coast in Cape Lookout National Seashore. The summer was spent monitoring endangered sea turtle nests and teaching the public about sea turtle ecology and biology, the park’s history, and ecology. This internship sparked an interest in education. Meghan is very excited to couple her knowledge of wildlife biology and ecology with education during her internship here. Here at the Site Stewardship Program she works at the Oceana Native Plant Nursery and teaches school groups about our program and restoration efforts through service learning programs. If you are an educational group and interested in working at one of our sites please contact Meghan at moconnor@parksconservancy.org.

Alex Hooker, Restoration Intern, Site Stewardship Program

Alex Hooker's environmental ethic began in 2001 during a field study of Orca Whales off San Juan Island, Washington. This experience inspired him to study Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. While in school, Alex studied abroad in China and Central America, and worked in two plant laboratories. He conducted molecular research on the evolution of species in the Fig family, which continued after graduation in 2005. Alex returned to the San Juan Islands in 2006 to become a naturalist interpreter/ kayak guide, and also spent many hours removing invasive plant species from the shores of Orcas Island. Before coming aboard with the Site Stewardship Program, Alex was working on the Big Island of Hawaii monitoring the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle. As a Restoration Intern with the Site Stewardship Program, Alex is enthusiastic to strengthen the connection between critical habitats of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the local community of Bay Area people that appreciate them. You can contact Alex at ahooker@parksconservancy.org.

Eliot Crafton, Education Intern, Site Stewardship Program

Eliot is the education intern here at the Site Stewardship Program. He graduated from Williams College, located in Williamstown, MA, in June of 2006 with a B.A. in Biology with concentrations in Environmental and Maritime Studies. Immediately after college, he spent a summer at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, interning in the Marine Invasions Research Lab. Here he focused on estuarine ecology and field sampling techniques. That fall, Eliot moved to San Francisco to intern with Environmental Traveling Companions in their Sea Kayaking program. After enjoying the great fall weather providing kayak trips around Richardson Bay for individuals with special needs, Eliot opted to change fields and move to southern California. There he took an instructor position teaching astronomy, physics, and outdoor education in the San Jacinto Mountains. This position allowed him to develop some of the skills he will incorporate into his education post here. Eliot is excited about coming back to the San Francisco area, the opportunity to get back outside, and to be able to share with and learn from the many community members and program participants. Contact Eliot at ecrafton@parksconservancy.org.

Susie Bennett, Mori Project Coordinator & Butterfly Monitor

Susie Bennett has worked with Site Stewardship since February 2006 as a restoration intern. She has recently been hired to lead the butterfly monitoring program and coordinate the first phase of the Mori Point project.

Before coming to San Francisco, Susie studied biology and ecology at the University of Georgia and completed an honors thesis examining the effects of beachgoers on hermit crabs in Costa Rica. After graduating in 2005, she spent a summer working with U.S. Forest Service assisting on a project studying the effects of exotic earthworms on ecosystem dynamics. She later returned to the University of Georgia to help teach a semester-long tropical ecology course in Costa Rica before joining the Parks Conservancy. She’s happy to be part of this SSP team and enjoys bringing community members into their neighborhood national parks. She hopes to continue working with the Parks Conservancy after completing her internship, but eventually plans to go back to school to work toward a graduate degree in ecology. You can contact Susie at sbennett@parksconservancy.org.

Erin Mullen, Education and Outreach Intern, Site Stewardship Program

Erin has been the education/outreach intern for site stewardship program since October 2007. She completed her undergraduate degree at University of California at Davis, where she received a B.S. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Marine Biology and a minor in Environmental Analysis and Planning. During her undergraduate education, Erin had multiple research opportunities both on campus and out at the Bodega Marine Laboratory. She has conducted research on freshwater fish ecology, marine invertebrate and tide pool ecology, and biological control of greenhouse insects. After she graduated, Erin spent one year working with the California Department of Fish and Game, where she monitored various populations of plants and animals in the central valley, including burrowing owls and California tiger salamanders. During this time, Erin volunteered as a tutor which got her interested in teaching as a career. She joined the site stewardship team hoping to learn the fundamentals of environmental education while also gaining insight of restoration practices used in Golden Gate Recreation Areas. You can reach Erin at emullen@parksconservancy.org.