Bio

Leona Svancara is the new assistant regional administrator of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Her research interests include assessing the effects of climate and landscape change on at-risk fish and wildlife species and their habitats and identifying and implementing conservation actions to address those effects.

Prior to joining USGS, Leona spent 17 years as a spatial ecologist with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), where she assessed the conservation and management needs of at-risk wildlife, incorporated those needs into agency planning and engaged diverse partners to identify and implement actions to reduce impacts and inform management decisions. She has represented IDFG on the NW CASC Advisory Committee since 2013.

Leona received both her doctorate in natural resources and master’s in wildlife sciences from the University of Idaho, as well as a bachelor’s in zoology and marine biology from Humboldt State University. She is an adjunct faculty member at University of Idaho. In her spare time, she can usually be found on horseback in the backcountry with family and friends.