STAFF
Wetland and Water Resources' scientists and engineers operate as a core team of scientists, engineers, and planners collaborating with a pool of highly-qualified experts available to meet the unique needs of each project. We have proven research track-records and extensive experience in applying research practices and principles to project planning and implementation.
(Click on name for bio)
Stuart Siegel, Ph.D., P.W.S., President, Principal Environmental Scientist
Christina Toms, Ecological Engineer
Dan Gillenwater, Environmental Scientist
Leigh Etheridge, Environmental Scientist/GIS Analyst
Patricia Marmion, Business Manager
Darren Gewant, Environmental
Scientist
A note on our email addresses: to avoid spam, we do not include direct email links.
Instead, we note the email prefix for each person, all of which are followed by "@swampthing.org" unless otherwise noted.
Stuart W. Siegel, Ph.D., P.W.S.
President, Principal Wetland and Environmental Scientist
Ph.D., 2002 Geography, UC Berkeley
M.A., 1993 Geography, UC Berkeley
B.A., 1986 Environmental Science, UC Berkeley
B.S., 1986 Chemistry, UC Berkeley
Professional
Wetland Scientist #000196, Society of Wetland Scientists
Dr. Siegel founded Wetlands and Water Resources in 1996 after 11 years working on wetlands technical and regulatory issues in the San Francisco Bay area. He has devoted his professional career to the conservation and restoration of wetland and aquatic systems with an emphasis on estuarine tidal wetlands. His combined work experience and graduate studies have built his expertise as an integrative physical scientist and geomorphologist with considerable emphasis on the related disciplines of ecology, environmental regulation and policy, contaminant remediation in estuarine environments, management, and business.
Dr. Siegel focuses on the integration of numerous disciplines into a comprehensive systems approach for regional ecosystem planning, ecosystem restoration projects, and scientific research into ecosystem restoration and management issues. His approach is now commonly referred to as "ecosystem-based" management. Dr. Siegel works primarily in the San Francisco Estuary and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with other efforts elsewhere in coastal California as well as in the tropical Pacific. Restoration projects range in size from a few acres to a few thousand acres. Science research investigates physical, chemical, and biological processes affecting outcomes of ecosystem restoration efforts and the effects of ecosystem management on water quality and biological resources; Dr. Siegel is the lead principal investigator for CALFED's Integrated Regional Wetland Monitoring pilot project and for a State Board-funded investigation of low dissolved oxygen and methyl mercury production in Suisun Marsh managed wetlands. His current regional planning work includes being the technical lead for Governor Schwarzenegger's Delta Vision Ecosystem Strategic Plan, a science co-lead for the CALFED Delta Restoration Plan, science input for habitat planning as part of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, and Science Advisor for the interagency Suisun Marsh Plan. Dr. Siegel is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist.
Email Stuart Siegel: stuart
Christina Toms
Ecological Engineer
M.S., 2003 Civil and Environmental Engineering, UC Berkeley
B.S., 2002 Biological Resources Engineering, University of Maryland, College
Park
Engineer-in-Training, California
Christina Toms has over 8 years of experience in ecological engineering, a growing field that integrates ecological science into every stage of the engineering design process. As a project engineer with WWR, Ms. Toms is responsible for the coordination and design of a variety of ecosystem management, enhancement, and restoration projects throughout northern California. She specializes in project planning and design, field data collection and analysis, limnology, wetland science and engineering, water quality enhancement, construction management, CEQA support, and GIS/cartography.
Ms. Toms’ multi-disciplinary background in both physical and ecological sciences, strong writing and communication skills, and experience in a broad range of aquatic ecosystems have helped her to see a wide variety of projects through to successful conclusions. She is or has been Project Engineer and/or Project Manager for the Sonoma Land Trust’s Sears Point Restoration Project, California State Parks’ Laguna Creek Lagoon Enhancement Project, the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District’s Pilarcitos Lagoon Habitat Enhancement Feasibility Project, the Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District’s Deer Creek Crossing Replacement Project, and multiple resource enhancement projects for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and Marin Audubon Society. Ms. Toms also serves as a technical advisor to tidal wetland restoration projects at Parsons Slough (part of the Elkhorn Slough complex) near Monterey, CA and the Bel Marin Keys Unit V parcel near Novato, CA. She has considerable experience writing and reviewing regulatory materials such as CEQA documents and supporting technical reports. Her background in water quality includes research in the use of large-scale stormwater treatment wetlands in Irvine, CA and the effectiveness of a hypolimnetic oxygenation system in the East Bay’s Upper San Leandro Reservoir. Ms. Toms is a frequent guest lecturer at UC Berkeley, where she teaches ecological engineering to students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is an active member of the American Ecological Engineering Society, which seeks to "promote the development of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both." Her experience in civil, geotechnical, and environmental engineering includes jobs and internships with Golder Associates, the US Navy, and the US Department of Agriculture.
Email Christina Toms: christina
Dan Gillenwater
Environmental Scientist
M.S., 2005 Environmental Science, The Ohio State University
B.S., 2002 Environmental Science, University of Delaware
Mr. Gillenwater collects, organizes, analyzes, and presents data relating to wetland processes and functions at restoration sites throughout the San Francisco Bay region. Specific duties include collecting water level, topographic, sediment, and water quality data; writing and preparing figures and tables for technical reports; generation and management of GIS data; cartography; database interface; and environmental modeling. Dan has professional and educational experience in a variety of environmental fields. He studied wetland ecosystem ecology and ecological engineering in laboratories at The Ohio State University (OSU). As part of a river restoration project team at OSU, Dan collected in-situ data on fish spawning activities and larval out-migration, performed topographic surveys, constructed hydraulic, ecological, and habitat suitability models. As an intern with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), Dan collaborated with engineers and geologists on abandoned coal mine reclamation projects. His major responsibilities included using geophysical instrumentation to track underground acid mine drainage (AMD) seeps, helping to set up a pilot scale biodigestor system to treat AMD, and preparing maps and reports.
Email Dan Gillenwater: dan
Leigh Etheridge
Environmental Scientist/GIS Analyst
M.A., in progress, Geography, San Francsico State University
B.A., 2003, Geography, University of Alabama
B.A., 2003, Spanish, University of Alabama
Ms. Etheridge has four years of professional and educational experience in the field of environmental geography. At WWR her main duties include: generating and managing GIS data; cartography; assisting with the collection of biological, topographic, and water quality data; writing technical reports and preparing associated figures and tables; and maintaining field and office equipment databases. Prior to her employment at WWR, Leigh had experience working with local communities in Baja California, Mexico to develop environmentally sound economic growth practices. She has also worked as a sea kayak and mountain bike guide in California for several years.
Email Leigh Etheridge: leigh
Patricia Marmion
Business Manager
Ms. Marmion brings more than 20 years experience in office administration and management, graphic design, and marketing to WWR.
Email Patricia Marmion: patricia
Darren Gewant, M.S.
Environmental Scientist
San Francisco State University M.A. Marine Biology, 2003
San Francisco State University B.S. Marine Biology, 1998
Darren Gewant completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees studying the ecology of fish and invertebrate species in the San Francisco Estuary. As a biologist, he has focused on the restoration of marsh and wetland habitats of San Pablo Bay and the Western Delta. Specifically, Mr. Gewant has studied interactions of native and non-indigenous fishes as they relate to habitat restoration efforts. His strong academic training in biological oceanography and long history of research in SFE, allows him to analyze fish data at the population, community, and ecosystem levels.
Email Darren Gewant: darren
