Katie White

Staff Ecologist

As a Live Oak Associates staff ecologist, Katie conducts habitat assessments, surveys for special status plant and wildlife species, and writes detailed Biological evaluation reports.

With a Master’s degree in Biology and a background in Restoration Ecology, Katie has knowledge and experience in wetland soils, biology education and report writing, restoration planning and monitoring, and plant taxonomy. Her fieldwork experience encompasses a diverse array of regions and habitats, including the Northwoods of Wisconsin, the redwood forests and marsh lands of northern California, and the oak woodlands of the Bay Area. Throughout these lands Katie has conducted a variety of plant species surveys, such as line transects, forest dynamic surveys and wetlands restoration monitoring. Her wildlife survey experiences include surveying for salmon, burrowing owls, and dusky footed woodrats, as well as assisting on Swainson’s hawk and Bay checkerspot butterfly surveys. Katie is thorough when gathering background data on project sites and consulting with Live Oak Associates field biologists, and her reports diligently synthesize this information in an accessible format to address the specific needs of each client.

  • • M.S. Biology, San Francisco State University. San Francisco, CA. 2023.

    • B.S. Environmental Science: Ecological Restoration, Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2014.

  • • Habitat assessments and plant identification

    • Riparian assessments

    • Wetland delineations

    • Biological report writing

    • Surveys for special status species such as burrowing owls, dusky-footed woodrats, Swainson’s hawks, and more

    • Restoration monitoring

    • Science education

  • • Staff & Field Ecologist, Live Oak Associates, Inc. San Jose, CA. 2024 – Present.

    • Graduate Researcher, Thesis: Investigating student memories of stories used to teach science. San Francisco State University. San Francisco, CA. 2021-2023.

    • Graduate Teaching Assistant: Biology Department, San Francisco State University. San Francisco, CA. 2021-2022.

    • Teacher’s Aide, Freshwater School. Eureka, CA. 2019-2021.

    • Afterschool Coordinator/Science Instructor, Pacific View Charter School. Eureka, CA. 2016-2019.

    • AmeriCorps Intern: Watershed Stewards Program and U.S. Forest Service, Six Rivers National Forest. Eureka, CA. 2014-2015.

    • Seasonal Vegetation Aide, Inyo County Water Department. Independence, CA. 2014.

    • Herbarium Intern: Vascular Plant Herbarium, Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2014.

    • Research Assistant: Stream-bed and decommissioned road surveys, and report writing to inform stream management decisions and prevent excess sedimentation. Redwood National Park and Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2014.

    • Student Researcher: Passive versus active restoration of newly re-inundated tidal salt marsh hummocks. Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2013.

    • Forest Dynamics Surveyor/Research Assistant: Cofrin Center for Biodiversity in partnership with Smithsonian Institute. University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. Green Bay, WI. 2013.

    • Botanist and Restoration Intern: Grassroots Ecology, Arastradero Preserve. Palo Alto, CA. 2012.

    • Research Assistant: Pacific dune-digger bee surveys and timed trials and data collection on Pacific dune-digger bee mating mechanisms. Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2011.

    • California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM): Five-Day Practitioner Training, San Francisco Estuary Institute and Central Coast Wetlands Group at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory. Moss Landing, CA. May 2025.

    • Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Training Program Certificate, Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Sacramento, CA. January 2025.

    • Online Tools for Vegetation Data Certificate, California Native Plant Society. October, 2020.

    • Certificate in Faculty Preparation, Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. 2019-2020.

    • A Primer on Sedges, California Native Plant Society. Vascular Plant Herbarium, Cal Poly Humboldt. Arcata, CA. March 17, 2018.

    • Certificate of Appreciation, United States Department of Agriculture; Six Rivers National Forest. Eureka, CA. 2014-2015.

    • Coastal Naturalist Training, Friends of the Dunes. Samoa, CA. March-April, 2013.

  • Katie’s favorite activity outside of work is hiking with friends and family—and especially her canine companions. She also enjoys devouring literary journals and autobiographies, playing and listening to music, bicycling, and facilitating outdoor science education.