Services

Science and Ecological Planning

Watershed Planning & Research

As awareness of how human habitation practices have altered the natural environment grows, so does the need for coordinated, science-based ecological restoration planning. What is the current health of our streams, wetlands, forests and grasslands? How can we improve their health and functioning while respecting the realities of the historic changes and our modern human needs for water, shelter, and security? What physical, biological, and social opportunities or constraints are present? What information is needed to design and implement well-reasoned, effectual, cost-efficient ecological restoration and conservation projects? These questions guide and inform our watershed planning and research work.

PCI’s science and planning team includes experts that are well versed in both conservation science and collaborative planning. The multi-disciplinary team takes a holistic approach to solving ecological restoration questions. Our planning products are rooted in science, community relationships, and implementation design practicalities.

Services provided by the watershed planning and research group include:

Watershed assessment and research – geomorphic, fisheries habitat, biology, water quality, hydrology, erosion inventory, forestry, water supply and conservation, GIS mapping.
Ecological restoration program design and implementation.
Community facilitation; including public meetings, stakeholder committees, and technical working groups.
Watershed plan development; including prioritized actions, implementation strategies, funding opportunities.
Website content development for environmental planning and education.
Grant writing.
Natural resource conservation techniques and plans.

Ecological & Biological Services

PCI offers a full spectrum of ecological and biological services that combine practical, on-the-ground expertise with research and documentation. Our work includes biological and botanical resource assessments, protocol-level focused surveys, wetland delineation, impact avoidance and mitigation planning, and biological construction monitoring. Our staff combine the disciplines of biology, ecology, forestery, hydraulic engineering, hydrology, and geomorphology to ensure planning, restoration, and construction projects enhance natural conditions, promote biodiversity, comply with federal, state, and local regulations, and are sustainable over time.

PCI’s science team provides the technical expertise to ensure a smooth and successful project. Our staff hold specialized permits, such as U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Permit 10(a)(1)(A) and California Department of Fish & Game Scientific Collecting Permit with amendments for California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, and California freshwater shrimp, and are experienced with dewatering and relocation of listed species, including steelhead and salmon. PCI’s certified botanists and foresters are experts in the requirements of riparian and native plant populations. Our ecologists and geomorphologists assess broad processes and system dynamics and recommend appropriate actions for projects of all sizes, from an individual property to a stream reach to an entire watershed. Our scientists know how to negotiate the challenges of melding the needs of natural systems with the realities of regulations, economics, and desired land use.

Services include:

Biological resource evaluations.
Site-specific to landscape-level wildlife and botanical assessments.
Population-specific baseline studies.
Focused wildlife and botanical surveys and reports in accordance with regulatory agency protocols and the requirements of CEQA and NEPA.
Jurisdictional wetland delineations.
Development of baseline conditions, project objectives, and feasible alternatives.
Impact analyses, avoidance, and mitigation planning for CEQA/NEPA compliance and monitoring and reporting plan development.
Preconstruction crew training and biological construction oversight.
Preparation and implementation of dewatering and species protection plans.
Native species revegetation planning and implementation.
Regulatory coordination and state, federal, and local permit acquisition.
Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultations.
Quantification of potential project contributions to greenhouse gases.
GIS analyses and mapping.