Featured Scientist

Swanson while conducting research on fishers in the Sierra Nevada.


With a deer fawn found in a residential area. The fawn was reunited with its mother.


Swanson (middle) with CDFW staff during a mule deer capture near Lone Pine.

As CDFW’s unit biologist for San Luis Obispo County, Brandon Swanson is responsible for managing wildlife populations locally and responding to the public’s wildlife-related needs. His job can involve supporting safe human-wildlife interactions, increasing public awareness on wildlife issues, and managing CDFW-owned lands such as the Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve and San Luis Obispo Wildlife Area. Swanson earned his undergraduate degree in environmental science from Portland State University where he also minored in geographic information systems (GIS). He began his professional career in 2016 with the U.S. Forest Service and joined CDFW in 2018 as a scientific aid. He was promoted to his current position as wildlife biologist in 2020.

What was the genesis of your career in wildlife biology?

My grandparents had a farm, so early on I got to see some of the wildlife issues that they dealt with – for example, protecting against livestock loss and agricultural damage. I did a lot of back-country camping and spent plenty of time in the wild. I was also a Boy Scout all the way through Eagle Scouts.

In school, science was always the subject I loved the most. I wandered away from science in my first few years of college and studied journalism and fine art. I ended up returning to science as a career because I saw a need for people to do the work and I felt it was the best way for me to make a positive impact.

Why did you want to be a biologist in San Luis Obispo County?

I’ve always loved weasels. They’ve always been one of my favorite families of animals. On the Central Coast we have a good number of badgers and long-tailed weasels.

I also wanted the opportunity to work with some of the charismatic megafauna like tule elk and pronghorn. They are amazing animals. Elk are an incredible story of coming back from the brink of extinction. I saw an opportunity to make a positive impact there.

What does your job consist of on a day-to-day basis?

Any issue that involves wildlife in San Luis Obispo County is my responsibility. I respond to human/wildlife issues like when a bear wanders into a more populated area. In those situations, we balance public safety with the welfare of the animal, and we work to get the animal back to its habitat. I also manage lands that are under CDFW’s responsibility. For example, right now we’re developing a water plan for the Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve. Additionally, I work with different partners and agencies on collaborations and research. I’m currently working on various research projects with California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

You started your current job during the pandemic. What was that like?

It’s been weird. I haven’t met a lot of my colleagues in person. But I think I made the transition well.

Fieldwork was very limited at first, so that was a challenge. For example, we have a limited number of vehicles, and everyone had to have their own vehicle. It made things difficult logistically. We also had to take a lot of extra safety precautions, so there was additional emphasis on protocol. I also wanted to make sure I was representing the department well by taking all the necessary precautions. It’s been interesting.

Is there any aspect of your job that might surprise people?

My job involves a lot more screen time than you’d think. There are a lot of meetings, and there’s a lot of reading and data analysis. It’s not all cowboying around with wildlife. I wish it was sometimes, but there’s more to it. With more responsibility comes less field time. That’s just the way it is. It’s the bargain you have to make with yourself. The more responsibility you have, the more impact you can have.

What advice do you have for young people who are interested in a wildlife career?

Do as much volunteering as you can. Get a wide breadth of experience. Build up your skill base on practical things like being able to fix a fence or run a chain saw. Those practical skills are often overlooked. In this job, you’re not just doing science. You’re also doing labor outdoors, so you need to have some of those practical skills.

For me, studying GIS in college was extremely helpful. When I’m communicating with the public, using data can be a compelling way to get a point across. Being able to take data and make it make sense for people is invaluable.

A career in environmental science is not easy. It’s a crowded field. You just have to persist and stick it out. It’s hard some days. There are some days in the field where you’re wet and miserable and everything is awful. But looking back, those days can end up being your best memories. And any day that you get to see wildlife makes it all worth it.

CDFW Photos

Janene Colby, assisting thirsty lamb separated from its mother in border construction area.


Janene Colby, returning newborn lamb to its mother.


Janene Colby, hiiking in Harper Canyon, San Diego County.


helicopter delivering water for desert bighorn sheep project.

Janene Colby is an environmental scientist who studies bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Mountain Ranges of Southern California and southern mule deer in San Diego County. Working out of the CDFW San Diego office, she collects demographic data such as abundance, distribution, health status, survival and mortality causes on radio-collared and satellite collared bighorn sheep and mule deer.

She has a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Science from California State University, San Marcos and began working with CDFW in 2005.

You started your career with CDFW a little later in life than a lot of our scientists. What were you doing before joining CDFW and how did that experience help determine your career path?

I worked at a wild animal park as an animal trainer for a North American mammal show. I became very disillusioned with training wild animals to perform for the public. While these animals are supposed to serve as “ambassadors,” it seemed more like entertainment for profit at the expense of the animal’s well-being. It was very disheartening, so I decided to go back to school and become a wildlife biologist.

What do you enjoy about working in the desert?

I like the stark beauty of vast spaces and being able to see the horizon – the orange glow cast on the desert mountains each sunrise and the brilliantly colored sky each sunset. I am a loner at heart and enjoy the solitude and quiet. I never tire of observing the beauty, adaptability and resilience of desert plants and animals.

Your big project in the summer of 2021 was to coordinate the delivery of water to several dry guzzlers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). Why was this important?

These particular guzzlers originally ran dry due to catastrophic failures in 2020 and were repaired, but there was not enough rainfall during the winter/spring months to refill the storage tanks in preparation for summer 2021. By September 2020, at least three radio-collared sheep had already died due to the dry guzzlers, and we recognized that there was an urgent need to get water into the two dry guzzlers before summer 2021. I did not want to witness more sheep deaths because we could not manage to find a way to get water into these guzzlers.

I reached out to California chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep for assistance. Without the assistance of these organizations, and the U.S. Marine Corps, the helicopter water haul would not have occurred this summer.

What did this operation entail?

The most difficult part of the job was the timing -- just trying to get CDFW and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP) to act and get water into the wildlife water development system (guzzler) before the hot summer months when sheep would need to drink. ABDSP installed the guzzler in the 1980s but it had become dry due to lack of maintenance, and they were unable to commit the necessary time or money to get water to it. And while CDFW had good intentions, we are currently not set up with funding or the ability to quickly secure a helicopter contract for emergency water hauls to remote locations. When it became clear that our agency would not be able to get water into the guzzler before the end of summer, I contacted the California Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation (Cal WSF) and the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep (SCBS). These two nonprofits were able to secure funding for the project and reach out to the Marines at Camp Pendleton for help. 

On Aug. 27, a base camp was set up within the State Park that was approximately 10 miles from the guzzler. Temporary portable water tanks were set up and water trucks delivered 12,000 gallons of water. In the evening, the Marines Light Attack Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303) and 1st Marine Raider Support Battalion (1MRSB) arrived at base camp in a UH-1Y helicopter. A safety briefing was held, and the logistics of hauling water was discussed. At dawn on Aug. 28, the UH-1Y helicopter crew long-lined a stock tank 10 miles to the guzzler. Next, the helicopter crew dipped a “bambi bucket” that can hold up to 225 gallons of water into the portable water tank, flew the bucket of water to the guzzler and dumped it into the stock tank, which would then feed the water into the guzzler storage tank. This procedure was repeated seven times until it became too hot and windy for the helicopter to continue safely. By 11 a.m., approximately 1,600 gallons of water had been delivered to the guzzler. We really needed to get water to this endangered population of peninsular desert bighorn sheep at the beginning of the summer rather than at the end of the summer. However, it will hopefully help them out until the first rains arrive in November or December.

CDFW often states that wildlife should be left alone, with minimal human intervention. Why is this different? Why do we need to deliver water to species that should theoretically know how to find water on their own?

Wildlife can only find water on their own if there is water to be had! Bighorn sheep and other desert dwellers are well adapted to extreme desert conditions. In times of drought, bighorn sheep can adjust their behavior to conserve water and can seek out plants such as cactus and other succulents that contain a high concentration of water. However, an increase in mean temperature and decrease in annual precipitation within the desert due to climate change has resulted in a measurable decrease in the quality and quantity of natural water sources and vegetation available for use by desert bighorn sheep and other species.

So in this case, human intervention was necessary?

Most plants and animals on the endangered species list are there due to direct and/or indirect anthropogenic changes to their habitat. Peninsular bighorn sheep were federally listed as endangered species in 1998 due to human caused habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, drought and disease introduced by domestic livestock. Humans created the problem. If we value wildlife, then it is incumbent upon us to help support these animals until we can find a more permanent solution by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and preserving and protecting the habitat that remains intact.

Was this a one-time operation or will it be necessary to repeat?

I hope it will not be necessary every year, or even every drought year. But until we study this in more depth we will not know. Due to climate change, it is more important than ever before to carefully monitor and maintain wildlife water developments and invest in more efficient systems with greater storage capacity. To achieve this goal, CDFW and other state agencies like ABDSP need to commit both money and personnel to this task sooner rather than later.

How did you feel upon the successful completion of the water delivery? Relieved? Satisfied?

I truly enjoy and am passionate about my job, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt “satisfied” with this job. If and when we can ensure bighorn sheep will thrive into the future, then I’ll be satisfied. But I don’t think we are there yet.

Outside of this major project, what other kind of work do you typically do?

Checking on the status of radio-collared bighorn sheep is time-consuming, as it entails driving on rough Jeep roads for four to six hours a day, followed by hiking in remote areas for several hours. In an average year, I conduct 40 to 50 sheep and deer mortality investigations. I spend a fair amount of time at my computer doing data entry, processing satellite and GPS data and creating home range maps in ArcGIS, and compiling and analyzing data for technical reports. I also help plan and implement sheep and deer helicopter surveys and captures.

What kind of projects are in your future?

With an unlimited budget and unlimited time, I would set up a long-term study to measure the impacts of climate change on bighorn sheep, and evaluate what management tools would be needed to alleviate or reduce impacts. But I’m not too far from retirement. Even after I leave the department, I will continue to be an advocate for protecting and preserving wildlife habitat. I have not yet had time to give this much thought beyond knowing that I will continue to be an advocate after I retire. I cannot just “relax” in retirement when there is so much more that needs to be done – that is just how I roll.

CDFW Photos

Senior Environmental Scientist Shruti Khanna collecting data on an airboat in the Delta.


Khanna raking water primrose, an invasive species of plant found in the Delta.


Khanna (left) with colleague Curtis Hagen (now retired) on a data collection outing in the Delta.

Senior Environmental Scientist Shruti Khanna works for CDFW in the Interagency Ecological Program (IEP), a consortium of state and federal agencies that monitors the health of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. Khanna works in the IEP’s Program Support and Synthesis Group. Her focus is researching nonnative invasive aquatic vegetation in the Delta. By analyzing data on nonnative invasive aquatic vegetation, Khanna helps conservation managers decide the best approaches to take in conserving the Delta’s ecosystem.

Khanna received her undergraduate degree in computer engineering while living in India. After working in the field for a short time, she decided to pursue her passion for the environment. She moved to the U.S. and enrolled in a graduate program in ecology at UC Davis. She fell in love with ecology and continued her education, ultimately earning a Ph.D. from UC Davis in 2010. Khanna then did six years of post-doctoral research which included studies in the Delta using remote sensing—a tool to study the environment using imagery taken from aircraft and satellite. Khanna’s research skills and experience led to her being hired by CDFW as a senior environmental scientist in 2016.

How do you explain your job to a layperson?

Essentially, I look at photographs of the Delta taken from space and try to derive answers to environmental questions. When we take pictures from satellite or aircraft we get a much bigger picture compared to taking photographs from the ground. This allows us to look at environmental processes at a much larger scale and offer solutions that work across the entire landscape. We have imagery of the Delta dating back to 2004, so the first part of our analysis involves mapping what already existed in the environment. Then we start looking at what’s happening year after year—looking for trends. All the information together helps us look at the impact of different management actions. Everything I do is geared toward helping management decide the best way to manage the ecosystem.

The main mission of IEP is to monitor the entire ecosystem of the Delta—everything from water quality to invertebrates to fish to animals that eat the fish. As many people know, we pump a lot of water through the Delta to southern and central California. Our monitoring helps ensure that the ecosystem stays somewhat stable.

My focus in the Delta is on invasive aquatic vegetation. There’s both submerged aquatic vegetation and floating aquatic vegetation. About 70 percent of all of submerged vegetation is invasive, and more than 90 percent of all floating vegetation is invasive.

What kind research do you do?

A lot of my research looks at how submerged and floating vegetation affects the habitat and water quality of the Delta. For the past two to three years, I’ve been involved with research looking at the effectiveness of treating submerged and floating vegetation with herbicides. We want to know if the treatment is having any long-term effect on the extent of the vegetation. So far, the results show that vegetation is reduced when we treat it, but it comes back the following year.

I’m also looking at what kinds of habitats are easily treated and which are more difficult to treat. Remember that the Delta is a tidal environment. Every day the tides are coming in and out. So, when you treat vegetation with herbicides, it flows in and out with the tides. That makes it harder to treat the vegetation. This area of research is trying to figure out how to design a treatment program that is more effective than what we have currently.

What’s the best part of your job?

I love two aspects. First, I’m able to do cutting-edge research, which I enjoy. Second, there is a lot of multidisciplinary collaboration that happens in my job. The IEP is essentially a loosely connected group of scientists from nine agencies, so I get to work with scientists from many different backgrounds and we work on common problems.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?

Because there aren’t a lot of people in my field of research, it can be a challenge to keep up my skillset and be aware of new methods and data coming available in my field. I try to collaborate with other professors and colleagues from other agencies and campuses who are doing cutting edge research. By making connections across a wider landscape I’m able to keep up on my skills.

What advice would you give to a young person who’s interested in following your footsteps?

I tell students in my field to focus on a couple of things. First, coding experience is absolutely necessary. They should get comfortable with image processing platforms like Python and Google Earth Engine. They should be up to date on all the new languages and tools. Second, I tell them not to ignore their math and physics education. If you have a strong math curriculum then you understand the methods you’re using to a much deeper level, which means your research will be more powerful. Good research isn’t so much about available data because everyone has the data. It’s what you do with the data that makes your study powerful. To do good research in this field, you need to have a strong math and science core, and strong coding experience.

What would you like the public to know about invasive species?

Not everyone realizes how much an invasive species can harm an existing ecosystem. The very basic law of invasion ecology is that when a species didn’t evolve in an environment, and then arrives in that environment, the species doesn’t bring along pathogens or predators. So it arrives in this novel ecosystem and has left behind anything that harms it. This essentially releases the species from competition. It may not have spread in its native environment, but in the new environment it can spread. When invasive species spread rapidly, they can outcompete and outgrow native species. All the subsequent levels of the food web are impacted and the whole ecosystem can become vulnerable.

CDFW Photos