Cristal Romero

Field Ecologist

Cristal’s work for Live Oak Associates is split between the field and the office. She surveys for special status wildlife (endangered, threatened, etc.), monitors construction activities to ensure that work is done in compliance with protocols listed in a project’s permits, as well as other activities such as trapping and relocations.

Cristal regularly writes up field findings as well as interface with clients and subcontractors. She also assists with the preparation proposals and analytic reports. 

While at UC Santa Cruz, Cristal participated in academic research for a variety of marine life – mammals and invertebrates. Prior to working at Live Oak, Cristal worked at the Santa Clara Valley Water District as well as the City of San Jose.    

Cristal is certified as a Scientific Diver by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences as well as a Rescue Diver by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. She has been providing biological services since 2015.

  • • B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Santa Cruz (UCSC), Santa Cruz, CA.

    • A.A. Wildlife Science, De Anza College, Cupertino, CA.

  • • Special status species surveys: Burring owls, Swainson’s hawk, nesting birds, California Tiger Salamander, California red-legged frog, northern elephant seal, dusky-footed woodrat, and more.

    • Construction monitoring

    • Passive and active relocation of species

    • Scientific diving

    • Providing educational training to the public in English and Spanish

  • • Staff Ecologist, Live Oak Associates, 2017-Present

    • City of San Jose, Happy Hollow Zoo, Class Instructor, 2019-2021

    • Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Jose, CA, Biological Intern, 2015-2017

  • • Animal Care and Use in Non-biomedical Research, CITI program, 2020

    • Scientific Diver, American Academy of Underwater Sciences, 2018

    • Rescue Diver, Professional Association of Diving Instructors, 2018

    • Rare Pond Species Survey Techniques Workshop, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation & The Wildlife Project, 2017

    • CA Tiger Salamander Terrestrial Ecology Workshop, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation & The Wildlife Project, 2017

    • AEP CEQA Basics and Refresher Workshop, San Jose, CA, 2017

    • Amphibians of San Francisco Bay Area Workshop, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation & The Wildlife Project, 2016

    • Certificate of Advanced Achievement in Wildlife Science – awarded by De Anza College

    • Deer Hollow Farm - experience handling and caring for livestock.

    • Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley - cared for nestling and juvenile corvids.

  • Cristal’s hobbies mostly center around outdoor activities. She particularly enjoys rock climbing, scuba diving, and skiing. Cristal likes to mix remote adventures with creature comforts. Ex: she will off-road several hours to get to a hot spring and carefully package fresh eggs while backpacking so she can enjoy a carbonara in the wilderness. If you were to spy on Cristal at home, you’d probably catch her singing to her dog and two cats.

“I really enjoy working outside and getting to explore natural landscapes in an intimate and intentional manner. Since childhood, I’ve always been fascinated with wildlife, so it’s such a treat to get to work with them professionally. I also really appreciate my coworkers because they are such interesting and multi-faceted people. It’s nice to work within a team whose members show genuine interest and care for each other. ”
— Cristal