Rick Taylor | Principal
Rick has spent the last 20 years in the small agriculture and landscape industries. Originally founded as a small design/build/maintain contracting firm, Elder Creek led the North Bay in practical approaches to sustainability in landscape-applied ecology. In 2013 Elder Creek transitioned from a design/build contracting firm to a full-service, Landscape Architecture and Project Management Firm.
His decades of experience in construction allow Elder Creek to have an unrivaled Project Management Division, lead by Rick himself. Sharing his knowledge and serving his community has always been important to Rick. Serving Sebastopol's Design Review Board, he reviewed numerous projects and worked with city staff to write practical, ecologically literate storm water policy for a major development.
He has taught and spoken at countless industry events as well as created curriculum and held a lead instructor position at Sonoma State University's Sustainable Landscape Professional Certificate Program. Currently, Rick writes curriculum and is a lead instructor for the Ecological Landscape Immersion Program at the Permaculture Skills Center. In this role he helps train future professionals in how to merge ecology, design, professionalism, and economics to build a career rooted in right livelihood. Rick helped organize the ecological landscaping community in Sonoma County and later served as a board member for Daily Acts.
In addition to his ecological work, Rick serves as a facilitator and collective member for Sonoma County Men Evolving Non-violently (M.E.N.), a volunteer organization working to end domestic violence by working directly with men who are committing these acts and have voluntarily sought help to change their behavior.
Joel R. Grogan | Consulting Landscape Architect (RLA #6544)
Joel is a Landscape Architect and Professor of Environmental Horticulture at Santa Rosa Junior College. He has over 14 years of experience in the landscape and environmental field, including riparian vegetation and restoration, urban water conservation, urban forestry, and landscape architecture, construction, and design.
While teaching full time, Joel has continued to stay involved with landscape architecture and construction through facilitation of student projects, consulting, and as a member of the City of Santa Rosa’s Design Review Board from 2016 to 2018.
Joel earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies & Planning from Sonoma State University (2006), and a Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Oregon (2014), and is a licensed landscape contractor, ISA Certified Arborist, and QWEL-certified.
Tom Le Blanc | Lead Designer
For the last ten years Tom has been designing, installing and consulting on forward thinking ecologically literate landscape projects. In 2016 he moved on from the design-build business he co-founded to focus specifically on the design of high performance carbon sequestering landscapes that integrate plant and animal based food production, stormwater management and native habitat.
Tom brings a breadth of experience to the projects he designs and consults on. Having been involved with projects ranging from small scale suburban homesteads to multi-hundred acre ranches allows him to nail critical details without losing sight of macro patterns of a landscape. This perspective enables Tom to protect clients from major liabilities and to capitalize on opportunities which enhance the portfolio of natural and built assets of a property. Additionally, Tom’s work within the Holistic Context framework allows him to empower clients with decision making tools that ensure long-term desirable outcomes.
Throughout the past decade Tom has worked closely with a number of all-star mentors in the space including Toby Hemmenway(Gaia’s Garden), Darren Doherty(Regrarians), Erik Ohlsen(Permaculture Artisans) and Rick Taylor, Principal at Elder Creek. He has earned multiple Permaculture Design Certificates, The Ecological Landscaper Certificate from the Permaculture Skills Center, and a Regenerative Farm Planning Certificate from Regrarians. Tom has also presented on relevant ecological design topics at the Northern California Permaculture Convergence.
When not working on projects for Elder Creek, Tom can be found in the watersheds of Northern California observing the natural patterns of flora, fauna, fungi, soil and water.
Stephen Ulman | Lead Landscape Designer / Project Manager
Stephen is a Licensed Landscape Architect with a distinct perspective honed from diverse experiences both in the field and office. Stephen has spent nearly a decade working on various residential, commercial, and civic projects across the US, China, and Costa Rica, ranging in scale from intimate backyard gardens to regional infrastructure projects. It is Stephen’s belief that good design is considerate, equitable, and resilient. To that end, he is driven to develop a deep understanding of every project, its place in the larger world, and the end-users, human or otherwise. He is excited for every opportunity to put his skills into service to design well-crafted spaces that are both beautiful and functional. In his spare time, he enjoys working with glass, going to the beach, and hiking with his dog, Leo.
Stephen earned his MLA from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master of Science from Washington State University, and a BA in Geography from the University of Florida.
Molly Landin | Assistant Designer
Molly has spent the last six years as a resident of Washington state and is continuously inspired by her surroundings. Her passion for nature and love of plants led her to the field of Landscape Architecture which she obtained a degree in while at Washington State University. She later spent time at an engineering consulting firm where she honed her technical skills in AutoCAD and Land-FX. She is excited to be a part of the Elder Creek team and liver her passion of bringing nature back into spaces where it is needed and appreciated most.
Sebastian Bertsch | Rainwater Storage and Compliance Consultant
Sebastian left the radar mapping and mechanical engineering trades to focus on water management and land planning in Sonoma County. He integrates skills in mapping, land assessment, water systems design and fabrication to service human needs while improving the hydrology and ecology of the biosphere. A current focus is on reframing challenges like stormwater and graywater as resources for reuse rather than pollutants to mitigate. He designs and installs rainwater catchment systems from the residential scale to 60k gallon cisterns for farms. Sebastian has partnered with local agencies such as the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District and sits as an advisor to the Santa Rosa Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency. He has built rainwater potable drinking systems and pulled the first PRMD permit for a graywater pump-to-drip irrigation system. He hopes to further help integrate to various stakeholders and changemakers in the community to ensure that our rebuilding efforts help regenerate our watershed.
Terra Emerson | Lead Research Consultant
Terra has a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. She works as a Reference Librarian for the Sonoma County Library, where she connects people with resources and information to help them better their lives.
As a graduate student, Terra conducted several research projects including The Power of Information Behind Bars: A Study of the Prisoner-Created Library at the Long Kesh Prison in Northern Ireland and The Impact of Transportation and Library Location on Accessibility: A Research Proposal for the Sebastopol Regional Library.
She grew up off the grid in the mountains of Northern California with parents deeply immersed in the sustainability movement and enjoys being able to put her research skills towards supporting the ecological community and confronting climate change.
Lacey Strong | Executive Assistant
Lacey is an avid learner of the natural world and earned a BA in Biology from UC Berkeley as well as a certification in Natural Resource Management from SRJC. Over the years she has engaged in coursework ranging from environmental ethics to permaculture and CA natural history to deepen her ability to care for and connect to the ecological wonders of Sonoma County. Lacey also has a background in nonprofit operations and spent 12 years with a foundation supporting indigenous and land-based communities. She continues to be humbled and inspired by this work and seeks opportunities to support biocultural diversity.
Edie | Executive Nap Taker
Edie only recently became interested in landscape architecture but her passion for the field is proving her to be an essential member of the team. When she's not hard at work in the office, she enjoys hiking, sunbathing, and eating all the treats. Did we mention she likes to eat treats?