Meet our team
Patrick Kobernus
Lead Biologist / Principal
Patrick Kobernus is the owner of Coast Ridge Ecology and has over 28 years of experience as a professional wildlife biologist. He manages a staff of 10 biologists and environmental specialists. As project manager and lead biologist, Mr. Kobernus is experienced with conducting biological assessments, special status species surveys, ecological studies, and biological monitoring for small and large-scale projects. Mr. Kobernus is well versed in regulatory agency permitting required for compliance with CEQA, NEPA, California Fish and Wildlife Code, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Clean Water Act, and other applicable laws and regulations. Mr. Kobernus has worked extensively with many special-status wildlife species, including the California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, California tiger salamander, western pond turtle, peregrine falcon, mission blue butterfly, callippe silverspot butterfly, San Bruno elfin butterfly, Central California Coast steelhead, Townsend’s big-eared bat, and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, among others. He has extensive experience conducting nesting bird surveys and emergence/acoustic surveys for roosting bats. He is also experienced with the native flora of the San Francisco Bay Area region, as well as with many rare plant species. Mr. Kobernus holds a USFWS 10(a)(1)(A) Recovery Permit for the San Francisco garter snake, California tiger salamander, and California red-legged frog.
Suk–Ann Yee
Senior Biologist
Suk-Ann Yee is an experienced biologist with a range of field experience in a variety of ecosystems in California. She first joined Coast Ridge Ecology in 2011 as a Specialty Environmental Monitor on large-scale construction projects for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. She currently manages multi-year long-term restoration projects located within the Alameda and Peninsula Watersheds. She is well versed with the CEQA regulatory process and has prepared biological assessments, wetland delineations, and facilitated permit applications for various private and public sector clients. Ms. Yee is a practiced avian biologist who has extensive experience surveying for bird nests and has monitored the nests of over 80 different terrestrial bird species throughout California. She has worked extensively with special-status plant and animal species throughout the bay area and holds a 10(a)(1)(A) recovery permit for the California red-legged frog.
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Ranit Cohen
Associate Biologist III
Ranit Cohen is a wildlife biologist in the San Francisco Bay Area, specializing in insect ecology. Holding an M.S. degree in Entomology, Ms. Cohen has participated in special status butterfly projects in the Bay Area including population surveys and monitoring for the federally endangered Mission blue butterfly and Callippe silverspot butterfly, larval counts for the federally endangered San Bruno elfin butterfly, and habitat restoration for the federally threatened bay checkerspot butterfly. Ms. Cohen has conducted surveys for nesting birds and roosting bats including raptor disturbance nest monitoring, and shorebird (Caspian tern) colony monitoring. Ms. Cohen is experienced in construction monitoring. and special status species surveys including the California red-legged frog, Central Coast steelhead, San Francisco garter snake, and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat and woodrat midden relocation. Ms. Cohen is familiar with CEQA/NEPA regulatory requirements and documents.
Gregory Pfau
Senior Biologist
Greg Pfau is a wildlife biologist with a variety of experience in construction monitoring and biological surveys in California ecosystems. Mr. Pfau has worked extensively on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) Peninsula Region Projects as a Specialty Environmental Monitor. Mr. Pfau currently leads the ongoing Mission blue butterfly and San Bruno elfin butterfly monitoring program on the Peninsula watershed for the SFPUC where he performs egg, larval, and adult surveys throughout the watershed from February through July each year (2017-present). Mr. Pfau has worked with special-status species including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, California tiger salamander, western pond turtle, Mission blue butterfly, San Bruno elfin butterfly, spadefoot toad, Townsend’s big-eared bat, and San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat.
He is experienced with conducting nesting bird surveys and emergence/acoustic surveys for roosting bats.
Sam Scott
Associate Biologist II
Sam Scott is an experienced wildlife biologist and environmental monitor and has worked for Coast Ridge Ecology since 2011. Mr. Scott has extensive project and field experience with a variety of local, special-status wildlife species including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, California tiger salamander, San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, snowy plover, mission blue butterfly, and western pond turtle, among others. He is a seasoned avian biologist who has conducted nesting bird surveys all over the Western U.S. on many large-scale municipal, energy, and restoration projects. Mr. Scott is an experienced biological monitor and has served as the Qualified Biologist/ Biological Monitor on several construction projects in the western U.S.
Alyssa Olenberg-Meltzer
Associate Biologist II
Alyssa Olenberg-Meltzer is an experienced wildlife biologist working at Coast Ridge Ecology since 2018. Before joining CRE, her work focused on avian biology, surveying for special-status species such as spotted owl, Ridgway’s rail, burrowing owl, and willow flycatcher; as well as conducting nesting bird surveys all over the Western US. She also gained experience monitoring marine mammals in Northern California, including Pacific harbor seal, northern elephant seal, and California sea lion. At CRE, Ms. Olenberg-Meltzer has gained extensive project and field experience with special-status wildlife species including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, Mission blue butterfly, and San Bruno elfin butterfly, among others. She is well versed with the CEQA/NEPA regulatory process and has prepared biological assessments and assisted with preparing permitting and regulatory documentation for various private and public sector clients, has conducted eelgrass delineations, and managed post-construction habitat restoration projects.
Liza Kachko
Associate Biologist
Liza Kachko is an experienced field botanist/biologist in Northern California and has 15 years of experience with botany, plant identification, invasive species removal, seed collection, California native plant propagation, and habitat restoration. Ms. Kachko hold an MSc in Ethnobotany. She is experienced with conducting nesting bird surveys and identifying and mapping habitat for the federally endangered Mission blue butterfly. Ms. Kachko has experience with construction monitoring and monitoring special-status wildlife species including California red-legged frog, San Francisco garter snake, San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat, Mission blue butterfly, and San Bruno elfin butterfly.
Isa Rosario-Martinez
Associate Biologist
Isa Rosario-Martinez is a field biologist based in San Francisco Bay Area and has been with Coast Ridge Ecology since 2022. Ms. Rosario-Martinez has extensive experience with habitat restoration for state and federal-listed species such as the mission blue butterfly, California red-legged frog, and coast yellow leptosiphon. She has also participated in population monitoring for federally endangered San Bruno elfin, Callippe silverspot, and federally threatened marbled murrelet. She is experienced with surveying for special status species as well as biological monitoring for construction projects. She is familiar with the State and Federal Endangered Species Acts, CEQA, and NEPA.