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ECORP Expands Growing Permit Portfolio
 The onset of spring triggers the active period of many animals within the California deserts and Central Valley. Spring is usually the best time of year to conduct surveys for sensitive wildlife and plant species and ECORP is gearing up for another busy field season. ECORP has added some exciting permits this spring to our already extensive list of wildlife survey capabilities. ECORP now holds a U.S. Fish and Wildlife 10 (a)(1)(A) Recovery Permit and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to conduct presence/absence trapping for the Federally and State-listed Endangered giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens). In addition to giant kangaroo rat, ECORP has also received permits to conduct trapping for salt-marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris), Nelson's (San Joaquin) antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni), Tehachapi pocket mouse (Perognathus alticolus inexpectatus), and short-nosed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys nitratoides brevinasus). 
Now is the time to assess your project for giant kangaroo rats if construction is scheduled this fall-winter. Giant kangaroo rats are active all year long, but optimum activity periods occur from April 1 to October 31. In order to avoid project delays and additional costs, it is recommended that presence/absence trapping be completed within this activity period because trapping outside of this time period will require additional trapping efforts (increases in the number of traps needed and the length of the survey period).  |
Bilingual Public Outreach: A Vital Resource in Today's Consulting Environment
ECORP has provided Spanish translation and outreach services to a variety of public and private clients since 2006. With these services, ECORP provides clients the tools necessary to assist the Spanish-speaking public and those working on construction projects to understand the environmental process and laws that protect sensitive resources. One of our highlighted services continues to be our bilingual public outreach efforts. We have a dedicated bilingual staff available to make on-site visits, prepare bilingual educational material, and attend public meetings to support the client with this service. Currently, we have a growing Spanish-speaking staff with knowledge in CEQA/NEPA, Biology, Mapping, and Visual Resources available to assist clients in keeping the public adequately informed on sensitive resources within their sphere of influence. One of our milestone bilingual outreach efforts has been for the Big Tujunga Wash Mitigation Area (Mitigation Area), a mitigation property owned and managed by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works (LACDPW). Due to its status as a mitigation property, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has issued a permit for the site that contains certain rules and regulations required to ensure the property remains suitable for use as a mitigation property. This document also mandates the types of allowable and prohibited recreational activities at the site.  |
| Modern Solutions for Historical Concerns
 Historic-era buildings and structures exist in many different shapes and sizes and, as such, have a multitude of complicated concerns that come with them for any project. A particular concern is the potential to adversely affect or significantly impact an important historical building or structure. ECORP is a leader in developing innovative and practical solutions for addressing adverse effects to historic properties that may occur as a result of any complicated project. ECORP is known for developing well planned cultural resources mitigation strategies and effectively and efficiently executing those strategies for all types of clients and projects. The result is a streamlined project with happy clients, satisfied federal and/or state agencies, and often a very pleased public who gets to enjoy the contributions to history.
The list of mitigation solutions that ECORP has developed has extended beyond typical Historic American Building Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) mitigation for historic properties, to other strategies such as Educational/Interpretive Panels placed on public walking trails, curation of historical artifacts at local museums, and implementing other preservation techniques following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards (SOI) for Treatment of Historic Properties.
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An Introduction to Lidar and Laser Scanning - A Free Workshop!
ECORP is teaming up with the Surveyors, Architects, Geologists, and Engineers (SAGE) of El Dorado County in presenting a workshop on the use of laser scanning technology in project planning and development. The workshop is free and open to everyone and includes:
- Introduction to Lidar and Laser Scanning Technology
- Applications in Cultural Resources Identification
- Mobile Lidar
- Terrestrial Lidar Applications
- Rock Slope Stability Assessment Using Lidar
- Landslide Assessment Applications
- Through the Eyes of Lidar: A Virtual Trip Around Tahoe
The workshop features Dave Krolick and Lisa Westwood of ECORP and will be held on Friday, August 1, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board Annex Building in South Lake Tahoe. Please RSVP before Friday, July 25, 2014 to [email protected]. Click here for the official S.A.G.E. flyer. |
I Found This Baby Animal - What Should I Do? 
This is the time of year that many wildlife species are giving birth and raising their young. It is not uncommon to find young animals that appear to be in danger or abandoned by their mothers. Sadly, many well-intentioned people end up intervening in ways that permanently separate mothers from their young. They automatically assume the baby has been abandoned by its mother and needs immediate help. While leaving young animals on their own may appear to be reckless abandonment, most of the time baby animals found alone are not necessarily in danger.
 How does one determine whether the young animal really needs help? Whether or not an animal will need human care will depend on the species and age of the animal. Young mammals, for example, like to venture out and explore or forage on their own, typically under the watchful eyes of their mothers who may be close by. Generally, if a mammal has fur and is moving on its own, it will likely find its way back to the nest or den. Some mammal species, like rabbits and deer, often leave their young in the nest or in a safe place while the mother forages for food for hours at a time. If a young mammal that is found alone or if a nest of young mammals are found that don't appear to be distressed (e.g., not shivering, crying, calling, bleeding, disoriented, or injured), they should not be picked up or moved.Their location should be noted and then they should be left alone for one day. If the animal is in the same location the following day, then a wildlife rehabilitator should be contacted for guidance. If a young mammal is found by itself and it is obviously too young to care for itself (its eyes have not opened yet or it does not have fur) then it could mean the mother may have perished. In this case, a call to an approved wildlife rehabilitator would be warranted.
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