Education

Master of Science, Environmental Science and Policy, GPA 3.65

University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, May 2008

Thesis: Movement patterns and water quality preferences of juvenile bull

sharks in a Florida estuary

Bachelor of Science, Marine Science

Texas A&M University at Galveston, December 2003

Professional Experience

California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Environmental Scientist, Range

C

Sacramento, CA, July 2013- Present

*Coordinate with public health agencies to establish cooperative response

protocols to address public health concerns, fisheries closures, and

trustee agencies on fisheries concerns

*Develop, coordinate, and facilitate protocols for historic and cultural

properties within the Incident Command Structure during oil spill response

*Assist in identification of resources at risk, determine site protection

strategies, evaluate oil spill trajectories, and develop tools and job aids

for pollution response preparedness

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Science Technician

Lodi, CA, December 2012- June 2013

*Conducted field investigations to estimate fish distribution and abundance

for long-term population monitoring and to aid in ESA-listed

species/habitat restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

*Used active sampling methods such as seines, trawls, acoustic telemetry,

and electrofishing to conduct fish surveys; collect water quality and other

habitat data using a variety of gear and methodologies

*Database management, quality control of data, develop queries, and

summarized fisheries data

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Fisheries Research Associate (term

position)

Richland, WA, March 2010- Feb 2012

*Assisted with study design and logistics of field investigations

*Field task leader for various projects examining fish movement and

behavior. Field work included electrofishing, transmitter insertion,

acoustic and radio telemetry tracking, collecting water quality data,

maintenance/installment of telemetry gear, seining/snorkel surveys, and

small boat handling

*Maintained radio telemetry stations at remote field sites including set-up

and programming, operation, data retrieval, and troubleshooting

*Database creation and management and statistical analysis using SPSS and

SigmaPlot

*Wrote reports based on study results and gave presentations to clients and

other professionals

Department of Environmental Protection, Environmental Specialist II

Tallahassee, FL, May 2008 - Feb 2010

*Issued field permits for minor activities seaward of the coastal

construction control line (CCCL)

*Monitored CCCL and Joint Coastal Permit activities to determine status and

compliance

*Assisted project contractors in understanding and meeting permit

requirements

*Conducted shoreline and beach inspections to detect unauthorized work and

violations

*Established/maintained relationships with governmental, non-governmental,

and private landowners

Southwest Florida Water Management District, Environmental Scientist Intern

(term position)

Brooksville, FL, May 2007 - May 2008

* Examined created wetlands and as-built mitigation sites to determine

creation success and compliance with permitted conditions; assisted with

wetland delineation

* Conducted extensive research and proposed resolutions to resolve

outstanding permit violations

* Prepared enforcement documents including letters, notices, and legal

files to address violations of the District's rules and orders

Mote Marine Laboratory, Center for Shark Research (term position)

Sarasota, FL, May 2006 - May 2007

* Conducted thesis research on movement patterns of juvenile bull sharks

using acoustic telemetry

* Gained experience with experimental design, long-line and rod and reel

fishing, small boat handling, GPS, fish tagging and manual tracking,

leading field crews, external and surgical implantation of radio and

acoustic transmitters/tags, statistics and data analysis

University of South Florida, Teaching Assistant (term position)

Tampa, FL, Aug 2005 - May 2007

* Instructed laboratory component of Introduction to Environmental Science

* Teaching assistant for Environmental policy, Environmental science, and

Florida ecosystems

Environmental Protection Agency, Gulf Ecology Division, (term position)

Gulf Breeze, FL, June - Aug 2005

* Provided technical support for research relating coral health indicators

to anthropogenic stressors

* Integration, validation, and preparation of large databases for

geospatial studies using GIS

* Identified, located, and prepared metadata from existing databases

Florida's Gulfarium, Animal Keeper

Fort Walton Beach, FL, Mar - Aug 2005

* Gave daily talks on penguin and sea otter life histories and behavior

* Fed, observed, engaged animals in enrichment activities, and documented

behavior and health

* Assisted with routine and emergency veterinary procedures and necropsies

* Performed daily water quality testing on animal exhibits

White Shark Trust, Research Assistant (term position)

Cape Town, South Africa, May - June 2003

* Assisted with field research testing the viability of photographic

identification on White sharks

* Monitored sharks, handled bait line, documented environmental variables,

shark behavior and distinguishing features

National Marine Fisheries Service, Biological Science Technician (term

position)

Galveston, TX, May - Sept 2002

* Sorted, enumerated, and identified benthic samples, primarily fish, crab,

shrimp, and nematodes

* Input of field data into databases and performed regular quality control

checks

* Assisted with lab and field work on various research projects as needed

Training

4X4 Vehicle Training 6/14

All-Terrain Vehicle Training 3/14

40-hr HAZWOPER, 1/14

Shoreline Cleanup and Assessment Technique, 11/13

Wilderness and Remote First Aid, 10/2013

First Responder Awareness/Operations, 8/13

Helicopter Wirestrike Awareness 8/13

PADI Open Water SCUBA Certification, 5/99

Activities/Awards

Two Outstanding Performance Awards, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

2011

ASLO Minority Program Travel Award, 2007

Mote/USF Collaborative Research Fellowship, 2006

Mickey Leland Environmental Research Internship, 2002

Presentations

American Fisheries Society, Seattle, WA, September 2011

American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Santa Fe, NM, February 2007

Publications

Heupel MR, Yeiser BG, Collins AB, Ortega LA, Simpfendorfer CA. 2010. Long-

term presence and movement patterns of juvenile bull sharks, Carcharhinus

leucas, in an estuarine river system. Marine and Freshwater Research 61:1-

10

Ortega LA, Heupel MR, van Beynen PE, Motta PJ. 2009. Movement patterns and

water quality preferences of juvenile bull sharks, Carcharhinus leucas, in

a Florida estuary. Environ Biol Fishes 84: 361-373

Ortega LA. 2008. Movement and distribution of juvenile bull sharks,

Carcharhinus leucas, in response to water quality and quantity

modifications in a Florida nursery. M.Sc. Thesis, University of South

Florida, Tampa, USA

References

Bonnie Irving

Southwest Florida Water Management District

2379 Broad St.

Brooksville, FL 34604

acevxf@r.postjobfree.com

813-***-****

Brian Bellgraph

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

902 Battelle Blvd

Richland, WA 99352

acevxf@r.postjobfree.com

509-***-****

Valerie Jones

Florida's Department of Environmental Protection

3900 Commonwealth Blvd M.S. 300

Tallahassee, FL 32399

acevxf@r.postjobfree.com

850-***-****

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