Kent Kowalski was born and raised in western Michigan and attended college at Humboldt State University and State University of New York-School of Environmental Science and Forestry. After graduating, Kent began doing seasonal field work as a fish and wildlife technician with the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). After four years of seasonal work, Kent became a full-time wildlife tech with the DEC and continued in that role for five years. The work with the DEC focused primarily on wetland and waterfowl management but involved exploration into many other avenues of work throughout NY State. Kent has also enjoyed his past seasonal stints with National Park Service managing piping plovers at Cape Cod National Seashore, surveying winter raptors in upstate NY, working for the Student Conservation Association, and outdoor education for inner city and underprivileged youth around Washington D.C. area. Kent, wanting to explore Missouri, then moved into a biologist position with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), restoring and managing lands across northeast Missouri while also working to conserve bobwhite quail and manage chronic wasting disease in deer. Currently, Kent has been working as a biologist with the USFWS for close to two and a half years in Palm Springs, California. This work entails reviewing projects and checking for compliance with the Endangered Species Act while also working towards species recovery of the desert tortoise and a host of other federally listed plants and wildlife within the region. Occasionally, Kent wanders aimlessly in the desert looking for cool birds but usually just finds weird rocks and enjoys time pretending to know how to fly fish for trout.

Kelley received her B.A. from Fresno Pacific University in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology in 2004. For seven years Kelley worked for the Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) as a Scientific Aid in the Fisheries Unit. Through this work Kelley gained valuable field experience collecting DNA samples from different salmonid species; conducting fish population and non-native fish removal through electro fishing; collecting and analyzing GIS data from field surveys; and conducting modified Stream Condition Inventory surveys. Kelley worked as an Environmental Scientist in the Quagga/Zebra Mussel Program for seven years working with a diverse group of stakeholders to prevent the introduction of freshwater invasive mussels. Work also included collecting water quality data to evaluate the risk of mussel establishment and mussel monitoring. Kelley left the Fisheries Unit and promoted to a Senior Environmental Scientist Specialist to join the Habitat Conservation Cannabis Unit, where for two years Kelley documented Fish and Game Code section violations on illegal cannabis cultivation sites, drafted California Environmental Quality Act comment letters for cannabis projects, and assisted legal cultivators on their CDFW permitting requirements. In 2021 Kelley left CDFW for a promotion with the California Department of Food and Agriculture as a Senior Environmental Scientist Supervisor in the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Division. Kelley supervised 20 staff working in Kern, Tulare, and Kings counties who surveyed for Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing. Kelley returned to her CDFW family to supervise the Cannabis Unit, which now includes a Cutting the Green Tap Environmental Scientist.

A native of southern California, Kyla Garten grew up in a rural setting and gained an early appreciation for nature, especially for misunderstood groups like reptiles and amphibians. Seeing the impact of increasing urbanization first-hand inspired her to pursue a career in conservation. Kyla attended Humboldt State University where she received degrees in Wildlife Biology and Spanish Education.  Since graduating, she has worked in many regions, ranging from the Florida Everglades to the Great Plains, Sonoran Desert, and beyond. 

Kyla Garten is a biologist with a decade of field experience providing biological monitoring and conducting surveys for numerous species of reptile and amphibians including giant garter snakes (Thamnophis gigas), California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense), California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), foothill yellow-legged frog (rana boylii), western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata), and flat-tailed horned lizards (Phrynosoma mcallii). In addition to reptiles and amphibians, Kyla has experience working with Swainson's hawks, burrowing owls, sandhill cranes, American badgers and vernal pool fairy shrimp. Other species Kyla has worked with include rattlesnakes, ornate box turtles, loggerhead shrikes, prairie chickens, sandhill cranes, Argentine tegus, Burmese pythons, giant garter snakes, northwestern pond turtles, California red-legged frogs, and California tiger salamanders. 

Ms. Garten possesses a federal 10(a)1(A) recovery permit for giant garter snakes, California tiger salamander, and California red-legged frogs. From her various professional positions, Ms. Garten has a strong knowledge of reptiles and amphibians and is well versed in environmental survey and sampling techniques.