Jacquie Maher

Consulting Ecologist

Bio
Relevant Experience
Education & Credentials

Bio

Ms. Jacquie Maher is a senior wildlife ecologist and consulting ecologist in Integral’s San Joaquin Valley office. She is a broadly trained ecologist with excellent field, project management, and communications skills. Species she works with include the San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, western spadefoot, bats, American badger, San Joaquin antelope squirrel, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, vernal pool branchiopods, and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard, for which Ms. Maher is a Level II surveyor. She also holds a 10(a)(1)(A) permit for California tiger salamander aquatic surveys, California red-legged frog, and vernal pool branchiopods

Ms. Maher manages projects and conducts field-based, protocol-level surveys and habitat assessments for all the species listed above. Examples of other project experience include monitoring habitat restoration projects on mitigation land, managing and monitoring sheep grazing and invasive weed treatments, and designing and overseeing environmental monitoring and reporting programs to ensure that projects comply with NEPA and CEQA mitigation measures, incidental take permits, streambed alteration agreements, and biological opinions, among others.

Prior to joining Integral Consulting, Ms. Maher was an associate ecologist at H. T. Harvey & Associates where she worked for 15 years.

Relevant Experience

Solar

California Valley Solar Ranch Project, San Luis Obispo County, California — Serves as project manager, lead biological monitor, and approved by CDFW and USFWS as a Designated Biologist. Manages the team that monitors activities for compliance with the project’s permits. Project work includes surveys supporting management and maintenance of conservation and mitigation lands, sheep grazing and weed management, residual dry matter (RDM) monitoring, and surveys and monitoring for San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, western spadefoot, and burrowing owl.

Alamo Springs Solar Site, Kings County, California — Led the field effort and performed protocol-level surveys for blunt-nosed leopard lizard for three seasons on a project to assist ecologically sensitive development of a 130‑megawatt solar farm on 966 acres. Based on the special-status species conducted, the team provided support in providing recommendations that incorporate habitat improvements to benefit the San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, kangaroo rats, and other special-status species in the area.

Rosamond Central Solar Project, Rosamond, California — Managed Kern County California Public Utilities Commission compliance monitoring and reporting for the solar project. Key wildlife issues included preconstruction surveys and monitoring for desert kit fox, burrowing owls, and breeding birds. Development involved the passive eviction of burrowing owls and kit fox den monitoring and closure.

Pumpjack and Wildwood Solar Projects Construction Monitoring Support, Kern County, California — Served as co-lead biological construction monitor at two 20-megawatt utility-scale solar projects built on former agricultural lands. Conducted preconstruction special-status species surveys required by the Kern County conditional use permit, monitored construction activities, and assisted with San Joaquin antelope squirrel exclusion fence installation and monitoring efforts, and monthly compliance reports.

Aquamarine, Solar Blue and Castanea Chestnut Solar Projects, Kings County, California — Manages Conditional Use Permit compliance monitoring and reporting for three solar projects located in the county. Work includes weed inspections, revegetation monitoring, livestock grazing management, and RDM monitoring.

Transportation

California High-Speed Rail Environmental Services (Fresno-Bakersfield Section), Fresno, Kern, Tulare, and Kings Counties, California — Serves as an approved biologist, including a USFWS and CDFW designated San Joaquin kit fox biologist, providing on-call preconstruction survey and construction monitoring support services to the California High-Speed Rail.

Betty Drive Interchange on State Route 99 Preconstruction Surveys and Construction Monitoring, Tulare County, California — Conducted preconstruction nesting bird surveys and monitored an active red-tailed hawk nest during construction of the interchange. Team provided preconstruction services and construction monitoring supporting timely delivery of this highway maintenance and improvement.

Cherry Avenue Truck Climbing Lanes, Kern County, California — Performed protocol-level surveys for blunt-nosed leopard lizard and surveys for San Joaquin kit fox and San Joaquin antelope squirrel along 3 miles of rural highway slated to be widened to accommodate an extension of truck climbing lanes for Caltrans. Scoped and excavated potential dens for San Joaquin kit fox. Project involved conducting small mammal trapping surveys targeting giant kangaroo rat and threatened San Joaquin antelope squirrel.

Wildlife Surveys

Standard Middle School Biological Support, Bakersfield, California — Conducted an atypical natal den assessment for San Joaquin kit fox on a middle school campus and monitored den activity. Discussed mitigation strategy with CDFW and USFWS.

Austin Quarry California Tiger Salamander Biological Monitoring and Support, Madera, California — Manage ITP and BO compliance monitoring and reporting. Key wildlife issues include preconstruction surveys and monitoring for California tiger salamander. Work involves exclusion fence checks and cover board checks for California tiger salamander, and western spadefoot, during rain events and during dry season migration season, agency communications, exclusion fence installation, and small mammal burrow excavations.

Hearst Castle Bat Monitoring and Exclusion, San Simeon, California — Participated in bat count surveys for a roof replacement project. Team assisted with a humane bat exclusion project that facilitated the reroofing of the main building, Casa Grande. Successfully excluded Mexican free-tailed bats, pallid bats, and California myotis from multiple roosting colonies in work areas of Casa Grande, and remaining bats were safely relocated as needed.

Biological Monitoring of Los Vaqueros Reservoir Watershed and Conservation Lands, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Alameda Counties, California — Conducted surveys for California red-legged frog and California tiger salamander at Los Vaqueros and associated conservation land in Contra Costa County. Monitored and relocated California red-legged frog, and ensured permit compliance, during Operational and Maintenance activities.

Beale Air Force Base Natural Resources and Environmental Program Support, Yuba County, California — Performed surveys for vernal pool branchiopods, steelhead, and Chinook salmon for the management plan, which covers nearly 23,000 acres of open space.

Education & Credentials

Highlights

17 years of experience

Freshwater and estuary ecology

Vernal pool invertebrate ecology

Western spadefoot surveys

Giant kangaroo rat surveys

San Joaquin kit fox expertise

Level II blunt-nosed leopard lizard surveyor

Grazing management/Residual Dry Matter Monitoring

Special-status wildlife surveys

Education & Credentials

M.S., Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 2010

B.S., Environmental Biology and Management, University of California, Davis, California, 2005

Permits and Licenses

10(a)(1)(A) permit for California tiger salamander aquatic surveys, California red-legged frog, and vernal pool branchiopods

California Scientific Collecting Permit for capture, release, and salvage of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and vernal pool/terrestrial invertebrates

Memorandum of Understanding from CDFW for California tiger salamander aquatic surveys

Professional Experience

Associate ecologist, H. T. Harvey & Associates, 2011–July 2026

Laboratory manager and researcher, Aquatic Ecosystem Analysis Laboratory, University of Nevada-Reno, 2006–2010

Laboratory manager and researcher, Castle Lake Long-Term Monitoring Program, 2006, 2008–2009

Water quality technician, Limnology Laboratory, University of California, Davis, 2005–2006

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