Steigers Corporation: Environmental Field Studies, Surveys and Services


Environmental Field Studies
Steigers Corporation provides an experienced environmental staff with expertise in planning, conducting, and managing environmental field studies, including wildlife and botanical investigations, endangered plant and animal surveys, fisheries surveys, wetlands mapping, hydrologic investigations, archaeological and paleontological inventories, and socioeconomic evaluations. Our staff has managed and executed both large and small field data collection programs for biological programs, including analyzing the resulting data and preparing quality reports.
		Planning - Management of resources often requires evaluation of existing data to assess the habitat value of a study area. Field studies are then used to supplement and confirm information gathered from published sources and aerial photos. Permitting - Many environmental permits require the development of baseline or pre-project information to support the review process. Early identification of information needs and collection of additional data can minimize delays that may occur if this information is required later in the process. Field studies may be a necessary component of baseline information gathering. Typical services include: negotiating with resource agencies to minimize study requirements and to use methods that keep study costs down developing study plans working with resource agencies to gain approval of study plans execution of studies and reporting managing and contracting any studies being performed by others.

		As part of our total environmental services for the Healy Clean Coal Project in Alaska, we designed field studies, including soils and vegetation mapping, evaluated wetlands, and developed plans for restoring native grasses and shrubs. Our investigation of potential sulfur dioxide injury to vegetation helped convince the U.S. National Park Service that this environmentally and politically sensitive project would not adversely affect natural systems in nearby Denali National Park and Preserve.
Representative field study programs conducted by Steigers staff include: terrestrial wildlife surveys bald eagle and other raptor nest surveys waterfowl use surveys vegetation sampling and botanical investigations vegetation mapping threatened and endangered plant and animal inventories wetlands mapping and delineation soil surveys fisheries surveys and habitat evaluations air quality, visibility, and meteorological data collection archaeological inventories and site eligibility evaluations paleontological surveys recreation surveys land use inventories visual resources studies socioeconomic evaluations
		At five hydropower projects in Michigan, we supervised the design and implementation of a diverse array of studies to evaluate project impacts on fisheries, wildlife, water quality, recreation, and cultural resources. Fisheries and wildlife studies included habitat evaluations, population surveys, threatened and endangered species surveys, and fish entrainment and turbine mortality studies. We investigated potential impacts to reservoir-margin wetlands from fluctuating water levels and reservoir drawdowns. Comprehensive water quality studies were conducted at each project to support Section 401 certification. We also conducted recreation resource use analyses, scenic resource evaluations, and cultural resource assessments using local historians and archaeologists to determine the potential eligibility of project facilities for listing on the National Register. Our fisheries investigations, in particular, were instrumental in allowing the projects to be licensed without requiring the construction of fish protection facilities and without the imposition of costly constraints on project operations.


	Other field study projects: Acid Precipitation Research, Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, Colorado Biological Impacts Study Program Design, Camp Grayling National Guard Training Facility, Michigan Endangered Upper Colorado River Basin Fish Species Research, Colorado Fisheries Assessment of a Major Canal Failure, Falls River, Idaho Food Habits Study of Upper Colorado River Basin Fishes, Colorado Threatened and Endangered Plant and Animal Species Inventory, Transmission Line Corridor, Oregon Vegetation and Wetlands Baseline Study and Monitoring Program, Spring Creek Coal Field, Montana Vegetation and Wetlands Baseline Study and Monitoring Program, Tongue River Thermal Project, Wyoming Vegetation Assessment, Miller Sands Terrestrial and Wetlands Habitat Improvement Project, Oregon Vegetation Survey and Sampling for Moose Habitat Assessment, Susitna Hydroelectric Project, Alaska Vegetation, Fisheries, Recreation, Scenic Resources, and Cultural Resources Studies, Five Hydropower Projects, Michigan Wetlands Assessment, Greenwood Gulch, Colorado Wetlands, Fisheries, Wildlife Assessments, Bradley Lake Hydro- electric Project, Alaska. Top of Page Home