Katie Preston

Katie has held a passion for wildlife since the first issue of Zoobooks was delivered to her mailbox. Since then, she has held an active interest in conservation of at risk species, habitat fragmentation, and mitigating anthropogenic impacts on natural habitats. After receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science from Drake University, she held positions in the Chicagoland region restoring prairie and wetland habitat at institutions such as the Chicago Botanic Garden and worked with the Lincoln Park Zoo studying the reintroduction of species of concern to Lake County, IL, including meadow jumping mice, least weasels, and smooth green snakes. Her master's work at North Dakota State University focused on mammalian conservation as a whole, using mixed modeling to evaluate mammalian extinction risk using population dynamic measures and also asking applied questions by examining the effects of cattle grazing on small mammal communities in the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. From there she was able to fine-tune her teaching and communication skills by working for North Dakota State University and the National Audubon Society where she developed curriculum and unique outreach opportunities regarding basic science, native habitat, and wildlife across North Dakota.

Katie started as the Conservation Program Coordinator in May 2018, and in addition to being able to retire her winter coat, is excited to help facilitate data collection on species of concern on Stanford lands, work with conservation technicians, and expand the Conservation Program’s outreach efforts within the local community.

If you are interested in collaborative endeavors in support of environmental conservation in the San Francisco Bay area, please feel free to contact Katie, Esther, or other members of the Stanford Conservation Program!