Bio
Ms. Kate Drake is a senior restoration ecologist and consulting ecologist with more than 10 years of experience. Ms. Drake is also trained in applied ecology, water resources, wetland delineation, and plant identification. Her work experience includes restoration design, permitting, and construction oversight as well as long-term ecological monitoring of restored wetland and riparian restoration sites.
Ms. Drake leads project teams and contributes to various phases of ecosystem restoration projects from restoration planning and permitting, to construction and long-term monitoring.
Prior to joining Integral Consulting, she was a senior restoration ecologist at H. T. Harvey & Associates where she worked for 8 years.
Relevant Experience
Ecological Restoration
Pacheco Creek Restoration Project, Santa Clara County, California — Serves as project manager for the Pacheco Creek Restoration Project for the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. Collaborated with an ecohydrology firm to perform analysis of riparian restoration opportunities at a 162-acre site along Pacheco Creek. Prepared mitigation and monitoring plan, secured environmental permits, and collaborated with team to prepare construction documents and oversee construction. Manages annual monitoring of all restoration project elements, including maintenance recommendations.
Lower Berryessa Monitoring and Reporting Phase 2, Milpitas, California — As project manager, oversaw long-term monitoring of riparian and grassland restoration areas for the Santa Clara Valley Water District. Coordinated and assisted with annual monitoring and maintenance of revegetation areas, including quantitative vegetation monitoring, invasive plant surveys, and preparation of annual monitoring reports. Project successfully met final performance criteria.
Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation Project (SAFER Bay), Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, California — Serves as project manager for wetland delineation and high-tide refugial habitat assessment for the project in the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Oversaw 1600-acre wetland delineation across a variety of habitats including large marsh, managed ponds, and seasonal wetlands. Prepared report assessing high-tide refugial habitat for special status resident marsh wildlife species at a 375-acre subset of study area to inform flood control levee placement and design, balanced with ecological goals and priorities. Collaborated on basis of design document for levee revegetation approach.
Middle Mixer Restoration Project, San Jose, California — Served as project manager for the Middle Mixer Restoration Project. Oversaw long-term monitoring of grassland habitat restoration areas at a bioremediation site. Coordinated and assisted with annual monitoring, reporting, and maintenance of revegetation areas.
Los Gatos Creek Restoration Project, Los Gatos, California — Served as project manager for design of a riparian restoration project on an urban creek that provides critical habitat for steelhead. Collaborated with various stakeholders, including project engineers and campus designers, to prioritize and select restoration opportunities in constricted urban area. Prepared Mitigation and Monitoring Plan and contributed to development of draft permit applications.
Reimagine Flood Park Redesign Project, Menlo Park, California — Provided ecological design support for planning and design conducted by a landscape architecture firm for a public park redesign project. Provided input on opportunities to enhance ecological value of park, species selection and placement for tree planting, and ecological uplift of turf.
Stream Restoration Monitoring Project, Santa Clara County, California — Serves as project manager for construction and restoration monitoring of 2.4-acre riparian restoration of a muted tidal reach of stream as part of a development in Santa Clara County. Estuarine wetland restoration is included on floodplain benches adjacent to the creek and the project incorporates 100-year flood protection. Contributed to development of mitigation and monitoring plan and oversaw all elements of construction, including import and amendment of soil, grading, and plant installation. Assisted with permit compliance for project.
Big Break Regional Shoreline Restoration and Public Access Project, Contra Costa County, California — Serves as project manager for ecological elements of Big Break Regional Shoreline Restoration and Public Access Planning Project for East Bay Regional Parks District. Oversaw analysis of existing habitats and wildlife usage within the coastal park in Contra Costa County. Collaborates with an infrastructure advisory and planning firms to assess future impact of sea level rise and look for opportunities to protect, enhance, and restore valuable habitats and protect and improve park infrastructure. Helps assess regulatory permitting requirements for project alternatives. Provides input on ecological elements of public outreach materials.
Sunnyvale East/West Channels Flood Protection Project, Sunnyvale, California — Serves as project manager for preparation of the Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring Plan for the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency. Led review of the aquatic resources delineation report for the project and preparation of a memorandum documenting updates to the delineation.
Stanford University Habitat Conservation Plan, California Red-Legged Frog Ponds and Riparian Restoration, Design and Permitting, Stanford, California — Serves as project manager. H. T. Harvey led the design-build team to construct four new California red-legged frog breeding ponds and 0.5 acre of restored riparian habitat within a riparian corridor heavily impacted by prior quarry activities. The team also managed the feasibility study, restoration plan, permitting, construction cost estimation, and construction support.
Lake Cunningham Park Big Meadow Wetland, San Jose, California — Serves as project manager for ecological elements of a water quality improvement project. The project aims to reduce eutrophication and improve the water quality in Lake Cunningham, while enhancing user experience at the park. The H. T. Harvey team collaborated with a subconsultant to analyze existing conditions, opportunities, and constraints, and assess the feasibility of nature-based water quality interventions. The project includes a conceptual site plan wetland treatment systems and plan for recreational improvements for the park. Oversaw mapping of existing ecological resources and collaborated with a hydrology subconsultant and H. T. Harvey landscape architects to develop an approach to improve water quality in the lake while maintaining or improving infrastructure for community use.
BART Blankstein Wetland and Riparian Mitigation Site Monitoring, Maintenance, and Reporting, Fremont, California — Contributed to habitat mitigation efforts and report preparation for a 10-acre riparian/freshwater wetland mitigation project. The project includes intensive riparian and wetland vegetation maintenance and ecological monitoring and reporting. Conducted wetland delineation.
Permanente Creek Enhancement Project, Mountain View, California — Developed a habitat mitigation and monitoring plan at a technology campus, a 3.2-acre riparian habitat enhancement and creation project including a diversity of streamside, upland, and oak riparian habitats.
San Francisquito Creek Flood Reduction, Ecosystem Restoration, and Recreation Project, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, California — Oversaw construction and assisted with long-term monitoring of high-tide refugia habitat for the salt marsh harvest mouse and California Ridgway’s rail. Assisted with development of annual reporting, including quantitative vegetation cover assessment, characterizing health and vigor of plantings, and providing recommendations for replanting.
Calero County Park Pond and Wetland Restoration Project, San Jose, California — As project manager, oversaw long-term monitoring of pond and wetland habitat restoration areas. Coordinated and assisted with annual monitoring and maintenance of revegetation areas, including quantitative vegetation monitoring, invasive plant surveys, and surveys for species covered by the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan. Obtained signoff from relevant regulatory agencies on completion of annual monitoring and wetland delineation.
Bay Rise Park, Burlingame, California — Leads development of environmental permit applications for restoration of tidal salt marsh-upland ecosystem component for a 9-acre ecological park. The park has an emphasis on sea level rise and climate change. Park features include a section of the San Francico Bay Trail and water access with a new stop on the Water Trail. The team led efforts to receive State Lands Commission approval, develop feasibility and concept studies, ran public outreach and coordinated with stakeholders.
Charleston Retention Basin Bridge and Habitat Improvement Project, Mountain View, California — Contributed to riparian and wetland habitat mitigation monitoring for the Charleston Retention Basin Bridges and Habitat Improvement Project, a 5.9-acre habitat creation and enhancement project designed to increase recreational opportunities.
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Alameda Counties, California — Analyzed soil contaminant data to advise on soil suitability for import to Alviso and Ravenswood salt ponds for the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration and Shoreline Projects. Soil suitability was assessed based on the guidelines in the Master Quality Assurance Project Plan. Soil import is to support large scale restoration of salt ponds to salt marsh habitat.
Presidio of San Francisco Habitat Restoration Design, San Francisco, California — Served as project manager for a project that assessed urban soils for horticultural suitability and provided recommendations for soil management to support native-dominated landscaping in an urban park in San Francisco. Conducted soil sampling and assessed laboratory results on horticultural soil parameters to provide recommendations.
Alum Rock Fish Passage Biological Services, San Jose, California — As a restoration ecologist for the long-term monitoring of the project, performed several years of annual monitoring of vegetation cover and tree survival on floodplain and riparian habitats. The project was conducted by the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority (VTA) to improve aquatic and riparian habitat in Upper Penitencia Creek within Alum Rock Park as mitigation for the Mission-Warren/Truck Rail project.
Wetlands
Virginia Aquatic Resource Trust Fund, Virigina — As a restoration assistant at The Nature Conservancy (TNS), monitored stream and wetland restoration sites across Virginia for TNCs Wetland Mitigation Program (formerly the Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund). Restoration projects were statewide, including those located in coastal and tidal habitats, piedmont, and Appalachian Mountains. Monitored vegetation, hydrology, and stream geomorphology and assessed soils and shallow groundwater well data for evidence of wetland hydrology. Compiled and analyzed monitoring data for annual reporting and requests for release of wetland remediation credits. Provided insight and recommendations for restoration site management and assess potential sites for future projects.
Southeastern Colorado Wetland Research, Colorado — As a wetland research associate for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, recorded data on plant species, hydrology, soils and stressors in southeastern Colorado wetlands. Evaluated ecological integrity and wildlife habitat for 75 sampled wetlands and identified up to 500 species of wetland and upland herbaceous and woody plants.
Education & Credentials
Highlights
More than 10 years of experience
Restoration, riparian, and wetland ecology
Plant identification
Wetland delineation
Water quality assessment
Soil science
Strong writing and communication skills
ArcGIS
Education & Credentials
M.S., Environmental Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, 2015
B.A., Environmental Studies, American University, Washington, D.C., 2010
Professional Experience
Associate ecologist, H. T. Harvey & Associates, 2018–July 2026
Restoration assistant, The Nature Conservancy, 2015–2018
Wetlands research associate I, Colorado State University, 2015
Research technician and teaching assistant, Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, 2013–2015
Research intern, Indiana Clean Lakes Program, 2014
Analyst, Northbridge Environmental Management Consultants, 2010–2013
Green summer team leader, District of Columbia Department of the Environment, 2010
Professional Affiliations
California Invasive Plant Council, Member 2021