Natalie Neff

Wildlife Biologist

Raised in the rolling foothills of California, Natalie appreciates the opportunity to work in the valleys and mountains she grew up with.

As a Live Oak Associate ecologist, Natalie conducts surveys and monitoring for special status species, leads environmental trainings, and prepares California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Quality Act (NEPA) biological evaluations. Natalie has participated in wildlife camera trap surveys for San Joaquin kit fox and American badger and monitoring for nesting Swainson’s hawks. She also has experience working with Tipton kangaroo rats, California tiger salamanders, and bats, and is working toward obtaining the necessary permits needed for capturing and handling these species. 

Natalie obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. While pursuing her BS, she participated in a number of internship and research opportunities including forest ecology data collection, small rodent trapping surveys, and a study abroad program in Costa Rica where she mist-netted bats for her undergraduate research project. In addition to her ecology degree, Natalie also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts and a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education. In her spare time, she enjoys working on natural and scientific illustrations as well as tutoring at the local middle school.

  • • B.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, (UCSC) CA. 2015

    • B.A. Visual Arts, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA. 2015

    • M.Ed. Secondary Education, Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ. 2021

  • • Surveys for special status and other protected species including burrowing owl, Swainson’s hawk, California tiger salamander, San Joaquin kit fox, Tipton kangaroo rat, foothill yellow-legged frog, special status bats, and nesting birds, among others.

    • Construction monitoring

    • Plant and animal illustrations

    • Educational Trainings

  • • Staff Ecologist, Live Oak Associates, Oakhurst, CA. 2018-2019 and 2023- present

    • Math Tutor, Private, Fort Collins, CO. 2021- 2023

    • Art Teacher, Ridgeview Classical Schools, Fort Collins, CO. 2019- 2021

    • Internship leader of Natural History of Mammals, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. 2016-2017

    • Undergraduate Thesis on Ixodes angustus density in relation to habitat and abundance of Peromyscus species, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. 2015- 2017

    • Study Abroad and Independent Research on Niche Partitioning in Fruit Bats, Monteverde, Costa Rica. 2014

    • Forest Ecology Research Project Student Supervisor, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. 2013

    • Forest Ecology Research Project Plant Illustration Internship, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. 2013

  • • Field Assistant for Saw-whet Owl Capture, Fort Collins, CO. 2021- 2022

    • CEQA Compliance Seminar, UC Davis.2019

    • Small Mammal Undergraduate Research in the Forest Internship and Sherman Trap Training with Peromyscus and Dipodomys Species, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA. 2015

  • Natalie enjoys a variety of hobbies including snowboarding, skiing, bouldering, camping, baking, playing guitar, drawing, hiking with her dog, drinking tea, and eating French fries. After each successful day out in the field, she uses watercolor, colored pencils, or ink to create a representative illustration of the field site she visited.