New England Environmental, Inc Newsletter
Vol.1 Num.1
Bruce Griffin Receives his Professional Wetland Scientist Certification
New England Environmental, Inc. is delighted to announce that Bruce Griffin has received his Professional Wetland Scientist certification from the Society of Wetland Scientists. Bruce has been on the NEE staff since 2000, and also holds certifications as a Professional Soil Scientist and a New Hampshire Wetland Scientist. Bruce has completed graduate coursework at the University of Massachusetts in Soil Science, holds a B.S. in Wood Science from the UMASS and a A.B. in English from Bowdoin College. At NEE, Bruce is responsible for completing project permits (Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act and Army Corp of Engineers Section 404) and a variety of environmental assessments to support those permit applications. Project work has included wetland identification, documentation, and mapping; botanical surveys, specializing in trees and shrubs; bioengineering installations on streambank, inland wetland and coastal sites; wetland restoration planting; vernal pool identification and documentation; sediment and erosion control plans and monitoring; and review services for Conservation Commissions, specializing in soil analysis and delineation. Contact Bruce Griffin bgriffin@neeinc.com
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Smart Growth Awards
Congratulations to Pioneer Valley Cohousing who received one of the first "Smart Growth Awards" in what promises to become an important annual recognition from the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. The community received recognition in the "Traditional Neighborhood" category. In a ceremony at the Kittredge Center, Holyoke Community College, Project Architects Mary Kraus of Kraus-Fitch Architects, Inc. and Bill Austin, both formerly of Kitchell & Austin Architects were present to receive the award along with six current residents of the community. All of these residents had significant roles in the development of this owner-developed and owner-managed 32-unit housing project.
Mr. Lyons Witten, a Licensed Site Professional with NEE, is a founding member of Pioneer Valley Cohousing. "Our neighborhood was proud to be honored in this way" said Mr. Witten, "It was further validation that cohousing neighborhoods and owner/developer/resident projects are good options for residential growth." Along with a handsome framed certificate, Pioneer Valley Cohousing will receive a bronze plaque to display on their common house.
Also receiving merit awards for Smart Growth in the Traditional Housing category were Pathways Cohousing and Rocky Hill Cohousing, both located in Northampton, MA. Mr. Witten provided Environmental Site Assessment services to all three of these projects in their pre-development stages. New England Environmental, Inc. extends hearty congratulations to everyone in these neighborhoods for their vision and hard work! Contact Lyons Witten lwitten@neeinc.com
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New Army Corps Jurisdiction Guidelines are issued:
The long awaited guidelines to implement the U.S. Supreme court decision for the Rapanos and Carabell cases have been issued. The full set of documents, including questions and answers can be found at http://www.usace.army.mil/cw/cecwo/reg/cwa_guide/cwa_guide.htm.
An interesting power point presentation of these materials which illustrates the adjacency issues can be found at http://www.usace.army.mil/cw/cecwo/reg/cwa_guide/cwa_juris_present_june07.pdf
For more information contact Mickey Marcus mmarcus@neeinc.com.
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New England Environmental, Inc. (NEE) Collaborates with Regulatory Agencies to Protect Wood Turtle Habitat
NEE worked with two land owners to develop a Conservation Restriction (CR) plan for over 100 acres and over two miles along the Fort River in Hadley, MA. This work has been done in coordination with the Massachusetts Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program addressing the concern for the protection of a rare turtle, the wood turtle, which utilizes the Fort River. In order to meet this goal, a corridor of undeveloped land along the Fort River is fundamental. NEE has been collaborating with multiple agencies including the Department of Agriculture, and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, the Hadley Conservation Commission, and UMASS extension services to work towards designing a corridor of permanently protected wood turtle habitat along the Fort River in Hadley, MA. So far landowners have offered to contribute more than 100 acres towards a permanent conservation restriction of land along a portion of the Fort River in Hadley. The final plan will be contingent on approvals for land use development, and the development of an appropriate management plan along the protected corridor. This corridor will not only provide habitat for the wood turtle but will also help keep the Fort River clean and maintain an undeveloped riparian buffer around the River for approximately 11,180 linear feet. NEE biologists monitored wood turtles along the Fort River with radio telemetry for 7 months. The survey helped NEE’s biologists, landowners, and the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program better understand the local wood turtle populations’ habitat preferences by identifying nesting areas and upland foraging areas in the area. These data helped shape a Wood Turtle Habitat Restoration and Management Plan after key habitats were identified. As a result of this survey NEE was able to identify significant habitat and help the property owners set aside these areas in a Conservation Restriction that will include habitat protection and restoration for wood turtles while maintaining an undeveloped region along the Fort River. For additional information contact Christin McDonough cmcdonough@neeinc.com
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NEE provides expert environmental services to a wide group of private, corporate, and municipal clients, as well as to State and Federal agencies. Our clients range from individual homeowners to Fortune 500 corporations. We provide sound, integrated environmental solutions to complex site assessment, design, permitting and construction projects. For more information about NEE, visit our web site at www.neeinc.com.
New England Environmental, Inc.
9 Research Drive
Amherst, MA 01002
413-256-0202 phone
413-256-1092 fax
www.neeinc.com
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