This restoration project seemed fairly straightforward at first blush: grade the pits, plant native species, and restore the freshwater wetland and upland communities back to the way they were before the area was mined. Then Tom reviewed a historic aerial of the site. “There was a creek there that was breached by the mining activities, which resulted in the creek being cut off from the natural flow patterns in the region,” Tom Ries explains. “As soon as I saw that, I thought, ‘well, we have to restore that creek.’”
Working Toward Climate Justice in the Gateway Cities Across the spectrum of climate hazards the impacts of climate change will fall hardest on those who are historically over-burdened and most susceptible, including the elderly, infants and children; people and communities of color; and people living in poverty. Read More »
Biosolids Digester Project Gains Support with Environmental Justice Report Originally constructed in 1952, the Southeast Treatment Plant in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood receives 80 percent of the city’s wastewater and stormwater flows, treating 60 million gallons per day (mgd) on average. Read More »
UAS/Drone Services: FAA Nationwide Program Expansion to 500 Airports Begins With the FAA’s implementation of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system, the FAA will be able to grant faster authorizations while maintaining the safety of the National Airspace System. Read More »
Dry Creek Gets Drenched: Lessons Learned after Intense Storm Events in Northern California One of the more enlightening moments in stream restoration is when a recently constructed site experiences a large storm event. Whether these events test a restoration design approach or trigger system adjustment, they are always an opportunity to learn. Read More »
Chris Easter Joins ESA as Director of Air Quality and Noise in Northern California This role better positions ESA to respond to the growing need for consulting services in Chris’ areas of specialty, including air quality permitting, climate-sustainability strategy, and environmental management systems and regulatory compliance. Read More »
The 30,000-Foot View: What You Need to Know about Airport Master Planning Commercial airports all over the country share the same mission: to provide high-quality, safe air travel services. Their success often drives regional economic development as business travelers, tourists, and the transport of goods rely heavily on these “mini cities.” Read More »
In the World of Airports, Upgauging and NextGen Are Trending As airport planners and environmental specialists, ESA’s airport specialists are always keeping an eye on new trends that affect airport operations. Two trends that we have been tracking are upgauging and NextGen. Upgauging is a trend in the airline industry that has had a profound effect on the growth in passenger traffic at airports throughout the world. Read More »
Pam Xander Joins ESA as Principal Planner in Pacific Northwest Region Pam brings more than 30 years of experience in planning, conducting, and preparing environmental studies and has worked with public agencies and private developers on more than 200 small- and large-scale projects requiring State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)/National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) processes. Read More »
ESA Builds Team of FAA-Certified Drone Operators
Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental consulting firm, is pleased to announce that the firm has five pilots certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones. The pilots—Russ Burdge, Jonathan Kemp, Julie McNamara, Brian Pittman, and Brendon Quinton—are being dispatched to project sites to conduct real-time site monitoring and reconnaissance, and to collect orthomosaic imagery and high-definition video for clients in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Southern California, and Southeast regions.
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Growth, Zoning, and Their Effect on Neighborhoods
Wherever population growth takes place—city or suburb—it requires space. A need for more space spurs some level of redevelopment, which affects established neighborhoods—places where people already live. Zoning changes tend to bring about misgivings within affected communities, fueled by fears of gentrification, overtaxed infrastructure, and a threat to dramatically change the historic fabric of a neighborhood. Read More »
Central Cities on the Rise: Attracting Housing and Jobs
After a period of general decline, central cities are on the rise again. This surge of people and businesses choosing to take root in city centers reflects a shift back to the preference for a lively urban lifestyle, ease of access to transit, and celebration of local arts and culture. Cities are looking for opportunities to capitalize on this changing dynamic.
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The 40-Year Evolution of Wetland Restoration Approaches in San Francisco Bay According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, more than half of America’s historic wetlands have been lost or disturbed as a result of human intervention. In San Francisco Bay, this number is even higher, at more than 90 percent. Read More »
A New Life for the Cooper-Molera Complex in Downtown Monterey The Cooper-Molera Adobe is one of the most important remaining representations of the Mexican Republic and early American eras in California. Visitors from around the world tour the Adobe, part of the Monterey Old Town National Historic Landmark District. Read More »
A Public Health Framework for Mitigating Climate Change According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Although global warming may bring some localized benefits, such as fewer winter deaths in temperate climates and increased food production in certain areas, the overall health effects of a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative.” Read More »
Putting Aspirations into Action at the Port of Los Angeles An interview with Christopher Cannon, Director of Environmental Management at the Port of Los Angeles, on the importance of clean air and how industry technology will get us to net-zero. Read More »
Integrating Flood Management and Ecosystem Enhancement in California’s Central Valley The Central Valley, an enormous landscape feature dominating the state of California, experiences devastating floods on a fairly regular basis. It produces 25 percent of the nation’s food (including 40 percent of the nation’s fruit, nuts, and other table foods) from less than 1 percent of U.S. farmland, making it an agricultural powerhouse. Read More »
Floodplains, Farming, and Multi-Benefit Projects in Puget Sound Across Puget Sound, there are competing demands on floodplain areas: local jurisdictions need to manage flood risk, salmon recovery entities need to restore and reconnect habitat areas, and farmers need to ensure that their farms remain viable. Read More »
ESA Expands Oakland Presence in New Office Location
Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental consulting firm, is relocating their Oakland office to 180 Grand Avenue, Suite 1050, on the edge of Lake Merritt. The move was prompted by the firm’s commitment to meet the needs of its Bay Area clients and to accommodate its growing team of scientists, engineers, planners, and designers in the East Bay.
Read More »ESA Expands Northwest Regional Reach into Bend, Oregon
Prop 1 Funding for Storage: Choosing Collaboration An interview with Marguerite Patil, Contra Costa Water District and Jim Watson, Sites Project Authority on Increasing California Water Storage Capacity. Read More »
Scheda Ecological Associates Joins ESA The merger supports ESA’s strategy to deepen technical expertise and meet growing client demands for responsive and high quality environmental services throughout Florida and elsewhere in the Southeast. Read More »
Michael Newland Joins ESA as Northern California Cultural Resources Director Mike will be based in ESA’s Petaluma office, leading the region’s Cultural Resources team of expert prehistoric and historical archaeologists, architectural historians, and historians to increase the breadth and depth of ESA’s Cultural Resources practice. Read More »
More Agencies Get On Board with Alternative Project Delivery Methods The 2016 California Transportation Commission (CTC) Annual Report recommends eight California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) reforms for promoting efficiency through innovations. One of the reforms is to permanently authorize Caltrans and its regional partners to “use alternative project delivery tools such as public-private partnership (P3), design-build (DB), and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) methods.” Read More »
Completing the Missing Link:
A Multi-Use Trail Sparks Controversy The Burke-Gilman Trail (BGT) is one of the most heavily used pedestrian and bicycling paths in Seattle, serving as a major transportation corridor for commuter and recreational bicyclists. Noted as a top priority project in the City’s Bicycle Master Plan, the completion of the BGT network will improve Seattle’s health and quality of life by providing safe bicycle and pedestrian travel routes for residents of all ages. Read More »
Christopher Warn Joins ESA’s Southeast Region as Principal Managing Associate Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental consulting firm, is pleased to announce that Christopher Warn has joined ESA as a principal managing associate, with a focus on client service, project management, and business development. Read More »
ESA Names Three New Vice Presidents: Terri Avila, Dana McGowan, RPA and Elizabeth Andrews, PE
Environmental Science Associates (ESA), a leading environmental consulting firm, is pleased to name three new vice presidents: Terri Avila, Community Development Practice Leader; Dana McGowan, RPA, Cultural Resources Practice Leader; and Elizabeth (Betty) Andrews, PE, Senior Program Manager.
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Joseph Richards, MBA, PE, CWRE Joins ESA Joe brings more than 20 years of experience in stream restoration design, stormwater management, water supply, hydropower development, water quality investigations, hydraulic design, hydrologic analysis, and project monitoring and construction observation. Read More »
Swen Swenson Joins ESA as Corporate Controller Swen brings over 20 years of experience in financial management with professional services. He has experience in all aspects of the financial operations, including resource allocation, monthly reporting, forecasting, collections, accounts receivable, accounts payable and management of the finance department. Read More »
Jill Sunahara Joins ESA’s Northern California Team as a Senior Permitting Specialist “With a practical understanding of biological and water resources, she partners with clients to get projects in the ground—from planning and environmental compliance to permitting and monitoring.” Read More »
