Hardisty is the Preserve Manager for Rana Creek Preserve, the largest piece of open space in Monterey County, California. She has not only executive functions, but oversees the biological investigations of wildlife and plant species in the Preserve, with her specialty background in wetland biology.

Hardisty grew up in San Diego where playing in the backyard held it’s own kind of magic. She knew she would be an environmentalist from a young age, when she became inconsolable at 5 years old about the fate of the polar bears. Fast forward a few decades, and she has a Bachelor’s degree in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University, Fort Collins and is currently pursuing her Masters in Natural Resource Stewardship from the same institution. She believes that landscape management is a critical component of how we halt species decline world wide. Habitat loss is a global leading cause of extinction, so if we protect and restore their habitats, the animals can take care of themselves.

Kat worked for years around the Monterey Peninsula as a biological consultant, studying Swainson’s hawks, western pond turtles, California tiger salamanders, and California red-legged frogs, among others, all of which are listed under state or federal law. Many listed species are present at Rana Creek Preserve, where Kat has implemented management strategies to protect them from human activities.