Eco Logic - Biographies

Eco Logic Staff
	Spencer Goehl, Principal Executive Director Spencer Goehl was one of the founding members of Eco Logic, LLC in 1999. He began his career in the green industry over 16 years ago as an I.S.A Certified Arborist. His initial love of native trees and shrubs has turned into a career installing and managing native plant communities. He has designed and managed numerous public works projects utilizing native plants as well as numerous government and private projects involving invasive plant management. Mr. Goehl played an instrumental role in guiding the ecological restoration of the Marian College Eco Lab's wetland and forest communities from 2002 to 2006. He has also worked closely with Indy Parks providing invasive plant management services for their forests, prairies, wetlands, and stream channels from 2002 to the present. Mr. Goehl is very focused on finding new and innovative ways to use native plants in the landscape and to control invasive plant species with the lightest footprint possible.
	Richard Ciasto, Principal Director of Operations In 1999, Richard Ciasto was one of three founding members of Eco Logic LLC. He studied at Indiana University in Bloomington. As Eco Logic's Director of Operations he is responsible for day to day project management, maintenance, and human resource management. He has provided project management for a variety of ecological restoration projects on many of Indiana's state dedicated nature preserves including dune and swale, oak savannah, wet prairie, and woodland habitats. His unique approach to large scale invasive species removal is accomplished with minimal disturbance to the native vegetation. This has allowed Eco Logic to provide their clients with cost effective management and control options to accomplish their restoration goals. His 16 years of experience operating a wide variety of equipment facilitates Eco Logic's successful completion of many challenging projects from large biomass removal (Baseline Barrens Nature Preserve in Washington County for the Indiana Department of Nature Preserves) to delicate stream bank stabilization(Crooked Creek in Indianapolis for Cold Spring School).
	Phillip Oser Ecological Restoration Supervisor Phil Oser has a strong background in ecological restoration and installing native plant communities. Phil holds a bachelor of science in Natural Resources from Indiana University. He gained experience in ecological restoration and native plant installation working for Nashville Natives in Tennessee. Phil managed restoration projects for park departments across Tennessee and also assisted with commercial native plant installation projects. He assisted the owner of Nashville Natives to produce pre-vegetated modular green roof systems for installation on residential and commercial buildings. While at Eco Logic, Phil has completed many wetland management projects including mitigations at Rumpke in Jackson County and for the Trails of Hayden Run subdivision in Zionsville. Phil has also directed the monitoring and maintenance of numerous INDOT wetland mitigation sites around the state of Indiana. He oversaw and completed the majority of a forestry mowing project to remove undesirable woody species over 150 acres at Kankakee Sands, a TNC property in Morocco, IN. Phil also supervises the invasive species management and prairie seeding that Indy Park contracts with Eco Logic. Phil's passion for the environment, strong organization skills, and attention to detail make him a superb project manager. Phil enjoys spending time with his wife at their home, where they are working to produce local food, with economical and efficient practices, that benefit the overall health of our ecosystems.
	Matt Fox Ecological Restoration Supervisor Matt Fox has acquired 10 years of experience working in the field of ecological restoration. Matt studied biology at the University of Northern Kentucky. He began his experience in 2001 as a crew leader with AmeriCorps working with the Santa Clara Open Space Authority in California. Here he helped organize efforts to monitor and manage invasive species such as French Broom and Pampas Grass. Matt then served as an Ecologist's Assistant for the California State Parks - Northern half of Big Sur. Here he attained a love for turnkey ecological restoration. His responsibilities at Big Sur included seed collection/propagation/planting, flora/fauna monitoring, and vegetation surveys for woodland restoration. Matt also executed various forms of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) from hand cutting to using a backpack sprayer to mechanized removal. After meeting his wife he transferred to the Monterey Bay district where he performed similar tasks that focused on dune restoration. In 2006, Matt and his wife moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he worked on the woodlands restoration crew for Olmsted Parks Conservancy as a Biological Technician. Here he was responsible for trail maintenance, vegetation surveys, and IPM. While at Eco Logic, Matt has served as project manager for several long term projects including a restoration project at the TNC property, Prairie Borders and several invasive species management projects at Hoosier National Forest. He also oversaw the DNR Kudzu eradication contract for the state of Indiana.
	Rachel Powers GIS Specialist/Restoration Ecologist As Eco Logic's GIS Specialist and Restoration Ecologist, Rachel is responsible for a number of projects that are interconnected with invasive species management, native plant installment, and environmental consulting services. Her duties include collecting GPS data on site and using GIS software to conduct analyses and create maps. For Eco Logic's long term invasive species treatment sites, Rachel compiles baseline and subsequent data to track treatment methods, areas treated, and species treated to improve the effectiveness of future management efforts. Past projects include the completion of a habitat communities map at McCloud Park in Hendricks County and an invasive species inventory and management plan for J. Frederick Hoffman Memorial Area in Tippecanoe County. While working at Eco Logic, Rachel has assisted in the completion of both stream and wetland monitoring projects. Rachel worked with Spencer to design several ecological restoration and mitigation plans. Rachel assisted in the completion of the wetland restoration/mitigation design on Indiana University campus in Bloomington, IN. She then oversaw and assisted with the installation and completion of this restoration project on IUB's campus. Rachel's strong background in ecology and natural resource management, as well as her knowledge of state of the art technology, enables her to combine today's technology with the best management practices in restoration ecology. She holds a master's in Environmental Science and a master's in Public Affairs from Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and a bachelor of science in Biology and Environmental Studies from Ohio Northern University.
	Natalie George Field Botanist A graduate of Berea College with a BS in Agriculture, Natalie has worked with native plants for 15 years. Her past experiences were predominately in landscaping and nursery management that emphasized modeling natural systems with native plants. Her work consisted of the installation and maintenance of native landscapes, invasive plant management in prairie plantings, seed collection, and crew supervision. Prior to moving to Bloomington, Indiana, Natalie was nursery manager at Shooting Star Nursery in Georgetown, Kentucky. Here she developed a solid base in native plant identification and cultivation skills. Natalie's ability to identify hundreds of species of native plants from seed to seedling to maturity makes her a valuable member of the Eco Logic team. She is capable of evaluating and determining the success of a seed installation as well as a plug planting. She is also an expert in distinguishing target species during the process of invasive plant removal. After joining the Eco Logic team, Natalie was instrumental in the completion of the wetland restoration project at Indiana University. Her plant identification skills have greatly contributed to quality invasive plant management on projects in the Hoosier National Forest as well as Kankakee Sands and Prairie Borders. Natalie has created a continuing education curriculum for Eco Logic employees to continuously improve their botany skills.
	Brad Weigel Ecological Restoration Supervisor Brad Weigel is a very talented member of the Eco Logic team. Brad has a bachelor of science in Natural Resources from Indiana University. He has extensive restoration experience that began with his work at The Nature Conservancy on the Kankakee Sands wetland-prairie restoration of over 7,000 acres. Brad also worked as an ecological restoration steward and stewardship manager for NICHES Land Trust where he focused on restoring the savannas of Northwest Indiana and provided environmental education opportunities for the public. Over his years at Eco Logic, Brad has completed a number of long term projects including: a two year project for the Division of Nature Preserves eradicating Reed Canary Grass, Phalaris arundinacea, from Suman Fen Nature Preserve in Porter County; a Kudzu, Pueraria montana var. lobata, eradication project that included over 30 individual sites in central and southern Indiana for the Department of Natural Resources; and an eradication project of several invasive species at the Naval Support Activity Crane in Crane, Indiana. Brad's botanical knowledge and bird identification are excellent and he always remains focused on the conservation goals of each project. Brad enjoys hiking, skiing, paddling, birding, and botanizing in his spare time.

Eco Logic Staff