About us

Jeff Brinkman, President and Principal Ecologist

 Ecology was founded in February 2002 by Jeff Brinkman, who serves as the firm’s Principal Ecologist and President.  Mr. Brinkman has over 25 years of experience as an environmental scientist and consultant.  Over the years, he has managed the completion dozens of ecological and environmental studies and projects throughout southern and central California.  Mr. Brinkman is intimately familiar with the California’s environmental resources and regulatory agencies, and has built strong ties with public and private sector environmental professionals in the region.  In recent years, his efforts have been focused on bioassessment studies and habitat restoration projects involving streams, estuaries, and lakes throughout southern California.     

Mr. Brinkman graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) in 1996 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.  He completed his Master’s Degree in Stream Ecology at UCSB in 2007.  His Master’s thesis was a comparative study of more than 30 Santa Barbara area streams using rapid bioassessment procedures.  This study explored the effects of human development and natural physiochemical factors on Santa Barbara stream communities, particularly with respect to benthic macroinvertebrates.

Mr. Brinkman has continuously held a Scientific Collection Permit (SC-004587) from the State of California Department of Wildlife (DFW) since 2000.  Mr. Brinkman’s SCL specifically authorizes him to collect benthic macroinvertebrates in California streams, lakes, and coastal wetlands.