Building Habitat for Wildlife Across Stanislaus County

By: Gabriela Cervantes, Director of Restoration

Our restoration team works to establish and enhance habitat for native wildlife through native plant restoration on local private and public lands. With grant funding awarded by the Wildlife Conservation Board, the team implements California native plants to create resilient habitats for a variety of pollinators and beneficial insects throughout farms, schools, and parks in Stanislaus County. The department also works closely with partners on salmonid restoration projects that aim to improve habitat and provide young salmon with the resources they need during critical stages of their life cycle.

Meet the team:

Gabriela Cervantes, Director of Restoration– Gabriela has spent nearly three years with ESRCD, her first job in the field after earning a degree in biological sciences with a concentration in ecology from CSU Stanislaus. She has worked across the conservation and restoration department and says her favorite part of the job is contributing to projects that make a real difference for the environment, alongside strong partners and landowners. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring new brunch spots out of town and spending time with family.

Madison Taylor, Restoration Project Manager – Madison interned with ESRCD in 2025 and 2026 before joining full-time in March. Her interest in agriculture grew out of two years studying Pierce’s Disease in grapes at a UC Davis plant pathology lab, along with family stories from her grandmother, who grew up on a dairy farm. Madison recently ran the SLEWS internship program and is now transitioning into her Restoration Project Manager role while providing support to the Conservation Department. In her free time, she likes reading, visiting local coffee shops and bookstores, and playing tennis with friends.

Gonzalo Garcia, Project Lead – Gonzalo holds degrees in soil science, fruit and crop science, and environmental horticulture, along with a Carbon Farm Planner certification. Before joining ESRCD, he managed an elementary school’s organic farm and worked in his college’s nursery and orchard programs. He led the redesign of the native plant garden at the SOILS Education Center and says his favorite part of the job is the genuine support from ESRCD’s directors and staff, along with the variety of work, from outreach events with farmers and ranchers to hands-on restoration projects. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, fishing, biking, and applying regenerative farming practices like cover cropping and rotational grazing in his own garden.