masha Maskall

Staff Ecologist

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



Masha knew early on that her passion for nature and conservation would translate to a career as a wildlife biologist. She has over three years of experience as a wildlife biologist and has worked with various taxa, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and fish. Masha inventoried and surveyed snakes, lizards, and frogs using pitfall traps, transects, and acoustic night surveys. Masha inventoried, surveyed, and spawned endangered fish populations via electrofishing, fyke nets, minnow traps, and seine nets. She also chemically immobilized and radio-collared coyotes and bobcats. Masha’s first started with Live Oak Associates as an on-call biologist, where she gained experience surveying special-status species like burrowing owls and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrats. 

  • • B.A. in Environmental Studies (conservation/restoration focus) from University of Santa Cruz (UCSC), Santa Cruz, CA – 2016-2020.

    At UCSC, Masha completed six internships focusing on the conservation of animals and plants. Masha is currently in a master's program at San Jose State University in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Ecology and Evolution. 

  • • Special Status Species: Ms. Maskell has conducted surveys and monitoring for several special status species, including boreal toads, northern leopard frog (rocky mountain population), desert tortoise, Mojave fringed-toad lizard, rubber boa, greenback cutthroat trout, burrowing owls, and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrats.

    • Avian Surveys: Ms. Maskell began conducting avian surveys in 2016 as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, working with the Predatory Bird Research Group for seven months. Surveys consisted of point counts of American kestrel, peregrine falcon, sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper’s hawk, and red-tailed hawk. Night surveys for great-horned owls consisted of searching for whitewash, pellets, and nesting activities. She has conducted burrowing owl surveys with LOA following the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan protocol and has been trained and assisted in conducting nesting bird surveys. She has monitored active nests, including the American crow and house finch.

    • Fish: Ms. Maskell has surveyed for fish since 2021 and has captured and surveyed various native and non-native fish species in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She is experienced in using electrofishing, fyke nets, minnow traps, and seine nets to inventory fish species. Some of the species she has worked with include the greenback cutthroat trout, Arctic grayling, brown trout, rainbow trout, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, mosquito fish, fathead minnow, red shiner, humpback chub, white sucker, longnose sucker, common carp, and central stone roller. 

    • Reptile and Amphibians: Ms. Maskell has conducted reptile surveys via pitfall traps and transects since 2022. She has handled and surveyed long-nosed leopard lizards, zebra-tailed lizards, western shovelnose snakes, western banded geckos, gopher snakes, Mojave green rattlesnakes, western-whiptails, California kingsnakes, desert horned lizards, desert spiny lizards, common side-blotched lizards, and desert night lizards. Ms. Maskell has also conducted amphibian surveys using mark-recapture methods and night surveys. She has handled and surveyed for boreal toads, northern leopard frogs, American bullfrogs, African-clawed frogs, and western toads. 

    • San Francisco Dusky-Footed Woodrats: Ms. Maskell learned to identify nests during multiple field-based trainings through Live Oak Associates, Inc. in 2023 and has assisted other LOA biologists with SFDFW surveys since those trainings.

    • Medium and Large Mammals: Ms. Maskell has experience capturing and radio-collaring coyotes and bobcats during her time at the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) in 2022. Forty traps (box, collarum neck snares, and Belisle foot snares) were set and routinely checked for several months, with seventeen animals captured. 

    • Plant Species: Ms. Maskell has assisted in rare plant surveys/counts under the direct supervision of a plant ecologist. She has also assisted in restoration projects, including plant surveys, seed collection, and propagation, and has assisted with invasive plant species surveys and removal.

  • Masha Maskell's wildlife experience began during field classes at UC Santa Cruz. During her time at UCSC, she learned about the life history of several special status species, including the California red-legged frog, coho salmon, California tiger salamander, tule elk, and California condor, and completed six internship projects focusing on both plants and wildlife. Most recently, she has worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands and has experience surveying on private and public lands, including military lands.

  • Outside of work, Masha enjoys trail running, backpacking, hiking and reading.