Terrestrial and aquatic faunal studies have become increasingly important in governmental and industrial planning. As regulatory frameworks have changed, the kind and magnitude of these surveys have changed to reflect the needs of individual clients.

WESTECH Environmental Services, Inc. personnel have been conducting these surveys since the company's inception in 1977. These studies have ranged from simple literature review, to brief reconnaissances and "fatal flaw" analyses, to intensive baseline surveys combined with impact assessment and reclamation planning. Our personnel are familiar with state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines affecting these projects. They keep abreast of state-of-the-art methods to achieve study objectives, and participate in study design, negotiation and implementation, and the interpretation of survey results.

Services

The scope of a terrestrial wildlife or aquatic biology study may be affected by a wide variety of laws, regulations and guidelines. These regulations vary from state to state, and between federal and state governments. In addition, on-site conditions and past studies in a geographical region may affect the intensity of study required. Thus, there is no standard description of a faunal study, and each project must be considered individually. WESTECH personnel have found that most studies can be divided into three general categories:

A reconnaissance is usually initiated when a project is in early planning and development. The objectives are to assemble as much information for as little cost as possible; provide a "fatal flaw" analysis of problems that might be encountered if the project is developed; and provide background with the appropriate agencies. In some cases, an agency may determine that a reconnaissance will be sufficient to satisfy its regulatory requirements.

Reconnaissance surveys usually involve literature review coupled with brief on-site visits. A reconnaissance may be completed in one visit or may require several trips over a longer period. The duration of the reconnaissance is sometimes determined by the time frame of project development.

A monitoring study is defined as the less-intensive study period following completion of an intensive baseline survey. Study effort varies greatly and techniques are usually trend measurements of the baseline results. On occasion a regulatory agency may substitute a monitoring program for a baseline study if the proposed action is considered small in magnitude, if it is already in operation, or if the geographical region encompassing the project area has recently been covered by another study effort.

Baseline studies are pre-development intensive surveys designed to satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act and other legal requisites. Baseline studies may be very detailed, involving several man-years of effort, for a major new project with high-impact implications. Conversely, baseline studies for small projects, projects involving little obvious impact, or projects in areas already studied, may resemble monitoring programs in intensity and techniques.

WESTECH personnel have considerable experience in all three categories. Our personnel are available to advise a client on possible study parameters, and to design and/or implement reconnaissance, monitoring or baseline surveys.

Experience

WESTECH personnel have conducted over 60 terrestrial and aquatic faunal studies in the last 22 years, ranging from complete baseline inventories involving more than one year of intensive field study, to literature review with little or no field work. They resulted in more than 80 reports; a list of wildlife/aquatics reports is available upon request.

Techniques

WESTECH biologists have used a great variety of study methods, including literature review (including the development of species lists and the use of taxonomic guides); general observation methods such as aerial surveys, vehicle surveys and footpath surveys; quantitative methods such as telemetry, small mammal live trapping (capture-recapture estimates), habitat mapping and analysis (including vegetation sampling, cover, and production), breeding bird counts (flush transects, point transects, spot mapping, etc.), electroshocking fish, netting fish, macroinvertebrate, periphyton and plankton sampling; trend methods such as browse transects, track counts, pheasant crowing counts, raptor nest searches, grouse lek surveys, lagomorph indices, waterfowl pair and brood counts, colonial-nesting bird census, prairie dog colony counts, food habits and herptile searches; and diversity indices of macroinvertebrate communities and bird populations.

In addition, our personnel have experience in searching, impact analysis, and/or reclamation planning for several Federally listed threatened or endangered species, including the black-footed ferret (certified for searching), grizzly bear, bald eagle (nesting), peregrine falcon (nesting), gray wolf and loach minnow.

WESTECH biologists are skilled in statistical analyses and use in-house computer services for some forms of data analysis. They provide summaries of potential impacts and suggest mitigative measures to those impacts, and take an active part in reclamation planning to benefit fish and wildlife resources. The WESTECH library contains over 5,000 entries related to terrestrial and aquatic biology, and personnel subscribe to major technical journals. In addition, WESTECH regularly sponsors biologists to professional meetings of interest, and several individuals are involved in personal research projects that stimulate and improve the professional status and attitudes of employees.