Wetlands and Ecological Services
When you're undertaking a project that could potentially impact ecological resources, the time and money required to manage these issues can vary. Understanding risk, regulatory standards, guidelines, and procedures for managing these issues can reduce unnecessary costs and project delays. C&S's environmental professionals have the resources to help you manage these issues in your project and the expertise to get it done right the first time.
Federal, state, and local regulatory requirements can all apply to waterways, including wetlands. Requirements exist for the completion of wetland and waterway studies and submittals for agency approval. The United States Army Corps of Engineers recently changed its regulatory program to increase protection of these resources. These changes include lowering thresholds of impacts where formal application submittals are required, establishing mitigation guidelines for projects involving significant impacts, and establishing guidance for determining Army Corps jurisdiction over wetlands and waterways. Ecological assessments, including those for state or federally listed threatened or endangered species, are part of many development projects. In recent years, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation have put forth procedural changes increasing protection of significant flora and fauna, and their respective habitat. These agencies are requiring a higher effort of investigation and assessment. This is especially true for animals, including the Indiana bat where tree clearing is required, and bog turtles where wetlands occur.
C&S's specialists have an understanding of the requirements to complete studies consistent with applicable requirements and the experience to complete them in a timely and cost-effective manner. We have established relationships with the regulatory agencies that provide the necessary approvals to complete your projects. With C&S as your experienced partner throughout the approval process, unnecessary costs and delays are minimized, allowing your project to move forward on schedule.
Our approach for managing ecological resources begins with understanding your project goals. By understanding your specific resource, we provide a solution that meets your expectations and is consistent with the regulatory requirements governing your project.
Services include:
- Wetland and waterway delineation reports and surveys
- Jurisdictional determinations
- Threatened and endangered species screenings and surveys
- Environmental assessment and impact analysis
- Permit acquisition
- Mitigation and monitoring reports
- Mitigation design
- Post-construction mitigation monitoring