Mark Jennings, Ph.D.

Senior Associate Ecologist & Herpetologist

Dr. Jennings is a versatile, highly trained ecologist with specialties in both fisheries ecology and herpetology.

Over the past 40 years, Dr. Jennings has worked and published extensively on a wide variety of fish, amphibian, and reptile species in western North America including chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, bull charr, candlefish, tidewater goby, desert pupfish, California tiger salamander, Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, arroyo toad, California red-legged frog, mountain yellow-legged frog, western pond turtle, San Francisco gartersnake, and giant gartersnake. During the 1990s, Dr. Jennings co-authored a book chapter on the present status of all the native salmonids in California, as well as a ground breaking publication for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on the status of all third category (species of special concern) amphibians and reptiles in the state.

Dr. Jennings has worked on a large number of projects over the past 4 decades, including endangered species surveys and EIR’s. In doing so, he has completed hundreds of protocol surveys for California tiger salamanders and California red-legged frogs in the State, dozens of surveys for special status fishes in parts of the Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley of California, as well as consulting with engineering firms regarding fish passage structures in anadromous fish streams in the Bay Area of California. Dr. Jennings has also completed environmental impact assessments for fish and amphibians in proposed water developments along the North Coast of California, served as a member of the Recovery Team for several Federally-listed amphibians and reptiles, and given a number of professional workshops on how to survey for special status amphibians and reptiles. He has additionally served as a steelhead, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, and San Francisco gartersnake Expert Witness in the Federal District Court of San Francisco.

Since 1980, Dr. Jennings has published 107 peer-reviewed scientific papers, of which 26 deal with the field of fisheries biology and 81 deal with the field of herpetology. Some of his publications continue to be cited in current college herpetology textbooks. During his career, Dr. Jennings has received numerous awards from scientific societies for his publications and work in fisheries, biology and amphibian conservation. He has also peer-reviewed dozens of manuscripts, environmental impact reports, and endangered species petitions for scientific journals, biological consulting firms, and state and federal agencies. Dr. Jennings maintains an active speaking schedule, having given over 150 official presentations on various fish, amphibian, and reptile topics to a wide variety of scientific and lay audiences over the past 30 years--everything from keynote presentations at scientific meetings, to discussions at society-sponsored workshops, to appearances on the national news (both on television and radio), to talks at local meetings of the Audubon Society.

  • • Ph. D. Wildlife and Fisheries Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. 1986

    • M. S. Natural Resources, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA. 1981

    • B. S. Fisheries, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA. 1978

  • Ichthyology, fisheries ecology, herpetology, special status species studies, expert witness testimony, and compliance with State and Federal Endangered Species Acts.

  • • Live Oak Associates, Inc. Senior Associate Ecologist and Herpetologist. 1999 to Present.

    • Rana Resources, Davis, CA. President, Herpetologist and Fisheries Biologist. 1988 to Present.

    • California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA. Research Associate, Department of Herpetology. 1987 to Present.

    • Hartesveldt Ecological Consulting, Oakhurst, CA. Consulting Herpetologist. 1996 to 1999.

    • University of California at Davis. Assistant with the Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. 1995 to 1998.

    • California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Research Associate with the Natural Management Resources Department. 1994 to 1997.

    • University of California at Santa Barbara. Assistant Adjunct Professor, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. 1993 to 2002.

    • U. S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, San Simeon, CA. Research Fish and Wildlife Biologist. 1992 to 1999.

    • H. T. Harvey and Associates, San Jose, CA. Associate Aquatic Ecologist and Herpetologist. 1990 to 2000.

    • U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fisheries Contaminant Research Center, Dixon, CA. Research Fishery Biologist. 1986 to 1990.

    • Harding Lawson Associates, Novato, CA. Biological Consultant. 1985 to 1986.

    • The University of Arizona, Tucson. Research Associate in the School of Renewable Natural Resources. 1982 to 1986.

  • Out side of his work for Live Oak Associates, Mark enjoys working on research and manuscripts for future publication.

“I’ve done work for Live Oak Associates since the very beginning of the company. I enjoy getting out in the field to watch wildlife and document new natural history observations for the first time.”
— Mark