Cathy originally comes
from Canada, where she grew up and went to school in Calgary,
Alberta. After finishing her B.S. in Zoology and M.S. in
Behavioral Ecology at the University of Calgary, she worked on a
variety of wildlife management jobs in California and Arizona.
Because of habitat quality issues underlying many wildlife
management projects, plant ecology and conservation became an
important element in her work, and today most of her focus in
researching or enjoying natural systems centers on plants,
including the striking relationships between geology, botany, and
plant ecology that are so prominent in California. She brings her
skills and interests to the position of Director of the University
of California’s Donald and Sylvia McLaughlin Natural Reserve (a
position which she splits with her husband, Paul Aigner) where she
has worked since Sept 2002. She is looking forward to applying
her understanding of ecological systems to the job of Executive
Director of the Lake County Land Trust.
In addition to her
love of science and natural history, Cathy has reached out to the
general public as well as school children to help foster an
understanding and love of science and nature. She served as community
outreach manager at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, a botanic garden
dedicated to California native plants, and has developed outreach
programs at the McLaughlin Reserve. She has also worked with a team
of educators from Lake County and Sonoma State University to provide
science curriculum workshops for grade 4-6 teachers in Lake County.
Cathy also understands the need to work across fence-lines and
political boundaries when addressing land stewardship or conservation
issues. She and Paul represent the McLaughlin Reserve, a partner in
the Blue Ridge Berryessa Conservation Partnership, since their arrival
at McLaughlin and Cathy has served as the partnership’s Chair since
summer 2009. For invasive species management or restoration projects,
she and Paul have worked closely with private and agency landowners on
adjacent lands to ensure that management and conservation activities
are successful, being based on biological and ecological processes
instead of arbitrary boundaries.
