By James Salazar | Examiner staff writer
2 hrs ago
Presidio Trust wildlife ecologist Phoebe Parker-Shames (left), wildlife technician Margarita Montenegro and biological science technician Rachel Suding work on habitat restoration near the intersection of Lake Street and Highway 1 in San Francisco on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
Wildlife ecologist Phoebe Parker-Shames has always been interested in nature, having spent her childhood in southwestern Oregon playing outside and collecting insects.
Parker-Shames has since turned that childhood pastime into a full-time career. She now leads the natural-resources team at the Presidio Trust, the federal agency that oversees the park’s operations and maintenance.
“I get to do a lot of different jobs as part of my job, and that keeps me engaged,” said Parker-Shames, who joined the Presidio Trust after completing a UC Berkeley postdoctoral program in environmental science.
Her team — a dedicated group of dozens of ecologists and habitat-restoration technicians — maintains the Presidio’s more than 600 acres of land and cares for the wildlife that lives there. It promotes biodiversity and habitat restoration within the national park by growing trees at the park nursery, reintroducing native wildlife through research programs, and restoring local wetlands near walking trails.
How a team of ecologists keeps the Presidio beautiful
Greg