ECORP Continues to Grow!

Carla A. Marriner – Senior Biologist/Project Manager, Santa Ana Office

Carla Marriner holds a B.S. in Environmental Biology with a Major in Ecology and has over 13 years of experience as a biologist and project manager, including 4 years of experience as a lead biologist in Colombia managing projects related to conservation, ecotourism, and implementation of Master Plans for the management of lagoons, forests, and wetlands ecosystems. Ms. Marriner moved to Southern California in 2010 and, after internships and assisting Senior Biologists in the field, started her career in California in 2012. She has extensive experience in conducting and coordinating sensitive-species surveys; nesting bird surveys; biological reconnaissance surveys; and habitat evaluations for endangered, threatened, and sensitive species. Ms. Marriner has experience preparing biological technical reports, Natural Environment Study (NES) and Natural Environment Study-Minimal Impact (NES-MI) reports, maintenance reports, and annual reports; she consults on all aspects of habitat mitigation/restoration implementation including design, installation, maintenance, qualitative and quantitative monitoring, compliance with regulatory permit guidelines; and is trained in the California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM). Restoration projects include Riversidian sage scrub, riparian, water quality basins, and oak woodlands.

Margaret Partridge, AICP, LEED Green Associate, ENV SP – Senior Environmental Planner, Santa Ana Office

Margaret Partridge holds an M.A. in Urban and Regional Planning and a B.A. in Environmental Analysis & Design, having graduated with honors from the University of California at Irvine (Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa). Ms. Partridge has nearly 18 years of experience in community and environmental planning. Ms. Partridge is an AICP Certified Planner, a LEED Green Associate, and an Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP). She is a member of the American Planning Association, the Association of Environmental Professionals, and the U.S. Green Building Council. Ms. Partridge began her career working in the planning departments of the cities of Westminster and Laguna Niguel. Subsequently she transitioned into working in environmental consulting throughout Orange County. Ms. Partridge has experience in both the public and private sectors as a city planner and as an environmental planner for residential, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and specific plan projects. Ms. Partridge’s areas of expertise include all aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and land use research and has a particular interest in affordable housing projects.

Nathan Hallam, Ph.D. – Senior Architectural Historian, Rocklin Office

Nathan Hallam has 17 years of experience in historic preservation, cultural resources management, and academic teaching and scholarship in California, Arizona, and Idaho. He specializes in conducting archival research, preparing historic contexts, managing field surveys, and using National Register criteria to evaluate historic properties under CEQA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Before joining ECORP, Dr. Hallam administered the North Central Information Center, a repository of cultural resources documentation at California State University, Sacramento. At CSU Sacramento he also taught courses in California History, Sacramento History, Western U.S. History, and Historic Preservation. In 2021 Dr. Hallam established an independent consulting practice in Boise, Idaho and now brings his experience to ECORP. He meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for History, Architectural History, and Historic Preservation, and serves as principal investigator for all architectural history components of cultural resources projects. His favorite past projects include a 2018 evaluation of the Pacific Portland Cement Company quarry on Cement Hill in Solano County (the “castle on the hill” visible from I-80) and a 2020 National Register nomination for Mountain Home Grange Hall in Latah County, Idaho, which led to the property’s listing on the National Register and helped to encourage a recharting of the local grange chapter.

Niranjala Kottachchi,M.S., – Principal Paleontologist, Rocklin Office

Niranjala Kottachchi is a geologist with over 15 years of experience in paleontology. She specializes in managing and conducting field surveys, construction monitoring, and fossil preservation and identification in both field and laboratory environments. Her skills include preparation of plans and reports that identify, evaluate, and mitigate paleontological resources impacts in compliance with CEQA, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) standards, and in compliance with various State and local agency standards. Her project experience is wide ranging and includes urban development, transportation and energy infrastructure, renewable energy, communication, and waste management projects throughout California. Her most substantial work has been for Fresno State University, monitoring and supervising excavation and recovery of Pleistocene vertebrates at the Fairmead Landfill Fossil Site north of Madera, California. She has published scientific papers in paleontology and teaches geology part-time at two local community colleges. 

Sonia Sifuentes, M.S., RPA – Senior Archaeologist, Redlands Office

Sonia Sifuentes is a Registered Professional Archaeologist with over 15 years of experience in cultural resources management. She meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards for Prehistoric and Historic Archaeologist and has participated in numerous projects across the country, including California, Nevada, Washington, Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming. Ms. Sifuentes has participated in and supervised numerous surveys, test programs, data recovery excavations, and construction monitoring compliance for both prehistoric and historical sites and has cataloged, identified, and curated thousands of artifacts. She has conducted evaluations of cultural resources for eligibility for the National Register of Historical Places and California Register of Historic Resources. Ms. Sifuentes is experienced in the organization and execution of field projects in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and CEQA. She has contributed to and authored numerous cultural resources technical reports, research designs, and cultural resources management plans.

Kevin Israel, – Senior Biologist, San Diego Office

Kevin Israel has over 20 years of experience in the environmental consulting, research, education, and enforcement fields. For 11 years, he’s worked throughout the southwest as a biological surveyor, monitor, analyst, and project manager for federal/state/local agencies and private developers. Mr. Israel has specialized in aquatic habitat restoration and construction compliance conducting planning, permitting, management, and monitoring; surveying for rare plants and several sensitive animals; water quality monitoring and Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) bioassessments; and noise measurements, analyses, and monitoring. Research has involved water quality, aquatic restoration, and glaciology (published in Climate Dynamics). Mr. Israel has worked in several locations throughout the U.S. as an ecotour guide and educator in wildlife biology, mountaineering, SCUBA diving, sailing, kayaking, swimming, and surfing. He also enforced recreation, hunting/fishing, ranching, and forestry regulations as a park ranger in Colorado. Mr. Israel has logged over 5,000 hours of sea time operating various sail and power vessels.