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Lance Arvidson
President
Lance Arvidson is a community ecologist and the founder and president of Common Ground Ecology. He has built the company to prioritize the design and implementation of practical conservation and management efforts for native ecosystems and wildlife populations. By focusing on adaptive approaches that meet the needs of private landowners and enhance the capabilities of government agencies, he has helped protect hundreds of thousands of acres of private land across Florida while documenting numerous new imperiled species occurrences, including entire unknown subpopulations, on private lands. He is an FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent and has certified hundreds of agents while teaching the Gopher Tortoise Authorized Agent training course for over 15 years. He holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kansas.
Nikki Yetke
Conservation Ecologist
Nikki is a conservation ecologist specializing in herpetology and wetland systems. At Common Ground Ecology she assists in conservation lands acquisition and conservation of rare and imperiled species and their habitats. Nikki was born and raised outside of New Haven, Connecticut. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology from Boston University and her Master’s degree in Biology from the University of Florida. Her master's thesis focused on the role of alligators in seasonal wetlands. In addition, Nikki has an extensive background in animal husbandry, fire ecology, and field research for wildlife and herpetology labs.
Catie Welch
Director
Catie Welch is a senior ecologist specializing in project management and development, ecological surveys, land use assessments, and GIS analysis. Catie grew up in Florida and received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Florida Atlantic University and her Master’s degree in Forest Resources with a focus on Wildlife Sciences at the University of Georgia. Her master’s thesis focused on white ibises’ spatial use of urban parks in South Florida and their role in pathogen transmission across the natural-urban land cover gradient. Her post-graduation work involved working alongside the USDA on a study of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) across Kenya for three years where she planned, organized, and executed field sampling visits, laboratory and data analysis, and report writing. Most recently, she ran the natural resource management program at the 58,000-acre Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park. This program included imperiled species management, invasive plant species management, and assisting with grant development for the fire management program.
Alan Rivero
Conservation Ecologist
Alan Rivero is a conservation ecologist specializing in herpetological communities that inhabit peninsular Florida, particularly rare and imperiled reptiles, including the gopher tortoise. Alan is a central Florida native with a unique understanding of Florida’s ecosystems. He has spent over a decade investigating herpetological communities, assessing impacts of human development on the natural landscape, and helping developers and landowners navigate FWC’s Gopher Tortoise Guidelines. Alan is also a Prescribed Burn Manager and has worked closely with the beef industry in Central Florida, providing ecologically-sound land management while catering to the unique needs and goals of Florida’s ranching operations. As a licensed UAV pilot, he acts as a field staff multiplier, implementing drone recon and wildlife surveys in difficult to reach areas within large properties on which we work.
Fabby Baeza-Tarin
Senior Conservation Ecologist
Fabiola “Fabby” Baeza-Tarin is a conservation ecologist specializing in the acquisition of conservation lands and conservation of rare and imperiled species. Fabby was born and raised in the border town of Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico at her family’s cattle ranch. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Master’s degree in Range and Wildlife Management from Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. For her master’s thesis, she worked under Borderlands Research Institute to investigate overwinter habitat requirements of two grassland bird specialists that have experienced steep population declines, Baird’s Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow on a ranch in Marfa, Texas. Upon graduation, she moved to Florida where she worked as a Research Assistant in the Avian Ecology Program at Archbold Biological Station overseeing a population of the critically endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow at the DeLuca Preserve before joining Common Ground Ecology.
Derek LaFlamme
Conservation Ecologist
An Army war veteran originally from Rhode Island, Derek LaFlamme is a conservation ecologist with a passion for all things avian. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geography from Central Connecticut State University, and his background ranges from managing seabird colonies in New England, to monitoring wading bird colonies and studying python and alligator behaviors in the Everglades, to land management in Central Florida habitats. Having been an environmental consultant for multiple companies in recent years, he came to Common Ground Ecology because it offered a unique opportunity to utilize his skills while maintaining a conservation-oriented mindset. As a certified FWC Gopher Tortoise Agent, prescribed burn manager, and mechanic, Derek brings a wide range of relevant experience and knowledge to a team that is dedicated to the preservation and betterment of Florida’s natural landscapes.
Jake Gerardi
Ecologist
Jake Gerardi is a conservation ecologist with a strong interest in avian ecology. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental and Conservation Biology from Furman University, where he spent time studying how agricultural management practices affect songbird occupancy in South Carolina. Upon graduating, Jake worked as a technician for the Rangeland Wildlife Ecology Lab at The University of Florida where he monitored various forms of wildlife throughout the Florida Wildlife Corridor. Most recently, he served as a Biological Scientist at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, assisting with the monitoring and protection of the critically endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow.
Our Team
We work throughout Florida to locate endangered species and their habitats within a vast 65,000 square mile area of diverse land cover. We then collaborate with landowners to conserve and manage their properties in support of these species. We help landowners and government agencies develop and implement ecological management strategies that balance the needs of wildlife and natural landscapes with land use demands. Our approach utilizes practical, science-based tools to survey and manage land, protecting Florida's landscapes, native wildlife, and the communities that rely on these ecosystems.