Chris Polatin, Habitat Restoration Specialist
chris@polatineco.com
Chris has been involved with environmental work for ten years in various contexts. He has worked for several environmental consultancies on the west coast as an environmental scientist and biologist involved in conducting biological assessments, special status species surveys, wetland delineations, preparing mitigation plans and permit applications. He has served as a restoration project manager involved with managing the intallation, maintenance, and monitoring of a diverse portfolio of restoration sites throughout northern and central California. These sites included several large scale riparian revegetation and streambank bioengineering projects overseen by the US Army Corps of Engineers. As a reserve steward for the University of California, Chris developed and implemented management plans for special status species and invasive plant control, supervised crew and staff, and helped build budgets and funding priorities. Upon moving to New England in 2002, Chris attended graduate school and for his master's thesis conducted research to determine the best control techniques for managing three woody invasive plants within the Elizabeth Islands of Massachusetts. Chris began Polatin Ecological Services in 2005. The company has focused its efforts on invasive species management and revegetation due to concerns regarding the deleterious effects that invasive plants have on natural communities and biodiversity.
Education:
Master of Science, Antioch University New England, Conservation Biology Program, September 2005
Bachelor of Arts, University of California Santa Cruz, Environmental Studies/Anthropology (emphasis in plant ecology), May 1999.
Memberships & Associations
- Society for Ecological Restoration International
- Society of Wetland Scientists
- Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists
- International Erosion Control Association
- Massachusetts Association of Landscape Professionals
- Natural Areas Association
- Weed Science Society of America
- Gill Conservation Commission
Professional Training
- Licensed Pesticide Applicator
- S-130 Basic Firefighter Training
- S-190 Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
- Game of Logging Chainsaw Training
- Army Corps of Engineers 32-hour Wetland Delineation Training
- Wetlands Assessment and Field Techniques
- Bioengineering in Ecological Restoration Projects
- River Morphology and Survey Workshop
- Restoring Riparian Habitats: Planning, Designing, Constructing, Maintaining and Monitoring Habitat Restoration and Mitigation Projects
- Invasive Plant Management & Monitoring
- Ecological Research Design and Monitoring
- GIS Training
Publications & Presentations
- Master's Thesis. Best management practices for controlling catbrier, Oriental bittersweet, and Scotch broom on a coastal island in Massachusetts. 2006.
- New England Invasive Plant Summit. Presentation: Best management practices for controlling invasive woody plants on a coastal island in Massachusetts. 2005.
- New England Forestry Foundation. Presentation: Picking your battles: how to control invasive plants on your property. 2007.
- New England Forestry Foundation. Presentation: Controlling invasive plants in working forests. 2007.
- Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions Annual Conference. Presentation: Identification and control of invasive plants on your own property with simple and effective approaches. 2008. Co-presented with Seth Wilkinson, Wilkinson Ecological Design.
- Town of Longmeadow, MA. Presentation: The Natural Resources Inventory Planning Process for Longmeadow Flats. 2008.