Ryan Foley
Walla Walla
Summary
At the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, I provided technical assistance to develop conservation plans tailored to diverse landowners. My work, underscored by critical thinking and natural resource management, has significantly contributed to implementing influential conservation efforts on the ground. I am seeking career advancement to further develop my skills.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Natural Resource Specialist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Walla Walla, WA
05.2024 - 02.2025
- Provided landowners/producers with natural resources conservation technical assistance using the 9-step conservation planning process.
- Assisted producers in applying for USDA-NRCS financial assistance to implement conservation practices on their land.
- Worked with a variety of producers including: large row crop farmers, small urban farmers, forest landowners, and specialty crop farmers; to develop conservation plans that are specific to their operation.
- Created detailed maps using Conservation Desktop, ArcGIS, Web Soil survey, Google Earth Pro, to evaluate soils, determine topography, and delineate practices on the specified land units.
Conservation Technician
Lapeer Conservation District
Lapeer, MI
08.2022 - 04.2024
- Provided landowners/producers with natural resources conservation technical assistance using the 9-step conservation planning process.
- Assisted producers in applying for USDA-NRCS financial assistance to implement conservation practices on their land.
- Managed the biannual native plant and tree sale.
- Organized field day workshops with local landowners, NRCS, and the conservation district.
- Managed the conservation district website, created outreach materials for landowners, and provided customer service to walk-ins.
Geophysicist
United States Geological Survey
Reston, VA
06.2021 - 03.2022
- Conducted research on North Bar Lake (Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI) to develop an overwash historical reconstruction that will be used to identify the validity
of coarse-grained deposition as a proxy for historical storm events. - Created summaries of similar studies done along the Great Lakes as supporting evidence. Gathered historical flooding data and census data for the Potomac River near D.C. using excel. Manipulated the data to create graphs and charts that are useful to the project.
- Created bathymetric change maps using historical sounding maps of the Potomac River in ArcGIS. Georeferenced the historical sounding maps and
digitized the data in ArcGIS for further analysis. - Learned how to work effectively individually with limited guidance from the supervisor.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Earth And Environmental Science
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI05-2021
Skills
- Conservation planning
- Critical thinking
- Ecosystem management
- Geospatial analysis
- Wildlife conservation
- Habitat restoration
- Problem-solving
- Excellent communication
Timeline
Natural Resource Specialist
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
05.2024 - 02.2025
Conservation Technician
Lapeer Conservation District
08.2022 - 04.2024
Geophysicist
United States Geological Survey
06.2021 - 03.2022
Bachelor of Science - Earth And Environmental Science
University of Michigan