Section 7 ESA consultation is required for projects to identify whether any proposed or listed species are located within a given area of a proposed action. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) requires project review information to meet the requirements of Section 7(c) of the Endangered Species Act (EA) of 1973, as amended (16 …
Category Archives: Aquatic Assessment
KY Stream Restoration
KY Stream Restoration Stream restoration design and monitoring at this site in Whitley County, Kentucky has resulted in an increase in aquatic resources across the watershed. Macroinvertebrate communities have been re-established and the riparian zones have been replanted with trees and shrubs that are native the Kentucky. The stream channels were also reshaped to provide …
Training for Quality Assurance
At least once a year, our field teams gather for Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) Annual Training to review and demonstrate our field methods. All of our field methods are based on published Standard Operating Procedure Manuals that guide all sampling or monitoring techniques. This is also a part of our Kentucky Division of …
Macroinvertebrate Analysis & Identification
Macroinvertebrate Analysis & Identification Order: Ephemeroptera Family: Ephemeridae Genus: Ephemera Total Number of Species: 6 (1 recently extinct) Habitat: Lotic & Lentic Systems – Depositional Areas, consisting of sand and gravel Habit: Burrowers Trophic Relationships: Collectors; Predators; Filterers North American Distribution: Widespread Specimen taken from an aquatic macroinvertebrate sample conducted in Bell County, …
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Spring Mitigation Monitoring
Spring mitigation monitoring has begun. This stream restoration site was permitted under the Clean Water Act using a Nationwide Permit. Natural stream design techniques were applied using a combination of Rosgen and standard survey practices using a reference reach. The restoration project has been successful in restoring fish and macroinvertebrate habitat, and has also been …
Ecological Surveys
Ecological surveys such as fish census or stream habitat assessments are necessary to provide data for assessing the current conditions of an ecosystem. A fish census provides a snapshot into the populations (i.e. diversity) of fish species within a segment of stream. A stream habitat assessment can provide insights into the current habitat conditions of …
Fish Survey
Chrosomus erythrogaster
Macroinvertebrate Surveys
Macroinvertebrate surveys for headwater streams in Kentucky can be collected between February 15 and May 31st.
Fish Inventory
Habitat Restoration
Habitat restoration is an important tool for addressing a broad range of environmental challenges including providing permits for mitigation for streams using constructed wetlands. The BSC approach incorporates cost-effective design and build projects for the long-term management of natural resources by employing collaboration across experts from different fields ranging from biologists and ecologists to archaeologists. …