Services
Sound Scientific Information and Analysis
Surveys
Biological surveys performed before construction or other activities to comply with permit conditions, mitigation measures, or conditions of approval.
Reconnaissance-level surveys used to verify baseline biological conditions of a property before purchase or development and to identify biological constraints, fatal flaws, and opportunities.
Surveys performed to identify the location and status of any active bird nest on or near a project site.
Surveys conducted to locate any bat roost, determine its status, and identify its occupants.
Focused surveys performed to catalog the plants and animals of a property or area.
Focused surveys performed to document the presence and distribution of nonnative plants, especially invasive species.
Protocol-level surveys used to determine presence, distribution, and/or abundance of plant or animal species listed under the federal or state Endangered Species Act or otherwise designated by federal or state agencies or conservation organizations as rare, threatened, or endangered.
Surveys performed from airplanes or helicopters to determine numbers and distribution of animals such as waterfowl, seabirds, wading birds, nesting raptors, sea turtles, or marine mammals; includes photographic surveys and radio telemetry tracking surveys.
Assessments
Reconnaissance-level assessments used to document baseline biological conditions, identify biological constraints, evaluate project impacts, assess project alternatives, and identify avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures. Often performed in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) or the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Assessments conducted on behalf of a federal agency to document the effects of a proposed action on species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Site assessments using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers three-parameter approach to determine if wetlands are present and, if present, delineating their boundaries relative to non-wetlands, property boundaries, and project footprints.
Assessments of a property’s special-status biological resources and potential to provide mitigation or compensation for offsite impacts under a conservation easement.
Assessments that evaluate the likelihood that alternative actions may have adverse ecological effects, estimate the type and severity of those effects, and ultimately provide a systematic approach to aid those who must make decisions in the face of uncertainty.
Critical assessments of biological resource sections of environmental compliance documents, natural resource management plans, habitat conservation plans, and other documents and reports to evaluate validity of information and analysis.
Planning
Regional or project plans developed on behalf of a non-federal entity pursuant to Section 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act.
Regional plans developed pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act (Fish and Game Code Section 2800 et seq.).
Plans developed to guide activities to create, restore, or enhance habitat for plants and wildlife.
Plans developed to identify actions and success criteria for compensatory mitigation for impacts to wetlands pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean water Act.
Plans developed to protect, conserve, or monitor special-status species.
Plans developed pursuant to the Sikes Act (16 U.S.C. 670a-670f, as amended) that identify specific actions and strategies needed to protect biological resources on U.S. Department of Defense lands.
Plans developed to guide activities needed to manage habitat for plants and wildlife.
Plans that identify methods and strategies for managing invasive plant species.
Permitting
Section 404 permits with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Section 401 Water Quality Certifications with the Regional Water Quality Control Boards.
Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreements.
Section 7 and Section 10 incidental take permits.
Section 2081 incidental take permits.
Incidental Harassment Authorizations and Letters of Authorization.
Studies
We carry out detailed investigations and analyses to evaluate particular questions or test certain hypotheses. Representative types of studies include investigating whether (1) assumptions about project-related impacts adequately predict actual impacts, (2) avoidance and minimization measures adequately protect biological resources, (3) survey or monitoring methods adequately capture appropriate and sufficient data, and (4) whether oil spills may have resulted in population-level effects on biological resources.
