By Myla Ablog, WRA Aquatic Resources Permitting Specialist Do you have a complex project? Are you concerned about navigating through the environmental permitting process? Would you like to reduce risks to your project schedule? One potential way to address these concerns is to attend a pre-application Interagency Meeting. Depending on the region in which your … Continue Reading »
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Corte Madera Tidal Marsh Habitat Restoration and Public Access Complete
By Ariella Simke, Freelance Science Writer, and Ingrid Morken, WRA Landscape Architect In collaboration with The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District (District), WRA, Inc. designed four acres of restored tidal marsh located within the District’s 72-acre property adjacent to the Corte Madera Ecological Reserve. The project reached a significant milestone on December 10, … Continue Reading »
Alameda’s Encinal Beach Provides Restored Dune Habitat and Recreation Enhancements
By Ariella Simke, Freelance Science Writer in collaboration with Leslie Lazarotti, Ellie Knecht, and Russell Prange Poking out from the coastline, Encinal Beach in Alameda is bringing awareness of sensitive coastal habitats to Bay Area visitors. The park is a local favorite, providing recreational opportunities and public beach access, and serving as one of the … Continue Reading »
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reissues Several Nationwide Permits
By Myla Ablog, WRA Aquatic Resources Permitting Specialist On January 13, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the reissuance of 12 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and the addition of four new NWPs. In addition, NWP general conditions and modified definitions were reissued for those 12 … Continue Reading »
Acoustic Device Advancement Encourages a Wide Variety of Monitoring Improvements
By Shawn Carroll If a bird chirps in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? WRA is about to find out! In late 2020, WRA avian biologists Shawn Carroll and Nick Wagner kicked off an exciting pilot project by successfully deploying five AudioMoth devices in coastal sage … Continue Reading »
Monarch Butterfly Endangered Species Listing
By Rob Schell, WRA Senior Wildlife Biologist How does a wildlife biologist keep themselves occupied during nine months of working from home? Well for one, I have been listing backyard species, as you do. Something that I insist that all my staff do for every project site they visit, is also something that I have … Continue Reading »
California Regulatory Agencies Propose Updates to Bank Enabling Instrument Template
By Andrew Cawley, Mitigation Banking Specialist This month, the California Project Delivery Team (PDT), the interagency group which oversees statewide mitigation and conservation banking programs, is concluding the public comment period for the updated Bank Enabling Instrument (BEI) template. The BEI template is a document that outlines procedures for establishing mitigation and conservation banks within … Continue Reading »
Migratory Bird Treaty Act May No Longer Prohibit Incidental Take, But Don’t Forget State Regulations
By Patricia Valcarcel, Senior Biologist A final rule was published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2021, clearly stating there is no prohibition of incidental take (unintentional capture or killing) of birds under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This rule is a final decision after several years of uncertainty regarding federal protections … Continue Reading »
Restoration Project Planning: Efficient CDFW Permitting with the HRE Act
By Erik Schmidt, Regulatory Permitting Specialist WRA expects to soon submit its first project application to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for regulatory review through the innovative Habitat Restoration and Enhancement Act (HRE Act), an alternative approval process for small-scale habitat restoration activities. Many types of commonly proposed restoration work may be … Continue Reading »
Steelhead Migration Restored in a Napa River Tributary with Removal of a Century-old Dam
A Look at the Upper York Creek Ecosystem and Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project By Erik Schmidt, Regulatory Permitting Specialist, WRA, Inc. In the year 1900, in the small Napa Valley town of St. Helena, increasing water needs for agricultural and municipal uses prompted the St. Helena Water Company to build a 45-foot high earthen dam … Continue Reading »