Ken Owen
Executive Director
ken (at) cirweb.org
(805) 448-5726
Ken Owen is the co-founder and executive Director of Channel Islands Restoration (CIR). He has 23 years of experience managing large-scale ecological restoration projects and conducting botanical surveys in sensitive natural areas on the California Channel Islands and on the adjacent mainland of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Mr. Owen has more than 33 years of experience with non-profit management, and he has worked with the American Red Cross, Easy Lift Transportation and various LGBTQ+ organizations.
Mr. Owen has more than 33 years of experience educating the public on a variety of topics including ecology, plant identification, habitat restoration techniques, and disaster preparedness. As an instructor for CIR, Mr. Owen has organized and led most of the organization’s educational trips. He has been an instructor for the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Ventura County Adult Education, the California Invasive Plant Council, Exploritas and the American Red Cross.
He has presented numerus scientific presentations, papers, and posters. He has more than 30 years of experience recruiting, training and managing staff and volunteers on a professional basis for many organizations.
He possesses a Qualified Applicator’s License through the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (license number: 39503) a California Landscape Contractor’s license (license number: 1056865) and a remote pilot certificate through the FAA.
Mr. Owen was a member of the City of Santa Barbara Board of Harbor Commissioners for 16 years, and he chaired the Board for two years. He was a member of the County of Santa Barbara Homeless Taskforce and the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project Wetland Managers Group. He is currently a member of the City of Goleta Creeks Technical Advisory Committee, and he is the Secretary of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.
Natasha Booth
Volunteer and Project Coordinator
natasha (at) cirweb.org
Natasha was born and raised in Ventura, CA. In 2022, she received her B.S. degree from California State University Channel Islands in Environmental Science and Resource Management, with an emphasis on Earth Systems.
She works in the field as a Habitat Restoration Technician for CIR and recently joined as the Projects Administrator. She grew up with a passion for the outdoors and enjoys instilling the same values in her daughter. She also enjoys gardening, camping, and travelling.
Pablo Chalott
Restoration Foreman
pablo (at) cirweb.org
I came into this world in the beautiful Chumash territory of Oxnard, California. Channeling my creative spirit, I delved into the world of art during my academic journey at Cal State Channel Islands. My art not only reflects my personal expression but also embodies the profound influence of my indigenous roots, fostering a deep appreciation for the natural world that surrounds us.
My professional journey led me to Channel Islands Restoration, where the enchanting allure of the Santa Clara River captured my heart. Working to preserve and restore its ecological balance has become not just a job, but a calling. I am a water protector. The riverbanks have become my sanctuary, a place where the echoes of nature guide my purpose, and where I find solace in contributing to the health of the Earth.
Beyond my environmental endeavors, my free time is a mosaic of passions. Whether carving through waves on a surfboard, navigating the streets on a skateboard, or simply immersing myself in the ever-changing canvas of cloudscapes, I find joy in the simplicity of these pursuits. Art remains a constant companion, a medium through which I continue to explore and convey my connection with the world.
Yet, amidst all these interests, the heartbeat of my life resonates in the moments spent with my family. They are the pillars that support my aspirations, and the driving force behind my commitment to building a better future for the coming generations. My overarching goal in life is not just personal success, but to leave a positive impact on the world, shaping it into a place that future generations can cherish and thrive in.
Lauren Harris
Staff Ecologist
lauren (at) cirweb.org
Lauren Harris earned her Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution with Distinction in the Major from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 2021. Here, Lauren worked in the UCSB Biology Greenhouse caring for plant collections, and interned in the D’Antonio VegLab researching wildfire germination cues for chaparral species. It was during these experiences that her interests shifted from plants broadly to California native plants, leading her to apply to the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management to be a force for conserving California’s natural landscapes and vegetation.
At the Bren School, Lauren specialized in conservation planning and developed her skills in GIS, data analysis, collaboration, and community engagement. She delved into the topic of abandoned agriculture and passive revegetation through an internship with UCSB’s Earth Research Institute and a fellowship from Conservation International and UCSB’s Environmental Marketing Lab (emLab). Additionally,
Lauren worked with the Gaviota Coast Conservancy to plan and propose a new native plant nursery in Gaviota. For her Bren group project, she collaborated with five other students to create an interactive conservation planning support tool highlighting Gaviota’s threats, resources, and equity opportunities, incorporating the priorities of local stakeholders and rightsholders. Lauren received her Master of Environmental Science & Management in June 2023.
As the Staff Ecologist for Channel Islands Restoration, Lauren is eager to leverage her experience in research to identify and employ best management practices for the preservation of local vegetation and ecosystems.
Wyatt Mclean
Restoration Foreman
wyatt (at) cirweb.org
Wyatt was born in Ventura county. He grew up exploring the Santa Monica mountains in his backyard and surfing the early afternoon swells, developing an early love for the local environment and ecology. He quickly took to the sea, graduating high-school early, working as a screen printer while fixing up an old 30 foot sailboat to call home, following the ocean’s pull and the promise of adventure.
He spent these years devouring the work of Gary Snyder and other nature poets, deepening his love for all that is wild, educating himself on the history of this land. He gained perspective on what this region once looked like, seeing the possibility that comes from open spaces that are mutually beneficial and support all life. From humans to plants and soil and fungi, to birds, bees, lizards, wood rats, coyotes. Naturally he decided to be the boots on the ground and work in habitat restoration.
Since settling down off the coast of Santa Barbara after a summer of full-time cruising at the Channel Islands, he started working both at Channel Islands Restoration as a field tech, and Ojai valley Land Conservancy as nursery assistant, where he worked with his sister growing native plants from the Ventura river watershed. Wyatt left OVLC to be full time at CIR, is looking forward to deepening his knowledge in restoration ecology, as well as taking on exciting new projects and continuing to care for sites that he has been working on since day 1.
He is happy to have a growing list of native plant friends whose growth and longevity he can support through direct action.
Erin Merrill
GIS Technician
erin (at) cirweb.org
Erin Merrill began working as the GIS Technician for Channel Islands Restoration in late 2020, and has been with CIR as a Field Restoration Technician since late 2014. She creates maps of restoration sites for use in the field and reporting, as well as managing GIS data, and troubleshooting GIS mapping issues. She also works in the field on CIR projects restoring degraded habitat, which helps her make field maps more helpful and easier to use on the ground.
She attended California State University, Channel Islands, where she first learned to use GIS and earned a BS in Environmental Science and Resource Management. During an internship with the National Parks Service, she helped update their GIS database of invasive plant treatments in the Santa Monica Mountains.
In her free time she enjoys gardening, reading, and making improbable desserts.
Doug Morgan
Operations Manager
doug (at) cirweb.org
Doug moved back to California in 2014 after being away and rarely visiting for over 30 years. He says, “This perspective gives me two distinct snap shots of how the coastal environment has improved over three decades.”
Yes, improved, he insists.
“When I was growing up in Goleta, every creek had a contamination warning sign where it flowed into the ocean. I might still have tar on me from the oil spill 50 years ago.”
His New Year’s resolution once back in Santa Barbara was to volunteer 200 hours a year. On his first volunteer trip to Santa Rosa Island he fell in love with the CIR mission, the people and the work and kept showing up so much Elihu hired him while on the trail in the Sisquoc.
As an avid outdoors person, he says, “The Sisquoc has been on my bucket list for decades, but it’s logistically cumbersome to properly see. I didn't realize that within a year of joining CIR that I would have become intimate with every inch of it, and most of the tributaries too. I have had the unique experience through CIR to see the immediate positive impact of our work compared to how it looked before and how it was 30 years ago. I fully expect to develop the same relationship with the Santa Ynez River and Piru Creek watersheds.”
A partial list of his experience includes time as: Real Estate Development Manager at a Community Housing Development Organization, Manufacturing Facility Manager, Organic Farmer, Restaurant Chef, Adaptive Ski Instructor, Outdoor Education Instructor, Construction General Contractor, and Special Olympics Coach.
Inspired by Yvon Chouinard's book, “Let My People Go Surfing,” he returned to school and graduated in 2012 with a BS in Business focusing on Green and Sustainable Enterprise Development. He lives with his partner and her two sons in Ojai with a retired Siberian husky/ wolf sled dog, and a jack russell terrier that is convinced he is a Siberian husky/wolf sled dog. In his free time he actually still goes camping, hiking, and exploring in the local mountains.
Lizzy Sorce
Director of Administration
lizzy (at) cirweb.org
Lizzy moved here from Illinois in 2013 and joined CIR in 2019 to help develop the Administrative Department and support the field operations team. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Affairs and Anthropology, and a Certified Nonprofit Professional certificate from The Nonprofit Leadership Alliance.
She helps CIR achieve its mission by collaborating with department leaders on accounting, operations, and development. She also leads HR functions and provides overall administrative support for the organization.
Holly Wright
Senior Project Manager
holly (at) cirweb.org
Holly has worked for over 30 years in the effort to protect our Earth’s natural environment particularly with a focus on protecting and restoring natural ecologies and climate.
She has done this via hands on work in native wildlife habitat restoration and protection; environmental science education; and advocacy for the inclusion of economic and environmentally disadvantaged communities to more accessibility and opportunity in the conservation work of natural environments. She has spent much of the last six years working in Ventura County along the Santa Clara River where she has had extensive experience in Arundo donax removal and the ongoing restoration of the Santa Clara River Parkway.
She cares greatly about the best management practices of the work, and the need to keep aware of adaptive management methods considering more unpredictable vegetation growth seasons and progressive knowledge of more successful and ecologically safe techniques. This is something she has been able to develop knowledge of through her job at Channel Islands Restoration.
As well as Arundo removal project management, she oversees Friends of the Santa Clara River stewardship Hedrick Ranch Nature Area and a community interpretive nature trail at the Fillmore Fish Hatchery. She works as Outreach Facilitator for the Department of Water Resources Disadvantaged Community Involvement Community Program ‘Water Talks’. In early 2022, she won a DWR Grant to create an English and Spanish Immersion Workshop for Riparian Restoration Field Techs.
The professional development of people who carry out the field work of restoration is something she cares greatly about and works to progress. She has a personal love of ecology at a watershed scale, and this takes her to studying more closely lower watershed riparian habitat, meteorology, and geological hydrology. In her spare time she hopes to expand her qualifications in these areas.
John Ziegler
Marketing Manager
john (at) cirweb.org
John Ziegler is Channel Islands Restoration’s Marketing Manager, with over 20 years of experience in marketing, developing websites, and graphics. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, and currently residing in Carpinteria. John is interested in design, fine art, photography, and creativity. John is a volunteer wilderness ranger with the Los Padres National Forest and has volunteered with the Los Padres Forest Association for 14 years. He is an avid backpacker and outdoor enthusiast.
John worked to develop a website called Hike Los Padres, which includes all the backcountry trail campsites and car campgrounds, trails, springs, peaks, and roads. The website has collected over 10,000 reports on local features and is used by forest visitors to determine water reports and trail conditions. John has worked for clients like George Benson and James McBride and was previously Senior Marketing Director at Pacifica Graduate Institute.