John Zentner

John Zentner is a plant ecologist by training with an avid interest in habitat restoration. John completed degrees at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the University of Oregon as well as post-graduate training at the University of Oslo. He was the first restoration ecologist hired by the US National Park Service (1978, Death Valley National Monument) and worked with President Carter's staff on early recognition and protection of wetlands. He later became part of the first wetlands team at the Coastal Commission, authoring the restoration element of the Commission's Wetland Guidelines and served as the Coastal Conservancy Enhancement Program manager before returning to consulting. In 1986, he formed Zentner and Zentner, specializing in complex multi-purpose habitat restoration projects. He has also been President of the Western Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists, the Chair of the Implementation Committee of the San Francisco Bay Habitat Joint Venture and has published extensively on habitat-related
issues. John was one of the original founding Board members of The Restoration Trust and is presently the chairman of the Board.