Wetland Delineations
Habitat Architects™ conducts wetland and stream assessments to quantify the extent and quality of water resources on a site. This type of study is required prior to obtaining a 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or a 401 water quality certification from the state.
Habitat Inventories
Habitat inventories are used to map the location and ecological value of different types of habitats and vegetative communities. Habitat inventories can also indicate the potential restoration value of existing natural resources on a site, providing an essential element to site planning, helping reduce natural resource impacts and save project time and money. Habitat Architects™ has a unique in-house staff comprised of GIS specialists, ecologists, and restoration managers that deliver scientific yet user friendly data.
Critical Habitat Surveys and
Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys
Critical habitat surveys are often required to determine the extent of preferred habitat for a particular species. The presence of critical habitat is used by regulatory agencies to estimate the potential for existence of a threatened or endangered species and to determine if a full survey for the species is required. If the existence of critical habitat on a site indicates a high potential for the presence of a threatened or endangered species, additional biological surveys can be conducted to inventory the protected species. Habitat Architects™ biologists and ecologists have extensive experience in completing critical habitat and threatened and endangered species surveys.
Vegetation Surveys and Tree Surveys
Botanical survey and vegetation sampling can be conducted to measure species density and diversity. A vegetation survey provides quantitative data indicating the ecological value and health of a given vegetation community or habitat. Regulatory agencies usually require vegetation surveys as part of yearly monitoring of mitigation areas.
GIS Data Management
Much of the data collected from most natural resource studies is ideally stored in a GIS (Geographic Information System). GIS is a term that is often used during in the course of many development projects but seldom fully understood. A GIS is not inherently connected to GPS (Global Positioning System) or surveyed maps displayed in CAD (Computer Aided Drafting), nor is it just an alternative way to produce maps outside of a CAD system. A GIS is a computer application similar to a relational database that allows tabular attribute data (traditional database data) to be joined or related with spatial data, in the same way that a traditional database links two sets of tabular data. Habitat Architects™ possesses the understanding necessary to manage various spatial data. We will use GIS throughout your project from simple data storage and maintenance to more advanced analysis, to programming custom GIS applications.
Cultural Resource Surveys
Cultural resource surveys are conducted to determine the presence of historical or archaeological resources on a project site. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required to consider the impact a development may have on cultural resources prior to issuing a 404 permit. Habitat Architects™ can facilitate any required cultural resource surveys, and coordinate with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to meet the cultural resource requirements your project may have.