Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • The CREST Story >
      • Background | CREST
      • Origins of CREST
      • CREST's Current Vision
    • Team >
      • Objectives
      • Denise Lofman
      • Tom Josephson
      • Jason Smith
      • Tracy Hruska
      • April Silva
      • Narayan Elasmar
      • Paula Gerttula
      • Robert Henicksman
      • Mandy Flaitz
      • Garrett Phillips
    • In The News
  • Services
    • Restoration Planning & Implementation
    • Ecosystem Research & Monitoring
    • Environmental Planning & GIS Mapping
    • Wetland Delineations & Assessments
    • Resource Library >
      • Available Documents
  • CREST Projects
    • Reach A, Coastal Lowlands Entrance >
      • Colewort Creek Wetland Enhancement
      • Fee-Simon Wetland Enhancement
      • Ft Columbia Tidal Reconnection
      • Hungry Harbor
      • Megler Creek
      • Otter Point Estuarine Restoration
      • West Sand Island
    • Reach B, Coastal Uplands Salinity Gradient >
      • Bear, Mary's, and Ferris Creeks
      • Gnat Creek Wetland Enhancement
      • Harlow Creek
      • Karlson Island Wetland Enhancement
      • South Tongue Point Wetland
    • Reach D, Western Cascades Tributary Confluences >
      • Dibblee Point Wetland Restoration
    • Reach E, Tidal Flood Plain Basin Constriction
    • Reach F, Middle Tidal Flood Plain Basin >
      • 3-Finger Jack Restoration
      • Bridge at Buckmire Slough
      • Crane Wetlands Restoration
      • Deep/Widgeon Restoration
      • Domeyer Wetlands Restoration
      • Flights End Restoration
      • McCarthy Creek Restoration
      • Millionaire Lake Restoration
      • Ruby Lake Restoration
      • South Bachelor Island Restoration
      • South Slough Restoration
      • Sturgeon Lake/Dairy Creek Restoration
      • Willow Bar Restoration
    • Reach G, Upper Tidal Flood Plain Basin >
      • Government Island Restoration
  • Partnerships
    • CREST Members >
      • Oregon Members
      • Washington Members
    • CREST Partners >
      • Bonneville Power Administration
      • Columbia Land Trust
      • Lewis & Clark National Historic Park
      • Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
      • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
      • North Coast Land Conservancy
      • North Coast Watershed Association
      • OR Department of State Lands
      • OR Department of Fish & Wildlife
      • OR Watershed Enhancement Board
      • PC Trask & Associates
      • US Army Corp of Engineers
      • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
      • US Fish & Wildlife Service
      • WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife
      • WA Dept of Natural Resources
      • WA Dept of Transportation
      • West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
  • Contact
    • RFP's
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Our Team
CREST employs a seasoned and dedicated team of project managers, biologists, environmental planners and GIS specialists who provide leadership and consultative guidance on planning and habitat restoration initiatives throughout the Lower Columbia River. The CREST team is also experienced in building and maintaining community partnerships to ensure collaborative efforts advance ecological and economic sustainability for the region.
Denise Löfman, Director
Paula Gerttula, Fiscal Administrator/ Operations Manager
Tom Josephson, Habitat Restoration Program Manager
Jason Smith, Habitat Restoration Project Manager
Tracy Hruska, Habitat Restoration Project Manager
April Silva, Lead Ecologist
Narayan Elasmar, Habitat Restoration Biologist
Robert Henicksman, Staff Accountant & Contracts Coordinator
Mandy Flaitz, Financial & Admin Assistant
Garrett Phillips, Senior Coastal Planner
Photo Credit:  Trav William, Broken Banjo Photography
Instagram: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Twitter: @BrokenBanjoTrav
Facebook: BrokenBanjoPhotography 
Photograph of Garrett Phillips by Garrett Phillips 

Denise Löfman, Director

Denise joined the CREST team as Director in July of 2012 and has applied her professional passion to resource management of regional watersheds since moving to the Oregon Coast in 2004.  She is dedicated to working in partnership with communities to find solutions to natural resource issues.  Read More...

Paula Gerttula, Fiscal Administrator/Operations Manager

Paula joined the CREST team originally in March 1997 and worked until June of 2000. She rejoined the organization in 2003 and has been responsible for managing the finance department ever since. Paula possesses a keen interest in being of service to her team and supporting each employee to make their jobs easier, providing orientations to new staff, and participating in special projects with CREST’s Director.  Read More...

Tom Josephson, Habitat Restoration Program Manager

Tom Josephson leads the Habitat Restoration Program at CREST. He is responsible for overseeing the implementation of habitat restoration projects, assisting the project managers, and managing funding for the projects. He spends a good amount of time working with funders and partner agencies to identify and team up on restoration projects.  Read More...

Jason Smith, Habitat Restoration Project Manager

Jason grew up in Seaside, Oregon, just south of Astoria. Being involved in research and habitat restoration that impacts his local community was a galvanizing factor in his decision to join the CREST team in 2009.  He is passionate about supporting CREST’s crucial role in helping to keep the Columbia River estuary’s vital habitats and the unique species utilizing them from being lost forever.   Read More...

Tracy Hruska, Habitat Restoration Project Manager

Tracy joined the Habitat Restoration team as a Project Manager in 2020. Tracy has lived in rural areas across much of the US and abroad, and he brings to CREST a longstanding devotion to seeing that rural communities and their environments benefit each other. He is particularly happy to be working on restoration activities that benefit salmon, and to thereby support all the communities that rely on them.  Read More...

April Silva, Lead Ecologist

April has discovered the coveted alignment of her professional goals with her personal passions in her role as Lead Ecologist for CREST. April’s devotion to her work is inspired by a love for the outdoors and the commitment CREST makes to both restoration ecology and  community economics.   Read More...

Narayan Elasmar, Habitat Restoration Biologist

Narayan has been with CREST since 2014. In that time, he has assisted in the implementation of countless juvenile salmon habitat restoration projects. Narayan works in the monitoring department with April Silva, Lead Ecologist.  Read More...

Garrett Phillips, Senior Coastal Planner

​Garrett Phillips re-joined CREST in 2022 as the Coastal Planner, after previously serving in this role from 2014 to 2016. Garrett provides planning services to local cities, counties and ports to help them manage how they change with their local natural systems. Read More...

Robert Henicksman, Staff Accountant & Contracts Coordinator

Robert came to CREST in May 2018 as the Financial & Administrative Assistant.  In January 2020 he became the Staff Accountant & Contracts Coordinator.  He has a Bachelors of Business Administration with a major in Accounting and is also a Certified Public Accountant.  Before coming to CREST, Robert spent most of his career as an auditor.  Read More...

Mandy Flaitz, Financial & Administrative Assistant

Mandy joined CREST as the Financial and Administrative Assistant in September 2021. She is excited to be a part of the financial team and is looking forward to working with the rest of the CREST staff.. Read More...

CREST's mission is to provide locally-based, high quality environmental planning, habitat restoration, and research services to the Columbia-Pacific Region."

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© Copyright 2020 CREST - Designed by Ham It Up Strategies 
Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce
​818 Commercial Street, Suite 203
Astoria, Oregon  97103
503-325-0435
Fax 503-325-0459
Site Directory
  • About
    • Our Approach
    • The CREST Story >
      • Background | CREST
      • Origins of CREST
      • CREST's Current Vision
    • Team >
      • Objectives
      • Denise Lofman
      • Tom Josephson
      • Jason Smith
      • Tracy Hruska
      • April Silva
      • Narayan Elasmar
      • Paula Gerttula
      • Robert Henicksman
      • Mandy Flaitz
      • Garrett Phillips
    • In The News
  • Services
    • Restoration Planning & Implementation
    • Ecosystem Research & Monitoring
    • Environmental Planning & GIS Mapping
    • Wetland Delineations & Assessments
    • Resource Library >
      • Available Documents
  • CREST Projects
    • Reach A, Coastal Lowlands Entrance >
      • Colewort Creek Wetland Enhancement
      • Fee-Simon Wetland Enhancement
      • Ft Columbia Tidal Reconnection
      • Hungry Harbor
      • Megler Creek
      • Otter Point Estuarine Restoration
      • West Sand Island
    • Reach B, Coastal Uplands Salinity Gradient >
      • Bear, Mary's, and Ferris Creeks
      • Gnat Creek Wetland Enhancement
      • Harlow Creek
      • Karlson Island Wetland Enhancement
      • South Tongue Point Wetland
    • Reach D, Western Cascades Tributary Confluences >
      • Dibblee Point Wetland Restoration
    • Reach E, Tidal Flood Plain Basin Constriction
    • Reach F, Middle Tidal Flood Plain Basin >
      • 3-Finger Jack Restoration
      • Bridge at Buckmire Slough
      • Crane Wetlands Restoration
      • Deep/Widgeon Restoration
      • Domeyer Wetlands Restoration
      • Flights End Restoration
      • McCarthy Creek Restoration
      • Millionaire Lake Restoration
      • Ruby Lake Restoration
      • South Bachelor Island Restoration
      • South Slough Restoration
      • Sturgeon Lake/Dairy Creek Restoration
      • Willow Bar Restoration
    • Reach G, Upper Tidal Flood Plain Basin >
      • Government Island Restoration
  • Partnerships
    • CREST Members >
      • Oregon Members
      • Washington Members
    • CREST Partners >
      • Bonneville Power Administration
      • Columbia Land Trust
      • Lewis & Clark National Historic Park
      • Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership
      • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
      • North Coast Land Conservancy
      • North Coast Watershed Association
      • OR Department of State Lands
      • OR Department of Fish & Wildlife
      • OR Watershed Enhancement Board
      • PC Trask & Associates
      • US Army Corp of Engineers
      • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
      • US Fish & Wildlife Service
      • WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife
      • WA Dept of Natural Resources
      • WA Dept of Transportation
      • West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District
  • Contact
    • RFP's