Claire is OC Coastkeeper’s Marine Restoration Director and manages our restoration programs currently concentrating on Eelgrass (Zostera) and Olympia Oysters (Ostrea lurida), but is excited to do more to restore the health and function of Orange County coastal ecosystems. She grew up in San Pedro, CA and began tidepooling in Elementary School. She has always loved the coast, and that passion set her on the path to CSU Long Beach, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology. During her undergraduate studies, she spent a semester at the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Catalina Island, where she did algae research. Through that experience, she decided to pursue her Master of Science degree in Biology from Cal Poly Pomona where she conducted community composition and drivers in Costa Rican tidepools.
Prior to joining Coastkeeper, Claire volunteered at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (and is still a WhaleWatch Naturalist!) and has worked for the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe), and Laguna Ocean Foundation. She also has been a Coastkeeper Storm Water Monitor! She thinks every component of conservation is important: stopping negative human impact, restoration, mitigation, education, and beyond. In her free time, you can catch Claire snorkeling, free and SCUBA diving, hiking, playing with her dogs or cooking.
