Environmental Science Associates’ Post

🎉We’re excited to share two recent promotions in the Southeast—Julie Sullivan has been promoted to Strategic Business Development Director and Doug Skurski has been promoted to Southeast Regional Director. Julie steps into a new role of strategic business development director, where she will harness her 27 years of leadership, client-focused perspective, and environmental and regulatory expertise, to drive strategic business development firmwide and continue to build close partnerships with clients as we work to solve their biggest environmental challenges. With Doug’s more than 24 years of experience as an environmental project manager leading the Southeast Biological Resources practice—the region’s largest practice group, he will lead ESA’s strategic operations and business development. Doug will channel his expertise of Florida’s ecology and his keen insight into balancing natural resource conservation with project development, to anticipate and meet diverse client needs. Please join us in congratulating Doug and Julie as they step into their new positions! 👏👏👏

💧 40 to 60 percent of California’s water supply comes from groundwater. But in California and throughout the West, intensifying water challenges such as drought and unsustainable water pumping have endangered long-term water supplies, threatening to deplete aquifers and greatly impact water quality. The Groundwater Accounting Platform—developed between ESA, the Environmental Defense Fund the California Water Data Consortium, Olsson—enables water managers, landowners, and water users to track water availability and usage, in order to avoid these undesirable outcomes and help communities meet water conservation goals. A notable feature, notes Technology Services Lead John Henry Burns PE, is the utilization of open-source technology which provides water managers with the data and tools to monitor their water use and make informed, long-term decisions towards sustainability. The platform is now available throughout California to support groundwater management practices. See more about it in the video below: https://lnkd.in/g-5R6VKz and visit the link to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gTxmQWSz #Groundwater #WaterManagement #SGMA #GroundwaterPumping #WaterConservation #WaterQuality #GroundwaterSustainabilityAgencies #OpenSource #DataPlatform

Florida’s stunning rivers, lakes, and coastal waters are facing unprecedented challenges from population growth, water quality issues, and climate change. Passed in 2021, SB 64 aims to transform how the state manages and reuses water by making significant changes to the disposal of domestic wastewater. Senior Environmental Scientist Lindsay Cross details key elements of this legislation, and how ESA can help clients achieve sustainable water management in this evolving landscape of wastewater management. Read about it in our blog: https://lnkd.in/gvV5M8eU #ReclaimedWater #Wastewater #PotableReuse #WaterManagement #Environment #EnvironmentalPolicy #Florida #BeneficialUses

The results are in! Our 2024 Gallup Employee Engagement Survey revealed a majority of ESA’s employee-owners are highly engaged—scoring 22 percent higher than the U.S. average engagement level! This annual survey measures how enthusiastic and committed employees are to their work and workplace, and feel connected to their organization’s mission and purpose. Thanks to this employee feedback, we’re always elevating our culture of continuous improvement. Come join us and see what it’s all about! https://lnkd.in/gE2zbYk2 #WorkThatMatters #JoinUs #100PercentEmployeeOwned #EveryoneHasAVoice #EmployeeEngagement #GallupQ12

✍️📚 Grab your pencils and notepads, we’re headed to the 38th Annual Environmental Permitting Summer School this July 16 - 19 on Marco Island, Florida. Be on the lookout for familiar faces at the conference including former Janicki Environmental, Inc., scientists who are now an integral part of our team since they joined ESA. We will also be hosting these informative sessions: 👩🏫 Wednesday, July 17 at 10:30am and Friday, July 19 at 10:30am Julie Sullivan speaks in the presentation, “What’s New in Environmental Resources Permitting.” The presentation will cover the legal principles of ERP permitting, policy, and rulemaking updates, plus tips for achieving compliance. 👩🏫 Thursday, July 18 at 3:30pm Emily Keenan speaks on the panel, “Comprehensive Watershed Management.” The panel will provide an in-depth examination into the variety of planning and regulatory programs being implemented by water districts, such as TMDLs, stormwater, and NPDES for watershed management. 👩🏫 Friday, July 19 at 10:30am Mike Wessel speaks on the panel, “Restoration Options When Facing Water Quality Impairments.” The course will focus on water quality standard implementations, covering the scientific, technical, and legal issues concerning Florida’s water quality criteria. Find us at booth #216 and say “Hi!” to the team including Doug Skurski, Sharon Niemczyk, Tori Kuba, Tony Janicki, Susan Janicki, Sandy Scheda, Alexandra Hipolito and Nick Gadbois. We hope to see you there! For more information head to: https://floridaenet.com/ Florida Environmental Network, Inc. #2024EPSS #MarcoIsland #EnvironmentalPermitting

Summer fieldwork must-haves: giant water bottle ✅ UV-protective clothing ✅ wide-brimmed hat ✅ As heat waves continue to roil the US, ESA’s environmental scientists, like biologist Eva Lin (pictured below) are out conducting field work and overseeing environmental compliance monitoring, often dealing with brutal, sizzling heat. 🥵 How do they stay safe and keep cool in these hot temperatures? Eva shares that carrying extra water is an absolute must. “Always keep your water bottle on you, specifically in your safety vest! I also recommend keeping some extra water in your car to avoid running out on hot days—I leave a 1-gallon insulated water jug filled up daily in my car, and it has saved me whenever I run out of water or need to re-wet my cooling towel. Even if you don’t end up needing it, someone else in the field might!” Senior biologist Tamara Klug also practices some advice with her team when it comes to high temperatures—“don’t be a hero," she says. “Heat is a serious risk. Everybody needs to look out for one another and take breaks in the shade and the car with air conditioning as needed.” Other must-haves our crews shared are: - Coolers and ice filled with fizzy water and electrolytes - Sunshades for hard hats - UV protection shirt and pants - Cooling towel - Neck gaiter To all our crews out in the field: thank you for putting your safety first!

ESA’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) foster a strong community for employee-owners of all backgrounds, where they can share their experiences, openly discuss issues, and advance our work to make everyone feel welcomed, safe, valued, and accepted. Throughout Pride Month, we asked members of the LGBTQ+ ERG to share what this community means to them, and also what allyship feels like in the workplace. Thanks to Antonette Hrycyk, Brandon Mukogawa, Phong Ly, PE, Joseph Billela, and Dave Davis who shared their perspectives with us. See what they had to say below: #Pride #Pride2024 #EmployeeResourceGroup #EmployeeOwner #DiversityIsOurStrength

🏖️ Birds of a feather flock together—at the beach! Much like beach-goers in the summer, shorebirds love to flock at Florida’s beaches where they settle and find refuge in the sand dunes and coastal habitats. However, they are increasingly facing threats from human disturbance and climate-driven habitat loss. Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, ESA's environmental scientists are monitoring protected species including the American Oystercatcher, Black Skimmer, Least Terns, and Wilson’s Plover—all classified as Imperiled Beach Nesting Birds (IBNB). In Lee County, this monitoring is supporting an emergency shoreline relief effort where crews are working to repair portions of the Sanibel Causeway destroyed by Hurricane Ian, and a boating vessel recovery effort at Bunche Beach. While in Pinellas County, the teams are monitoring IBNB and other types of shorebird activity at the Grand Canal Maintenance Dredging project in Pass-a-Grille, and at the Indian Shores Beach Dune Restoration project. Much of their work involves surveying and recording nesting sites, which blend in with the sand and are hard to spot, and requires a close study of bird behavior. That means looking for clues like footprints, divots in the sand known as “scrapes,” and for the Wilson’s Plover in particular, watching for the “broken wing display” where the birds feign injury, says BJ Quinton, GISP, who recently observed the behavior. “Seeing me as a predator, the bird pretended to be hurt with a broken wing so I would see it as an easy target and be drawn away from the nest,” he said. “The exact location of the nest in this area is not crucial, so I didn’t pursue it further for fear of stressing the adult. But this sort of behavior would be a clue that we do have a nest in the area.” 📷's by BJ Quinton, GISP, and Kristin Maki Jenkins Pinellas County Government Lee County #Shorebirds #Biology #ImperiledBeachNestingBirds #Florida #Birds #CoastalHabitat #ShorelineProtection

From North to South, and East to West, we’ve got dozens of exciting job opportunities “blooming” across our regions! We’re looking for archaeologists, biologists, engineers, GIS analysts, landscape architects, project managers, and many other types of professionals to join us and do work that matters. Check out our open positions and learn what it means to work for a 100-percent employee-owned environmental consulting firm that is committed to justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and future-focused to support your career growth and work-life balance. Head to our Job Openings page at: https://lnkd.in/gHT2xMnM 📷: Water Resources Engineer Alaina Floor, PE at a site visit to a sunflower farm outside of Seattle. #JoinUs #WeAreHiring #JobOpenings #EnvironmentalCareers #EmployeeOwnedFirm #WorkThatMatters

With its incredibly vast and intricate network of waterways spanning more than 1,000 miles long, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a real boaters’ paradise. Unfortunately, dozens of abandoned and derelict vessels have been discarded across local marinas and waterways over the years. The polluting, decaying vessels are causing environmental harm, are a safety hazard, and impede boat traffic and navigation. Working with the California State Lands Commission (CSLC), ESA’s Fish and Aquatic Science team is completing a multi-year survey of the Delta to provide a complete inventory of abandoned and derelict commercial vessels. This data collection and management will provide CSLC up-to-date information informing the environmental and navigational hazards that each boat presents, as it works to remove more than 100 known vessels in the Delta. Find out more about the ongoing work at: https://lnkd.in/g3Rb2Uak #SacramentoDelta #CaliforniaStateLandsCommission #AbandonedAndDerelictVessels #EnvironmentalCleanup