By Corinthia Warner, October 2024

IAE’s Oregon staff had a great time celebrating each other and a few extra special milestones at our 2024 Annual Staff Picnic in July! We are so thankful for our amazing staff members, seasonal crew members, Americorps crews, and especially our friends and families. We lucked out with some perfect sunny weather, and enjoyed a fabulous potluck and barbeque. It was a blast to kick back and enjoy each others’ company and play some games.

We celebrated several employee anniversary milestones at the event! It was so fun to hear our colleagues and friends uplift each other and celebrate each others’ accomplishments and good work. This year’s milestone recipients included Plant Materials Program Director Alexis Larsen (5 years), Restoration Technician Zade Clark-Henry (5 years), Restoration Ecologist Rolando Beorchia (5 years), Restoration Program Director Andrew Esterson (10 years), and the most special milestone of all: Chief Scientist, Founder, and former Executive Director Tom Kaye, celebrating 25 years!

We’re so grateful for our staff and all they do! IAE is successful in its mission thanks to everyone’s continuous hard work and dedication; our staff is what makes this organization so effective, and so special. Thank you to everyone who came—we can’t wait for next year’s picnic!

Celebrating Five Years with IAE

Zade Clark-Henry, Habitat Restoration Technician

Comments from  Tom Kaye:

Zade started at IAE as an intern monitoring golden paintbrush with Tom Kaye in 2018. Zade showed a keen interest in all things plants and restoration at that time. We’ve been lucky to keep them on and see them expand their abilities and make huge contributions to IAE and conservation since then!

Comments from Andrew:

Zade has worn many hats at IAE over the last five years and is nothing less than awesome! Zade supported with CALE monitoring, multiple years on the Prairie Oak Inventory team, including being the field lead, participates in the EDC, developed many “how to…. procedures”, supported CR with field work including the range-wide PHAR survey, worked on the farm, and has been instrumental in the restoration team meeting project goals. Some of Zade’s most redeeming qualities are they are incredibly reliable, super easy to get along with and their love of boardgames, all of which make working with Zade an A+ experience. We are grateful for everything Zade has accomplished at IAE and look forward to the next five years working with Zade. 

Rolando Beorchia, Restoration Ecologist

From Andrew:

Over the past five years Rolando has been an integral part of the restoration group, participated in committees (Safety), supported and improved IT (mileage logs, computer updates), and helped with project work in multiple programs. Because of his work ethic and commitment to learning Rolando has had multiple promotions during his tenure at IAE. As a Restoration technician Rolando learned the intricacies of numerous sites and project managers, improved safety procedures within the restoration group, developed and maintained digital herbicide and restoration records, and improved the overall efficiency of the restoration team. As a Restoration Ecologist, Rolando has developed strong relationships with partners and shown a deep understanding of his project sites. He is also a pretty darn good botanist and has extensive knowledge of fungi.  During times of change, especially within the Restoration group, Rolando was a constant figure and helped guide us to the strong team we are today. Thanks Rolando! Looking forward to the next 5 years!

Alexis Larsen, Plant Materials Program Director

Alexis started at IAE as a CR intern in 2009. She returned to IAE in the Fall of 2019 as the Seed Partnership Coordinator. In 2021 she stepped into the role of Interim Director of the Plant Materials program, where she has demonstrated strong leadership. In the spring of 2022 Alexis became the Plant Materials Program Director. Among her many accomplishments is the successful National Native Seed Conference.

From our 2019 Intern survey:

My internship at IAE was truly a jumping off point for my career. After two seasons at IAE, I started a Master’s program in rare plant ecology at Oregon State University. After defending my thesis about the reintroduction of a rare species that grows on dynamic cobble bars of the Columbia River I began working for the Coos Watershed Association in Coos Bay as the Riparian and Invasive Species Project Manager. In this position, I designed, implemented, monitored, and managed 25 acres of riparian and wetland restoration projects, oversaw the installation of 5 fish passage culverts and 3 fish passage bridges, monitored the endangered Western lily, managed an integrated vegetation management invasive species program, and coordinated the Gorse Action Group, a collaborative group working on large-scale control efforts of gorse in Coos and Curry Counties. I was also the Interim Executive Director for one year for the Coos Watershed Association. My IAE experience helped me develop monitoring protocol for restoration projects and I took youth crews on tours of Western lily and salt marsh bird’s beak sites and discussed endangered/threatened species and their importance. After my time on the coast, I moved inland to the Rogue Valley where I manage fish passage and floodplain restoration projects for Coho Salmon. I was also the interim coordinator for the Jackson and Josephine Counties Cooperative Weed Management Areas. My work with IAE definitely laid a solid foundation for my career in habitat restoration over the last 8 years!!

Celebrating 10 Years with IAE

Andrew Esterson, Habitat Restoration Program Director

Andrew started as Tom Kaye’s graduate student in 2013. He worked on plant-soil-feedback systems focusing on false brome in OSU’s McDonald-Dunn Forest. He picked a challenging project and followed it all the way through, working in the field, greenhouse and lab. Since then, he’s worked for IAE in multiple roles, from field tech to restoration ecologist, and now program director. And in the meanwhile, raising a family! He’s always been a super collaborator and problem solver. Congratulations, Andrew!

Celebrating 20 Years with IAE

Tom Kaye, Chief Scientist, Founder of IAE, and former Executive Director

From Scott Harris, Conservation Research Program Director:

I know this will sound cliché, but Tom is nothing short of a conservation hero! I have always felt that he is an ideal candidate for a lifetime achievement award. Because it happens so often, I have stopped being amazed at how much he knows and has to share with us. Whatever the rare species in question, he always seems to either have had actual experience working with it, or has a very well-informed opinion. In professional settings, he is often sought after for his ideas because at some point in time he has “worked with that plant”. He does all of this in a very humble way, so that the conversation is easy for folks of all backgrounds and skill levels to engage with, from students to emeritus professors. In addition to founding IAE and growing our conservation impact over the past 20 years, Tom continues to contribute to our mission as Chief Scientist. We continue to benefit from his knowledge and his legacy. For example, we often have partners contact us to develop projects because of Tom’s and IAE’s past experience with that particular taxa or conservation problem. If we could clone Tom, then I am sure we could much more rapidly solve the biodiversity crisis!