Biological Services

WILDLIFE 

NRM Wildlife Biologists conduct surveys, habitat assessments, environmental impact assessments, mitigation plans and endangered & special-status species consultations. 

NRM provides clients with a comprehensive wildlife assessment program emphasizing inventory and management of threatened, endangered and sensitive wildlife species. Since 1991, NRM has conducted roughly 4,500 marbled murrelet surveys and inventoried more than 250,000 acres for northern spotted owls.  Extensive surveys have also been conducted for the northern goshawk, red tree vole, golden eagle, great gray owl and Pacific fisher, as well as various amphibians, reptiles and mollusks.

Staff wildlife biologists, working in conjunction with aerial photo interpretation specialists, have assisted in the modification of the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships (WHR) System to provide the level of site specific information required for biological evaluations associated with specific wildlife habitat assessments and various proposed projects. NRM’s wildlife biologists have conducted consultations for both the California and Federal Endangered Species Acts.

Information gathered from surveys and consultations has supported project permitting, Biological Assessment (BA) and Biological Evaluation (BE) reports for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements and other numerous reports for project documentation.  

BOTANY

NRM Botanists conduct surveys, habitat assessments, mitigation & monitoring plans, impact analyses and consultations for endangered, threatened and other special-status species.

NRM staff botanists perform in-depth botanical evaluations and field surveys for the presence and potential habitat of sensitive (rare, threatened, and endangered) plant and lichen species, with particular expertise in the regions of Northern California, the Sierra Nevadas and Oregon.  Botanical surveys are typically implemented for environmental and biological assessments and as a part of planning for land development and various proposed actions by state and federal governments and landowners. 

NRM also conducts aerial photographic analysis (with field verification) to delineate riparian and other vegetation types and determine habitat quality and quantity.  Our botanists are experienced in various vegetation sampling techniques including relevé and rapid assessment methodologies.

SPECIES MONITORING/HABITAT ASSESSMENT 

NRM has monitored numerous species comprised of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, plants, lichen, fungi, mammals and mollusks and has conducted biological assessments in an exhaustive number of habitats, each presenting a unique set of species.  Habitats include coastal dunes, salt marshes, prairies, grass lands, oak woodlands, coastal and montane coniferous forests, riparian forests, wetlands and serpentine zones.  In each of these habitats, NRM biologists and botanists employ invaluable professional field experiences to properly assess subtle, yet important, facets of species behavior and occurrences.

PUBLIC RESTORATION PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

NRM’s restoration ecologists design restoration projects in a variety of ecosystems including riparian, costal prairies, coastal scrub and oak woodland. NRM prepares Restoration Plans including site and soils assessment, planting design, success criteria, and monitoring plans. NRM oversees restoration implantation and conducts maintenance and monitoring for restored sites.