Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrical) is an ever-present threat to not only our mitigation banks in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi, but most banks in the southeast. A native grass of Korea, Japan, China, India, and tropical eastern Africa, it is nonnative and invasive throughout the southeastern United States. Cogongrass grows in dense patches, up to six feet
Floristic Monitoring at Van Vleck Mitigation Bank The picture above was taken earlier this month while Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) completed annual floristic monitoring at our Van Vleck Mitigation Bank. The 775 acre site is located in eastern Sacramento County and provides offsite mitigation for impacts to vernal pool habitats and associated grassland species in
To Mow or Not to Mow, That is the Question Spring has officially sprung! The birds are singing, flowers are starting to bloom and the grass is growing. During this time of year our land management crew starts to get antsy. They know they have a narrow window of opportunity to complete certain land management
Using Big Gun Conservation Bank Site for Education Here at WES we are always looking for opportunities to use our sites for educaiton. This June our Big Gun Conservation Bank will be involved in an education program through a partnership of the Project Learning Tree (PLT) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Federally Listed Mussel Found on Proposed Mitigation Bank It is always exciting to start the process of permitting a new mitigation bank here at WES Southeast. We never know what we’re going to find, despite conducting many hundreds of hours of research before even starting the process. We are especially excited when we learn that
Hydrologic Monitoring at Van Vleck Mitigation Bank During a recent sunny day I had the privilege of spending time out of the office and in the field helping our senior ecologist complete some hydrologic monitoring at our Van Vleck Mitigation Bank. Although I would never complain about getting to spend the day outside in the
The Southeast Office of Westervelt Ecological Services participated in a collaborative effort to build the southeast’s first “nature playground” in Auburn, Alabama. Knowing that children between the ages of 3 and 12 only spend 1% of their time outdoors, the playground was designed to encourage appreciation for the outdoors. Unlike traditional parks, the nature playground
Maintaining Basking Sites for California Red Legged Frog at Big Gun Conservation Bank Back in 2010 we announced the approval by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of our Big Gun Conservation Bank. The Bank, located in Michigan Bluff, outside Foresthill, is home to what may be the largest remaining documented population of California red-legged frogs
Here at WES we are just weeks away from the first round of sampling for California Tiger Salamander (CTS) larvae at our Burke Ranch Conservation Bank, assuming the rains continue. The California Tiger Salamander is listed both as a federally threatened and California State threatened species. It is a terrestrial salamander with a broad, rounded
Recently, we highlighted our cooperative burn conducted on our Pensacola Bay Mitigation Bank in the Garcon peninsula of Florida. The site has a number of listed plant species including the carnivorous white-topped pitcher plant, which is a Florida state listed species. Many other cool (and rare) plants such as the snake mouth orchid, pot of
