Kara Garcia
OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE AND CREW LEAD
Kara Garcia brings a strong field-based background in ecological restoration, construction implementation, and crew leadership to AloTerra Restoration Services. Her connection to outdoor landscapes from an early age shaped her commitment to conservation-focused work and hands-on restoration practice. This foundation, combined with formal education and field experience, has developed into a career dedicated to building resilient natural systems through practical, on-the-ground implementation.
Kara began developing her restoration skillset through volunteer and academic field programs, including work with Wildland Restoration Volunteers, where she participated in native seed collection, wildlife fencing construction, alpine revegetation, and erosion control projects. She also completed research on Hydraulic Conductivity Across Elevation Gradients within Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory and Niwot Ridge LTER sites, contributing data to watershed and snowmelt modeling efforts. These early experiences established technical field competence, comfort in remote work environments, and a strong safety-oriented mindset.
Since joining AloTerra in 2022, Kara has advanced into a crew leadership, equipment operator, and Operations Associate role. She holds a CDL and regularly operates heavy equipment in support of earthmoving, site preparation, stream restoration, and revegetation efforts. In her leadership role, Kara manages field crews, coordinates daily construction activities, implements restoration plans, and ensures quality control and safety compliance across diverse project sites.
Kara has worked on and led a variety of restoration projects throughout Colorado, including native seeding and revegetation at Jackson Lake for Colorado Parks and Wildlife; engineered log jam construction on the South Fork of the Cache la Poudre River in Pingree Park in collaboration with FlyWater, Ayres, Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed (CPRW); and post-fire watershed restoration as a sawyer on projects partnering with Ayres, CPRW, and the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition. Her experience spans riparian restoration, forestry operations, erosion control, planting, seeding, and low-tech process-based stream restoration.
Kara’s combination of ecological field experience, construction capability, and crew leadership supports AloTerra’s ability to deliver complex restoration projects safely, efficiently, and to a high standard of ecological performance.
