EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Master of Science: Conservation Biology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 2003. Thesis: “Phenotypic plasticity in the threatened plant Lupinus perennis : does population size matter?”

Bachelor of Science: Ecology and Evolution, University of Pittsburgh, 1998.

Certified Ecologist, Ecological Society of America.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Conservation Planning Manager (2017 ‐ present)
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), Pittsburgh, PA, 15222

  • Coordinate ecological planning and outreach aspects of the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

  • Serve as lead researcher and writer for Natural Heritage Inventories, including data documentation for planning, managing and special projects, and developing and implementing program standards and methodology

  • Work with planners and other consultants on integrating heritage program information into greenway, comprehensive, trail, and other plans

  • Conduct assessments of rare, threatened and endangered species for the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP)

  • Map and review element occurrence records of species

Adjunct Professor (2018 - 2018)
Department of Geology and Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

  • Taught GEOL 1445/2449 Intro to GIS, GPS, and Computer Methods
    Summer 2018 Term

Conservation Planning Coordinator (2010 ‐ 2016)
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), Pittsburgh, PA, 15222

  • Coordinate ecological planning and outreach aspects of the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

  • Serve as lead researcher and writer for Natural Heritage Inventories, including data documentation for planning, managing and special projects, and developing and implementing program standards and methodology

  • Work with planners and other consultants on integrating heritage program information into greenway, comprehensive, trail, and other plans

  • Conduct assessments of rare, threatened and endangered species for the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP)

  • Map and review element occurrence records of species

Ecologist/Conservation Planner (2005 – 2010)
Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC), Pittsburgh, PA, 15222

  • Mapped and reviewed element occurrence records of species

  • Lead researcher on three County Natural Heritage Inventories‐‐created field based

  • inventory reports outlining rare, threatened and endangered species for each county in Pennsylvania.

  • Conducted assessments of rare, threatened and endangered species for the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP)

Ecologist (2003 ‐ 2005)
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA

  • Conducted ecological restoration work and planning in Pittsburgh’s four regional parks.

  • Developed GIS for park management

  • Coordinated invasive species management

  • Provided support for the Urban EcoStewards program.

Adjunct Professor. Landscape Architecture (2003‐ 2010)
Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA

  • Developed and taught classes in Landscape Ecology, Field Ecology, Wetlands Ecology, and Principles of Sustainability

  • Served as an advisor on graduate student committees

  • Participated in development of the program’s strategic plan

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

  • Field Work ‐ Plant identification, inventory and monitoring; familiarity with plant taxonomy, natural communities, and ecosystems of the Northeastern United States.

  • Experienced in site assessment and inventory.

  • Data Analysis and Mapping ‐ Geographic Information Systems including vector and raster data analysis and presentation. Knowledge of Python programming.

  • Experience in statistical analysis (including R and other software packages).

  • Species distribution modeling (Maximum Entropy/Random Forests).

  • Leadership and Management: Multilevel communication, team management and mentoring; program and project management. Experienced in writing and securing research and project grants. Train and support staff in GIS/data infrastructure/data analysis/mapping/fieldwork.

  • Software: Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and ESRI software.

PNHP Field Work (2005‐present)

  • Have conducted over 650 field surveys for Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program to identify rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals

  • Experienced in vegetation plot sampling for both monitoring and classification

  • Additional work in water quality sampling, freshwater mussel sampling and invertebrate sampling.

Natural Heritage Areas (2005‐present)

  • Maintain a geodatabase of ~3900 Natural Heritage Areas (sites containing one or more rare species) for Pennsylvania.

  • Develop methodology to represent species habitat requirements spatially for use in planning and decision making.

  • Conduct outreach and provide technical support for users of the data

Species Distribution Modeling (2012‐present)

  • Developed models of the distribution of 10 species of freshwater mussels in the Susquehanna River basin of New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland

  • Completed distribution modeling of 23 animal Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Pennsylvania for the support of the State Wildlife Action Plan update.

  • Currently participating in the development of distribution models for 10 Federally Threatened/Endangered species in USFWS Region 5 (14 northeast states) in conjunction with the New York and Virginia Natural Heritage Programs; primary roles in the project is the creation of environmental data as well as the preparation of species data in the Pennsylvania portion of their ranges

Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA), a project of the IUCN Species Survival Commission
(2012‐present)

  • Participated in the development of the methodology to identify sites of globally significant biodiversity at the “Criteria and Delineation Workshop” (Front Royal, VA, 2012), and followup work

  • Participated in the development of a Case Study publication to look at end‐users of the methodology ( https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/44911 )

  • Assisted in the formation of the KBA working group through the NatureServe Network to encourage the implementation of the KBA methodology in the US.

Pennsylvania State Wildlife Action Plan (2014‐present)

  • Authored Habitat Chapter for the 2015 Update

  • Developed species‐habitat relationships for use throughout the plan

  • Provided landscape analysis and other data for the plan

  • Currently developing the Conservation Opportunity Areas project, a spatially‐explicit decision support system for conservation actions for species of greatest conservation need

Climate Change (2014‐present)

  • Developing an analysis examining the conservation needs for peripheral plant species in Pennsylvania, including potential range shifts under climate change

  • Development of an analysis of important geophysical settings for climate change resilience in Pennsylvania.

Regional Conservation Opportunity Areas (2015‐present)

  • Currently representing Pennsylvania on Regional Conservation Opportunity Area project headed up by the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative.

  • Serving the on the ‘Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their habitats’ committee

  • Developed methodology to link habitats to species and prioritize habitats on their importance

 

SELECTED PROJECTS

Noss, R.F., Cartwright, J.M., Estes, D., Witsell, T., Elliott, G., Adams, D., Albrecht, M., Boyles, R., Comer, P., Doffitt, C., Hill, J., Hunter, W., Knapp, W., Marshall, M., Singhurst, J., Tracey, C., Walck, J., and Weakley, A. 2021. Improving species status assessments under the US endangered species act and implications for multispecies conservation challenges worldwide. Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.137772021.

Noss, R.F., Cartwright, J.M., Estes, D., Witsell, T., Elliott, K.G., Adams, D.S., Albrecht, M.A., Boyles, R., Comer, P.J., Doffitt, C., Faber-Langdoen, D., Hill, J.G., Hunter, W.C., Knapp, W.M., Marshall, M., Pyne, M., Singhurst, J.R., Tracey, C., Walck, J.L., and Weakley, A., 2021, Science needs of southeastern grassland species of conservation concern—A framework for species status assessments: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1047, 58 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211047.

Selfridge, J., B. Leppo, S. Olcott, R. Somes, C. Tracey, and P. Woods. 2018. Conservation and Management of Rare Wetland Butterflies: Strategies for Monitoring, Modeling and Wetland Enhancement in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Final report for Regional Conservation Needs Grant 2015-02 to the Wildlife Management Institute.

Chazal, A. C., T.G. Howard, K. Hazler, R. Gilb, A. Conley, and C. Tracey. 2017. Species Distribution Modeling of Threatened and Endangered Species throughout Region 5. Natural Heritage Technical Report 17-12. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond VA. 30 pages plus appendices.

Schuette S, Tracey C. 2017. An Updated List of Bryophytes from Erie County, Pennsylvania. Evansia 34:40-53. https://doi.org/10.1639/0747-9859-34.2.40

Tracey,C. 2015. Chapter 2: Habitats. In: C. Haffner and D. Day, editors. 2015. Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan, 2015‐2025 . Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Harrisburg, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2015. Chester County Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Bain, D. J., E. M. Copeland, M. T. Divers, M. Hecht, K. G. Hopkins, J. Hynicka, M. Koryak, M. Kostalos, L. Brown, E. M. Elliott, J. Fedor, M. Gregorich, B. Porter, B. Smith, C. Tracey, and M. Zak. 2014. Characterizing a Major Urban Stream Restoration Project: Nine Mile Run (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA). Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 50:1608‐1621. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12225

Pashek Associates. 2014. Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area Management Plan . Technical report to the Allegheny Land Trust. Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2014. Beaver County Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2014. Berks County Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2013. Lehigh Valley greenways conservation implementation plan: prioritizing parcels for biodiversity and natural resource conservation . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Pittsburgh, PA. 100pp.

Meyer, E., C. Tracey and M. Walsh. 2013. Mussel Community Assessment in the Lower Susquehanna River Basin, Final report to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, State Wildlife Grant, T2‐5‐R‐1 Project, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2013. Lehigh‐Northampton Counties Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2013. A Pre‐Planning Approach To Identifying Conflicts with High‐Priority Transportation Projects in the Lehigh Valley. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Pittsburgh, PA. 43pp.

Tracey, C. and P.G. Woods. 2012. A new native plant for Pennsylvania, Equisetum scirpoides Michx.(Equisetaceae). Rhodora 114:406‐408.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2012. Erie County Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Tracey, C., J. Bullock, L. Sneddon, S. Gawler, J. Wilkinson, T. Bernstein, M. Cheatum, R. Kihslinger. 2012. Development of Model Guidelines for Assisting Local Planning Boards with Conservation of Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their Key Habitats through Local Land Use Planning. NatureServe, Boston, MA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2011. Butler County Natural Heritage Inventory Update . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Tracey, C. J. Wagner, and J. McPherson. 2011. Implementation Plans for Conservation
Greenways: A Case Study for Bedford and Fulton Counties . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Pittsburgh, PA.

Johnson, N., T. Gagnolet, R. Ralls, E. Zimmerman, B. Eichelberger, C. Tracey, G. Kreitler, S. Orndorff, J. Tomlinson, S. Bearer, and S. Sargent. 2010. Pennsylvania Energy Impacts Assessment . The Nature Conservancy, Harrisburg, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2011. Jefferson County Natural Heritage Inventory. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2011. Indiana County Natural Heritage Inventory.  Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Tracey, C. 2010. Identifying Conservation Opportunity Areas and Assessing Future Land Use Patterns for Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their Habitats . Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2009. Fulton County Natural Heritage Inventory. Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program/Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Waggoner, C., K. Keller, and C. Tracey. 2003. Exploring Biodiversity . Proceedings of the 24th Workshop/Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). Las Vegas, NV.

Poore, R. Z., R.S. Williams Jr, and C. Tracey. 2000. Sea level and climate. US Geological Survey Factsheet 02‐001.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND REPORTS

Haffner, C., Day, D., and Tracey, C. Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan Conservation Opportunity Area Tool. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Natural Areas Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

Tracey. C. 2019. Conservation and Management of Rare Wetland Butterflies: Strategies for Modeling and Habitat Enhancement. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Natural Areas Association, Pittsburgh, PA.

Tracey, C. 2015. Conserving Species at Their Range Edge: The Value of Peripheral
Populations. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Natural Areas Association, Little Rock, AR.

Tracey, C., L. Honey, and A. Cuttelod. 2015. Key Biodiversity Areas: Methodology, Databases and Decisions. Paper presented at the annual conference of the NatureServe Network, Traverse City, MI.

Tracey, C., N. Cox, J. Bulluck, and D. Anderson. 2013. Development & Consolidation of Standards for the Identification of Sites of Biodiversity Significance. Paper presented at the annual conference of the NatureServe Network, Baltimore, MD.

Tracey, C. 2012. Identifying Conservation Opportunity Areas for Species of Greatest
Conservation Needs. Paper presented at the annual conference of the NatureServe
Network, Portland, OR.

Tracey, C. 2012. Sites of Biodiversity Significance in Pennsylvania. Paper presented at the annual conference of the NatureServe Network, Portland, OR.

Tracey, C., D. Yeany, and E. Zimmerman. 2012. Paper presented at the Pennsylvania State University Goddard Forum: Oil and Gas Impacts on Forest Ecosystems: Research and Management Challenges. State College, PA.

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

  • Member, Ecological Society of America.

  • NatureServe Leadership Training ‐ April 2013 ‐ April 2014

  • Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership ‐ Biodiversity Plan committee chair ‐ 2013‐ 2015; member ‐ 2011 ‐ present

  • Nine Mile Run Watershed Association Monitoring Committee Member ‐ 2006 ‐ present

  • Pittsburgh Montessori K‐5 Volunteer ‐ 2013 ‐ present

  • Touchstone Center for Crafts, Vice‐President, Board of Directors ‐ November 2009 – June 2015

  • Mid Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council ‐ Board Member 2006‐2008

LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT