Michelle Caruana has a simple but ambitious goal — to be the best. In her ideal world, every other habitat restoration company would be seen as second choice.

Caruana’s award-winning company has already made an impact in the field. The $10 million company boasts 100 highly trained employees, all with multiple years of tenure with Natures Image, as well as a host of satisfied customers

The mitigation industry was still in its infancy when Michelle and her husband, John, started Natures Image in 1995, recognizing the burgeoning opportunity in the field.

Early on, Michelle realized she needed special equipment to do the job right. Today, hers remains the only habitat restoration company with a seed imprinter specifically designed to work on slopes. It creates a distinct, waffle-shaped pattern in the soil that traps water for the seeds. Michelle recalls meeting the inventor at a bar in the Mojave Desert, and still has the napkin containing the initial drawing of the prototype.

Nature’s image is a certified women-owned business, and Michelle is a licensed landscape contractor.

Her passion for the environment and her commitment to client satisfaction and long-term project success set the tone for every project Natures Image undertakes.

Michelle says, “I work hard to ensure that every dollar invested in native habitat restoration is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Every employee I hire at Natures Image must be both knowledgeable and committed to delivering quality service.”

To create a world where the diversity of life thrives

Build a great company with exceptional people delivering superior results

Deliver superior habitat restoration construction and maintenance services

Michelle Caruana and Natures Image believe in giving back. Michelle looks for charities that are making a difference in the community. Then she sits down with her staff each year to decide how much money the firm will donate (the minimum is $10,000) and which charities should benefit from the largesse.

Sometimes the group chooses a worthy charity in a Natures Image project area. “We were working in Lone Pine last year, so we donated to Lone Pine High School,” Michelle says. The Wounded Warrior Project and OC Animal Care — Orange County’s animal shelter — have also been recipients. Of the county animal shelter, Michelle says, “They’re doing all the right things.”

Natures Image has two charities it contributes to on an ongoing basis: CARMA, Compassionate Animal Rescue for Medical Aid — which is particularly close to Michelle’s heart — and Families Forward.

Compassionate Animal Rescue for Medical Aid (CARMA) is the brainchild of Tiffany Thompson of Mission Park Pet Hospital in Mission Viejo, the veterinarian Michelle uses for her pets. Thompson takes animals with illnesses or injuries from shelters that might euthanize them. She treats them so they can go on to live happy, healthy lives.
Michelle started out fostering some of the dogs Thompson treated. “I realized how much good she was doing and how much of her own time she was giving,” says Michelle, who has fostered 10 dogs to date — for as little as a few days to as long as nine months. Michelle also seeks out and writes grant requests to organizations that provide funding for animals with medical needs. CARMA is an all-volunteer organization, so 100 percent of the money raised goes toward the animals rescued.

Families Forward is a safety net for families in crisis — people who’ve lost a job or their home, women who are recently divorced, etc. “It gives people the tools to get back on their feet without subsidizing them forever,” Caruana says. People can get food, clothing, counseling, job search training and access to housing opportunities. Families Forward also does special events, such as community-wide food drives and Thanksgiving baskets. Its Back to School Backpacks program fills kids’ backpacks with school supplies.