Our Team

Rachel Bennett

Rachel earned her B.S. degree in wildlife conservation and applied vertebrate ecology from Humboldt State University. Ms. Bennett has a strong interest in fisheries and large river ecology which led her to spend 8 months conducting field work on the Lower American River for spawner escapement and juvenile emigration surveys for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) where she gained experience habitat assessments, scale sampling, juvenile fish ID and rotary screw trap operation and maintenance. Upon graduating, Rachel spent two years working on the CDFW’s Nerodia eradication project, which aimed to eliminate invasive northern and southern watersnakes (Nerodia sipeon & N. fasciata) from Sutter and Sacramento counties. Rachel also served as the data manager for CDFW’s quagga/zebra mussel program that tracked watercraft entering California to limit the spread of invasive mussels.

In her current role as a staff biologist, Rachel works with state and federally endangered Giant garter snakes throughout the California Central Valley. She works with this species conducting presence/absence surveys, population monitoring, construction monitoring and eDNA sampling. In addition to GGS work, Rachel has also has experience Northwestern pond turtle surveys for Beale Air Force Base, plant surveys for Valley Elderberry, pre-construction surveys for central valley sensitive species (GGS, Swainson’s Hawk, Burrowing Owl). This position has allowed Ms. Bennett the opportunity to become well-versed in sensitive species safety and handling practices.

Evan Griffiths

Evan Griffiths is a Staff Biologist with an interest in wetland ecology and water issues. His experience includes biological monitoring and surveys, geographic information systems (GIS), and land management implementation. He received is B.S. in Mathematics from California State University, Long Beach in 2015 and earned a certificate in FieldEcology shortly thereafter. Evan has experience with a variety of threatened and endangered species including California Tiger Salamander, vernal pool crustaceans, and Giant Gartersnakes. He has worked with government agencies (USACE, USFWS, CDFW), private firms and developers, and non-profit organizations Evan’s focus is on helping clients their project needs while ensuring responsible management of environmental and biological resources.

Prior to joining Hansen Biological Consulting, Evan held the position of Land Stewardship Director with a local land trust, the Sacramento Valley Conservancy, where he was responsible for the management, mapping, and biological monitoring of over 17,000 acres of land. He was awarded an ESRI Conservation Grant to create and implement a GIS unit within the conservancy for land analysis and cartographic mapping. He also worked as a Vernal Pool Field Guide with Sacramento Splash, teaching students and the public about California’s unique vernal pools and native grasslands. His love of wild landscapes and preserving natural resources for all is what drew him to his career.