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Right Whale Paper Published

A paper by GMI marine scientists Amy Whitt, Kathleen Dudzinski, and Jennifer Laliberté has been published in the journal Endangered Species Research. The authors summarize right whale sightings and acoustic data collected from the first year-round study dedicated to marine mammals in New Jersey’s nearshore waters.

Cultural Resources TxDOT Win

The Cultural Resources group of the GMI Environmental Services Division was awarded an Archeological General Services contract by the Texas Department of Transportation in February. One of four awardees, GMI will be involved in archeological survey, test excavations for National Register eligibility determinations, and data recovery projects across the state of Texas.

Biological Inventory Study for Melrose AFR

GMI wildlife biologists, in conjunction with Cannon AFB and Melrose AFR, initiated surveys for a Biological Inventory Study of a 10,968 acre area of land gifted to Melrose AFR by the state of New Mexico.

GMI to Support Fishermen's Energy with Environmental Impact Efforts

As part of the Energy Department's broader efforts to launch an offshore wind industry in the United States, GMI will support the Fishermen's Energy team with R&D for the advancement of traditional thermal and video imaging systems related to the assessment of nocturnal animal (bird, bat) occurrence, strikes and behavior around offshore wind turbines.

GMI Researchers Contribute to Texas Archaeological Literature

Nancy Kenmotsu is a co-editor and author of a new book published by Texas A&M University Press: The Toyah Phase of Central Texas: Late Prehistoric Economic and Social Processes. The volume is about the hunter-gatherers living in central Texas from AD 1300 – 1700.

Estabrook Heads Cultural Resources Dept.

Following 20+ years working as a Project/Program Manager for several of the largest cultural resources firms in Florida, Rich Estabrook has joined GMI as Cultural Resources Program Manager in the Plano corporate office.

Environmental Resources

Environmental Management • Biological Surveys • Wetland Surveys

Agency Coordination

GMI's professionals have extensive hands-on, working knowledge of federal, DoD, and state regulations and guidelines relative to natural resources management. This experience reflects extensive knowledge of ecosystems and analysis techniques and the ability to work within diverse regulatory environments. GMI collects and presents data with agency coordination in mind to provide regulators with the information needed for regulatory determinations and in a well organized, understandable format that also meets the client’s needs. GMI has experience providing:

Biological assessments
Biological opinions
Section 7 consultations
Wetland jurisdictional determination consultation

PORTFOLIO

NMFS Permit for Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Surveys

Right Whale May 29, 2012

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently issued a permit to GMI for boat-based surveys on marine mammals and sea turtles. This permit is pursuant to the regulations governing the "taking" of marine mammals and endangered and threatened species (provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, respectively). The permit authorizes GMI to "take" a specified number of protected species for scientific purposes. The main objective of the permitted activity is to assess the distribution, abundance, behavior, and migration of marine mammals and to record sightings of sea turtles in nearshore waters from southern New Jersey to North Carolina. This is a region of significant potential offshore wind farm development.

Indian Head Bald Eagle Biological Assessment, Maryland

GMI prepared a Biological Assessment to determine whether activities conducted at Indian Head or Dahlgren are likely to (1) adversely affect Bald Eagle or designated critical habitat; (2) jeopardize the continued existence of species that are proposed for listing; or (3) adversely modify proposed critical habitat. GMI reviewed scientific literature, consulted subject matter experts, and coordinated with installation personnel to conduct a species evaluation for analysis of effects. The factors considered in the species evaluation included proximity and distribution of the action, timing, nature of the effect, duration, disturbance frequency, disturbance intensity, and disturbance severity. The Bald Eagles response to the action included considerations for numbers of individuals/populations in the action area affected, sensitivity to change, resilience, and recovery rate. Recommended mitigation measures were provided for the effect determination.

Wetland Delineation and Jurisdictional Determination, Interwood South, Houston

GMI conducted a wetland delineation on a 10 acre parcel of land in Houston, Texas. A report meeting the requirements of the Army Corps of Engineers was submitted to the Galveston district, which highlighted the aerial extent of the wetland, its boundaries, vegetation present, GPS equipment used for data collection, and the raw GPS output. UACSE concurred with GMI that the wetland present was non-jurisdictional.

Biological Assessment for former Vieques Navy Training Range, Vieques, Puerto Rico

A team of biologists conducted threatened and endangered plant, avian, and sea turtle species surveys on the former Navy lands in Vieques. Data collection consisted of pedestrian transects locating either existing T&E species or suitable habitat for the listed species. GMI provided consultation to the USFWS based on the findings and helped establish guidelines for continuation of Navy work that would least impact protected species in the area.

EFH Study and Biological Assessment for the Center for Mine Warfare Excellence

GMI provided services necessary for a NEPA assessment of the use of explosive charge detonations associated with mine warfare training exercises off the Corpus Christi, TX, coastline. The assessments involved the preparation of three documents: an Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment, Biological Assessment (BA) for Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act consultation, and an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). GMI compiled the appropriate biological information from in-house resources, evaluated the potential impacts, and negotiated mitigation measures that would satisfy the resource agencies while being acceptable to the client. GMI assisted the Navy in modifying the project description to avoid potential impacts while not making training operations too restrictive.