Natural Channel Design, Inc - Employees

Tom Moody, P.E. ( tom@naturalchanneldesign.com )  Tom is a civil engineer licensed in Arizona and Utah and principal in Natural Channel Design, Inc. Tom has performed stream assessments and restoration designs for perennial and ephemeral channels in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. He has conducted research on stream systems and watershed science in the arid regions of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Alaska. He has conducted workshops on the geomorphic approach to natural channel design and soil bioengineering. He is an Arizona native and has spent the past 30 summers on the rivers of southeast Alaska.

Stephanie Yard, P.E. ( stephanie@naturalchanneldesign.com )  Stephanie is a civil engineer licensed in Arizona and Alaska and principal in Natural Channel Design, Inc. She served 12 years as a civil engineer with the Natural Resources Conservation Service practicing natural resource engineering across northern Arizona and southern Utah. She provided engineering assistance and training to twelve field offices in the design of ponds, pipelines, structures, irrigation systems, waste systems, flood control, and erosion control. She designs riparian restoration practices. Ms. Yard is a native of Flagstaff Arizona and spends a portion of each year working in Southeast Alaska.

Mark Wirtanen ( mark@naturalchanneldesign.com )  Mark is a riparian biologist and engineering technician for Natural Channel Design. Prior to working at NCD, Mark was employed  for 8 years at the U.S. Forest Service as a Biologist. Since then, Mark has served as a field biologist and manager for riparian and geomorphic studies of the rivers of the arid southwest. He has a degree in wildlife biology and broad knowledge of field methods as well as digital terrain software and CAD systems. He has completed workshops in natural channel inventory, classification, and assessment from David Rosgen at Wildland Hydrology. He has conducted training workshops utilizing the geomorphic approach and makes his home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Elizabeth Ruther  (liz@naturalchanneldesign.com )  Liz is a wildlife biologist with several years experience in arid ecosystems of the southwest and human interactions with them. She received a B.S. in Biology and B.A. in Environmental Studies from University of Minnesota-Duluth.  Her passion for understanding interdisciplinary environmental issues led her to Northern Arizona University where she studied the human dimensions of wildlife management and completed her M.S. in Environmental Science and Policy in May 2005. In the process, she fell in love with riparian ecosystems of the Southwest.

George Allen Haden ( allen@naturalchanneldesign.com )  Allen is an aquatic ecologist and project associate for Natural Channel Design.  He has been involved in research and management of human impacts on river ecosystems in the southwest for over 15 years.  His major interest is the interaction of habitat changes and nonnative species on native aquatic insects and fish.  He has a broad understanding of the field of aquatic ecology and its applications to management of ecosystems which house threatened and endangered species.  He has expertise in sampling and statistical techniques for monitoring biological and physical aspects of riparian/aquatic habitats, as well as an understanding of life history requirements and threats to southwestern native species.  He has direct experience with restoration of physical and biotic components of southwestern streams stemming from long-term involvement in the restoration of Fossil Creek, Arizona. He received a B.S. in Forestry and Wildlife from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, a M.S. in Biology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and is currently a doctoral student at Northern Arizona University.

Patrick Phillips ( pat@naturalchanneldesign.com ) Pat is a project associate and field manager for Natural Channel Design and has 15 years of river guiding experience in the southwest. He received a B.S. in Political Science at Arizona State University and an M.L.S. in Riparian Ecology at Northern Arizona University.