About Samara Restoration

Established in 2009, Samara Restoration is dedicated to restoring native ecosystems of the northern California bioregion. We value the practice and discipline of ecological restoration as tools to repair our ailing natural systems and a means toward achieving a sustainable landscape.

Our team has experience with ecological restoration in a wide variety of applications for degraded habitats of any scale. In addition, we encourage use of native plants to create functional landscapes which are aesthetic to our clients and support wildlife habitat. Our Design, Grow, Build business model assures our clients we will manage your project from seed to fruition.

Our team

Eric Johnson
Eric JohnsonPrincipal, Senior Project Manager
Eric is a co-owner of Samara Restoration and has over twenty years of experience working within the ecosystems of northern California. With a master’s degree in Environmental Systems from Humboldt State University, Eric advocates for community development and ecological balance in our bioregion. He provides design and planning services for restoration and native residential/commercial landscaping projects. Eric is responsible for bid estimates and managing a wide array of projects which serve private landowners, schools, non-profit organizations, local, state, tribal, and federal agencies.
 Josh Koepke
Josh KoepkePrincipal, Project Manager
Josh is a co-owner of Samara Restoration and works in a variety of capacities from ecological restoration planning to landscape design and implementation. His decades of experience with California native plant horticulture provides an invaluable perspective for revegetation-based projects. He has a degree in Wildlife Biology and has extensive experience in the fields of vegetation management, custom seed collections and nursery contract growing, native plant-based landscape design/installation, habitat mitigation and ecological monitoring. Josh has worked on landscape related projects throughout California for public schools, private ranches, homeowners, architects, non-profits, and government agencies.
Troy Perez
Troy PerezNursery Production Manager
Troy Perez is a co-owner of Samara Restoration and is responsible for leading the nursery production, horticulture staff management, and operations. Troy has over 15 years of native plant horticulture experience and has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Cal Poly Humboldt. He’s passionate about working with native plants, healthy communities, and building sustainable landscapes.
 Jeff Rockefeller
Jeff RockefellerProject Foreman/Equipment Operator
Rocky has worked for Samara since 2012 and brings an extensive skillset to our landscape construction. He is a Project Foreman responsible for field crew supervision and is our lead equipment and hydroseed operator. Efficiency and communication are his strong points which contribute to successful project completion. Rocky is experienced in all aspects of erosion control and implementing the most effective Best Management Practices for the project.
Athina Lee
Athina LeeOffice Manager
Athina supports the administrative aspects of Samara Restoration including payroll, accounts receivables, accounts payables, vendor account management, policy development, client communications, and fiscal controlling.
Veronica Farber
Veronica FarberRestoration Specialist
Veronica graduated from HSU with a BS degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in ecological restoration and minor in Geospatial Analysis. She supports Samara Restoration by implementing vegetation monitoring, report writing, assisting with project management, and client communications. Her passion for nature, restoring landscape ecosystems, and working outdoors makes Veronica a great addition to our team.
Asher Budnik
Asher BudnikRestoration Technician
Asher is a Restoration Technician at Samara Restoration and supports us in all levels of our restoration/landscape construction services. His educational background is in forestry with an emphasis in restoration. His enthusiasm and familiarity with local plants and ecology make Asher a great asset to our company.
Seasonal Technicians
Each spring Samara hires a handful of seasonal nursery and restoration technicians. Nursery technicians are responsible for assisting with propagation, organization, and basic nursery maintenance activities during the growing season (April-November). Restoration technicians are responsible for assisting with commercial, residential, and restoration project implementation services including planting, watering, weeding, seeding, mulching, etc. Contact info@samararestoration.com for more information.

Our Services

Design.

Designs for residential landscapes and restoration projects with an emphasis on ecological function and sustainability.

About Design

Grow.

Our nursery offers project specific contract growing and on-hand inventory of a wide selection of California native species.

About Growing

Build.

As licensed contractors, we provide landscape construction services for residential and large-scale restoration projects.

About Building

Clients We’ve Worked With

View Our Projects