Services

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                                           Understanding Projects

Many serious resource degradation problems have built up gradually as the combined outcome of numerous actions and choices in our watersheds. These impacts have broad spatial and temporal dimensions, resulting in the gradual alteration of structure and functioning of ecological systems, leaving fewer natural areas to provide public health and safety functions. But planning can provide a guide for future decision making. 

We begin our studies with a study of the state of the landscape, provide an accurate assessment with clear statements of environmental goals and objectives, providing a clear blueprint for preservation and restoration. Through environmental analysis and modeling, we can implement cutting edge solutions and strategies based on sound scientific data and rationale. 

• Addressing Water  Quality Protection:  Nonpoint, as well as point, source pollution studies can can be developed into implementation strategies to minimize water quality problems with     long-term, technical and institutional approaches. We look for such factors as the influence of land cover on hydrology, water quality, and biodiversity; and indicators of development activity that can be used in managing subwatersheds. 
• Watershed Planning for Flood Mitigation: Another goal of watershed planning is to provide      strategies to reduce the stormwater impacts through various land management tools. By      identifying potential wetland and stream/riparian restoration areas and  other strategies, goals can be set to reduce flooding problems. 
• Addressing Green Infrastructure Preservation: In order to protect and restore quality functional green utilities in the watershed, a long-term vision for community development and redevelopment is needed. Communities should be engaged in thoughtful dialog about the impacts of loss of environmental  services on the health and safety of citizens and on the quality of life in the community. We  assist, mapping out strategies  and initiatives to achieve environmental protection goals.

We are prepare plans that  plan that provide: 

1. An inventory and understanding what makes the  watershed unique in terms of the natural environment.

2. A way to help the communities in the watershed grow smarter so that development becomes a better fit within the context of the natural environment.

3. A means to produce diagnostic benchmarks that can help each community measure progress toward greater environmental integrity. 

4. Environmental modeling that defines the best of remaining elements of the natural landscape and the highest priorities for restoration.

5. Improved land use controls and funding strategies aimed squarely at protecting and restoring green infrastructure while providing the development community with clear and predicable requirements.

Key to this process is: 

1. An understanding of the natural environment: Too often plans are prepared with only sketchy or incomplete presentation of data about existing natural resources. We provide a more complete portrait of the natural environment and prioritization of areas of concern.

2. An understanding of buildout: While development is currently slow, we use modeling of buildout to provide a statistical and visual portrait of potential change that will help communities make decisions about revisions to existing planning and regulatory policies. 

3. A meaningful plan: We deliver plans that define priority areas for preservation and restoration, the methodologies to active those goals, the responsible parties to implement the plan, and funding and other creative strategies to achieve the goals. By identifying environmental benchmarks, decision makers can measure its progress toward watershed protection and restoration.