Clara Buchholtz

Clara grew up exploring the Sierra–Cascade foothills near her hometown of Chico, CA, where she developed an early love of the natural world. After studying neuroscience and German as an undergraduate, she pursued her interest in ecology through a master’s degree at Chico State researching distribution patterns of Tamalia aphids on manzanita shrubs. Along the way, she held a variety of field- and lab-based biology positions, including working for an environmental consulting firm supporting producers applying for agricultural permits and spending two years identifying invertebrates in water quality samples for a bioassessment lab.

In 2018, Clara moved to Boise, Idaho, for a doctorate at Boise State, where she studied the pollination biology and pollinator networks of the rare plant Astragalus mulfordiae. As a NW Climate Adaptation Science Center Fellow, she worked with the Idaho Bureau of Land Management on research aimed at improving conservation of this species and its pollinator communities on public lands.

In her role as a partner biologist Clara works with agricultural producers and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, providing technical assistance, education, and outreach to support pollinator habitat on working lands. In her free time, she enjoys baking adventures, all manner of board games, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.