Statement of Qualifications - WES · and team management. Prior to joining WES, he was employed for 6 ½ years as wetland ecologist for an engineering consulting firm in Montgomery,

Statement of Qualifications

for

Westervelt Ecological Services

Southeast Office:

2128 Moores Mill Road, Suite B Auburn, Alabama 36830

Western Office:

600 North Market Blvd, Suite #3 Sacramento, California 95834

COMPANY OVERVIEW One of America's premier land resource companies and a leader in sustainable forest management and conservation practices, The Westervelt Company was founded by Herbert Westervelt as Prairie States Paper Corporation in 1884. The private organization owns nearly 500,000 acres across the Southeast.

The organization's vision statement reflects an environmental stewardship role, serving to protect and enhance the natural life cycle of its land, while striving to identify highest and best use opportunities that will sustain and perpetuate future generations.

Westervelt Ecological Services (WES) is one of The Westervelt Company's seven business units. Creating

stream, wetlands and imperiled species mitigation banks, the business also provides nationwide environmental mitigation and habitat planning services to landowners, businesses, government agencies, and land trusts. The managing executives have been involved in the creation of banking policy and in the implementation of groundbreaking mitigation and conservation banks since the early stages of the industry. The professional staff includes planners, ecologists, landscape architects and economists, each of whom have direct experience in bank establishment and operation. SUCCESS IN THE SOUTHEAST The following projects in the southeastern United States demonstrate the team's success in mitigation bank development tasks, including planning, permitting, implementation, and monitoring. Yellowleaf Mitigation Bank Yellowleaf Mitigation Bank is a viable compensatory mitigation alternative for stream and wetland impacts within the mitigation service area that has been authorized by a Department of the Army permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The 547-acre site is located between Birmingham and Childersburg, Alabama in eastern Shelby County along a portion of Yellowleaf Creek. Aside from restoring lost wetland and stream functions, the site is managed to protect two extremely rare and endangered mussel species (the triangular kidneyshell and southern clubshell), two other federally protected mussel species (southern Pigtoe and fine-lined pocketbook), a State protected mussel species (Alabama spike), the endangered cylindrical lioplax snail, and one plant species of special concern (the Cahaba lily).

Southeast Regional Office

2128 Moores Mill Road,

Suite B

Auburn, Alabama 36830

(334) 821-1999 MAIN

(334) 821-1969 FAX

Wesmitigation.com

Big Sandy Mitigation Bank Big Sandy Mitigation Bank is a 1,060-acre stream and wetland mitigation bank located in the Ridge and Valley Region of Eastern Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. The Bank protects the floodplain and approximately four miles of Big Sandy Creek, a major tributary to the Black Warrior River, one of the most scenic rivers in Alabama. The Bank also provides buffer land for adjacent Talladega National Forest, and demonstrates WES's commitment to finding properties with larger conservation value. Pensacola Bay Mitigation Bank Pensacola Bay Mitigation Bank is a 1,205-acre site located in Santa Rosa County, Florida, and contiguous to the Florida Forever Acquisition Area called the Garcon Ecosystem Preserve. The Garcon Peninsula contains some of the best pitcher plant prairies remaining in Florida and the Florida Forever Garcon Ecosystem project is charged with protecting and expanding these prairies. The carnivorous white-topped pitcher plant, a State endangered plant species, is located and protected within the mitigation bank. This project makes a significant contribution to the viability of the Garcon project by increasing the size of the preserve by approximately 15% and also contributes significant acres to the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership.

St. Marks Mitigation Bank

Designated as a “Group A Project” for acquisition and restoration on the 2008 Florida Forever Priority List, St. Marks Mitigation Bank is an ecological diamond in the rough that Westervelt Ecological Services intends to restore to its primitive Florida splendor. This 1450-acre wetland site straddles the Jefferson and Wakulla County lines in an ideal location adjacent to a vast assemblage of conservation lands alongside the St. Marks and Aucilla River drainages. Substantial portions of the bank site include areas identified as potential rare species habitat. In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has recently listed the area as critical habitat for the flatwoods salamander. This bank will serve as viable compensatory mitigation for projects which impact flatwood, prairie, and hardwood wetlands.



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Chickasawhay Conservation Bank Chickasawhay Conservation Bank is a 1,230-acre site in Greene County, Mississippi that provides the opportunity to both relocate and trade habitat mitigation for federally threatened gopher tortoises in Mississippi and western Alabama. It is the first gopher tortoise bank authorized with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This Bank contributes significant restored acres to the "land of longleaf pine" and also provides buffer habitat to federal and state properties. TEAM ORGANIZATION WES seeks out land for protection that is often situated in a larger conservation landscape, such as those that buffer public land. WES exercises the highest financial and legal practices to ensure these banks are, in fact, protected in perpetuity. In addition, WES can rely on its parent company for additional expertise including engineers, surveyors, natural resource professionals, legal counsel, etc., to ensure that the highest quality mitigation is performed. Key organizational attributes include:

• Extensive team experience in the process of planning and approving mitigation banks.

• Full knowledge of local natural resources issues, restoration approaches, and public interest groups.

• Commitment to sustainable solutions via proper site selection and stewardship.



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ROLES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF KEY TEAM MEMBERS IN SOUTHEAST

John Wigginton, Ph.D., PWS Dr. John Wigginton is the Regional Manager for the Southeast regional office, where he leads a motivated and dedicated team of accomplished professionals. His duties include site feasibility analysis and selection, Interagency Review Team interaction, landowner negotiations, budgeting, long-range planning, process management, and team management. Prior to joining WES, he was employed for 6 ½ years as wetland ecologist for an engineering consulting firm in Montgomery, Alabama. He led the firm’s mitigation banking efforts, developing the first stream mitigation bank in Alabama, and the first mitigation banks in both the Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama watersheds. He also specialized in wetland delineations/hydric soil determinations, various federal and state permitting, strategies for mitigation of stream and wetland impacts, conducted threatened/endangered species surveys, stream assessment for natural channel design and restoration, and environmental assessments/NEPA documents.

Dr. Wigginton is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist and received his PhD in Forest Ecology from the Auburn University School of Forestry. His dissertation investigated the effects of natural succession and restoration on soil organic matter formation and sequestration of thermally impacted floodplain forests at the Savannah River Site, SC. He has a M.S. in Wetland Studies from the University of Florida’s Center for Wetlands.

Michelle O’Neal, MPA, AICP Michelle O’Neal, Sales and Marketing Manager, coordinates with private and public clients on project specific mitigation and manages sales of existing bank credits, identifies potential site acquisitions, and analyzes market information to ensure the finished mitigation banks are a viable product.

Mrs. O’Neal received her Master’s degree in Public Administration, specializing in urban planning and public financial management. Prior to joining WES, she managed land development activities for Westervelt Realty. She has over 15 years of experience in government planning. Mrs. O’Neal also previously served as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. She is certified through the American Institute of Certified Planners and is a member of the Alabama, Florida and Mississippi Chapters of the American Association of Planning and the Northwest Florida and Tallahassee Area Chapters of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals.



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Sean McGary, PWS Sean McGary is a Senior Project Manager who specializes in mitigation bank entitlement and compliance, working closely with regional interagency review teams. Mr. McGary has experience in monitoring and designing stream and wetland mitigation banks in the southeast and midwest United States. Additionally, he has performed threatened and endangered species surveys for species such as Eastern indigo snake, gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker, green pitcher plant, Florida panther, scrub jay and many other species in the Southeastern U.S. Mr. McGary has experience in jurisdictional wetland delineations, stream assessments for natural in-channel design including riparian buffer restoration, construction oversight, and NEPA documentation.

Originally from Ft. Myers, FL, he received his degree in Environmental Science from the University of Florida. Mr. McGary is a member of the following organizations: Society of Wetland Scientists, Society of Ecological Restoration, and the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals.

Prior to joining WES, Mr. McGary served as an ecologist/project scientist for both the private and public sectors including Passarella and Associates in Ft. Myers, FL, Georgia Dept. of Transportation in Atlanta, GA, and Hayes, Seay, Mattern, and Mattern in Raleigh, NC.

John McGuire, MS, CWB, CF, CE John McGuire is a Senior Project Manager who specializes in the restoration and management of southern pine forests (primarily longleaf pine), including issues related to prescribed burning, sustainable forestry practices, managing habitat for federally listed wildlife species and other issues that are key to managing conservation banks for WES. He has extensive experience with various T&E species in the Southeast including red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise, red hill salamander, alligator snapping turtle, and numerous fresh-water mussel surveys. Prior to joining WES, he ran the outreach program for the Longleaf Alliance, a grassroots forest conservation organization housed at Auburn University in Alabama. Work with the Longleaf Alliance established a close working relationship with many of the military installations in the Southeast who manage longleaf pine.

Mr. McGuire was involved in seminal longleaf forest restoration research at the Jones Ecological Research Center and Silver Lake Experiment Forest (both in south Georgia). He has a M.S. in Forestry from Auburn University and B.S. Degrees in Environmental Science, Biology, and Zoology from Washington State University. He has entrenched himself in conservation issues in the Southeastern United States for approximately the past 15 years and directed his academic and professional experience to merge the gap between ecology and forestry.



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Kristen Selikoff, MA Kristen Selikoff is the GIS Analyst for Westervelt Ecological Services’ Southeast office. Her GIS skills have been highly developed over 10 years of working in the profession. While focusing on the environmental and urban planning fields, most recently she helped secure, design, and implement grant-funded local watershed plans based in North Carolina. Her technical expertise in this field encompasses the full range of GIS based hydro-analysis such as watershed delineation, GPS database design and collection, high volume cartographic production, as well as stream site field research. Ms. Selikoff is a seasoned GIS professional, having been involved in every facet of managing and implementing a GIS system. This has ranged from budgeting departmental costs and procurements, personnel management and instruction, to project planning and GIS analysis and production.

Ms. Selikoff received her M.A. in Applied Geography at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she then started her GIS career working and teaching for the Geography department. Her GIS roots were further established working in local and regional government capacities as an analyst and manager, while also gaining experience in the planning, land conservation, and watershed studies fields. Her work with the Sandhills Land Trust directed her towards comprehensive land use planning geared towards the ACUB program around Ft. Bragg.



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SUCCESS IN THE WEST The following projects in the western United States demonstrate the team's success in mitigation bank development tasks, including planning, permitting, implementation, and monitoring. Big Gun Conservation Bank The Big Gun Conservation Bank, located in Placer County, California, is the first Bank to provide compensatory credits for California red-legged frog in its Sierra Nevada Range. The Bank, a 48-acre former gold mining site, has the highest density of documented California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) in the entire Sierra Nevada. In 2008, after unsuccessful attempts by local, State and federal entities to purchase the property with grant money, Westervelt purchased the site to assist the Service in accomplishing their recovery goals for the California red-legged frog in the Region. Sutter Basin Conservation Bank This 429-acre bank is located in Sutter County, California, ten miles south of Yuba City, and has been restored by Westervelt to provide foraging and refugia habitat for the federally-listed threatened giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas). This site is a created managed marsh habitat that was made by converting a degraded rice field into six, independently managed slough-type features in the landscape. These sloughs (cells) are supplied with water from a high-line canal through twin-track flashboard risers. Water levels in each cell are managed to optimize utilization for giant garter snake, including adjusting water levels for young-of-the-year predation evasion. Van Vleck Ranch Mitigation Bank The Van Vleck Ranching and Resources Corporation (VVRR) owns and operates several thousand acres of ranch land in the vicinity of Rancho Murieta in eastern Sacramento County. Westervelt worked with the VVRR to establish the 775 acre Van Vleck Mitigation Bank on a portion of seven parcels, which is a subset of the overall land owned and operated by this entity.

Western Regional Office

600 North Market Blvd,

Suite 3

Sacramento, California

95825

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Before habitat development, the Bank’s grassland habitat already supported several vernal pool complexes, drainage channels, seeps, and artificial ponds. Vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) have been documented in the pools on site, and Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) are known to forage and nest in the vicinity of the Bank. The relatively low density of existing natural wetlands (3.7%), along with the site’s natural mima-mound topography, provided an excellent opportunity for Westervelt to implement vernal pool creation in suitable non-wetland areas in proximity to the existing vernal pool complexes. Overall, Westervelt’s conservation activities have included mitigation value assessment and land acquisition, planning, restoration design, biological surveys, agency meetings and site visits, construction and design drawings, grading plans, vernal pool construction, and land management/habitat stewardship. This bank was the first mitigation bank approved in northern California under the new federal Wetlands Compensatory Mitigation Rule, established to increase mitigation standards, and the new interagency mitigation banking template, designed to improve coordination between agencies in establishing Banks. Cosumnes Floodplain Mitigation Bank In 2009, Westervelt received formal approval for the tidally-influenced 472-acre Cosumnes Floodplain Mitigation Bank (Bank) to provide mitigation credits for riparian, perennial, and seasonal wetland habitats for flood control projects. The Cosumnes Floodplain Mitigation Bank, located in the Sacramento County at the confluence of the Cosumnes and Mokelumne Rivers, was approved by an Interagency Review Team consisting of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Fish and Game and The National Marine Fisheries Service. The approval of the Bank was the culmination of three years of focused effort to acquire the property, clear the title of outstanding easements and mineral rights, complete hydrologic modeling, and gain agency approval for construction. Restoration activities at the Bank have begun with the contouring back-water tidal channels and floodplain terraces into the nearly 500-acre site and replanting riparian forest vegetation. Ongoing work includes breaching the levee on the Cosumnes River to restore natural hydrology and tidal influence to the property, establishing natural processes and connecting the restored floodplain habitats to the riverine ecosystem.



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The Natomas Basin Conservancy, Site-Specific Management Plans Westervelt was selected by The Natomas Basin Conservancy (TNBC) to prepare site-specific management plans (SSMPs) for three new parcels of land acquired by TNBC: Elsie (158 acres), Frazer South (110 acres) and Bianchi West (110 acres) parcels. The SSMPs included field reconnaissance to determine existing habitat conditions for federal and State listed species, descriptions of the suitability for habitat restoration and specific land management practices to maximize the species utilization, preparation of an opinion of probable costs associated with implementing the management plan, and an up-date to the long-term stewardship operations and maintenance program and budget. TNBC is the plan operator for the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan, which is located in Sacramento and Sutter Counties of California. TNBC acquires and manages the land for 22 special status species of flora and fauna, including Swainson’s hawk and giant garter snake. TNBC is working within the 53,341-acre planning area to create a preserve system of 8,750 acres, consisting of 50% rice, 25% managed marsh for giant garter snake and 25% managed uplands for Swainson’s hawk. Conaway Ranch Under contract to the County of Yolo, Westervelt prepared a feasibility study for mitigation banking viability and funding on the habitat portion of the 17,300-acre Conaway Ranch public preservation project located along the Sacramento River and Yolo Bypass. Westervelt coordinated a team of restoration ecologists and species consultants, design and construction specialists and economic consultants in the development of a conceptual habitat design and market analysis. The team then developed the cost estimates for design, permitting, construction, post-construction monitoring and long-term management for a variety of wetlands and endangered species habitat, including Swainson’s hawk. Finally, a detailed market analysis was performed to determine future economic and market values related to mitigation values in the region.



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Pinole Valley Mitigation Bank Pinole Valley Mitigation Bank (Bank) occupies 2,640-acres in western Contra Costa County and is owned by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. The lands, originally purchased by the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) in order to develop a water supply reservoir, have never been committed to a particular use or legally constrained to ongoing public ownership. Now EBMUD is proposing to commit the lands to permanent management and protection via the mechanism of a mitigation bank. Westervelt, under contract to EBMUD, prepared the Pinole Valley Mitigation Bank Feasibility Study within budget and on time (approximately six weeks from authorization to completion). The Feasibility Study identified a potential to develop wetland mitigation credits and endangered species credits at the site. The Pinole Valley Mitigation Bank is in the Final Prospectus phase of development. Baseline technical studies have been completed, including soils, wetland delineation, endangered species, cultural resources, environmental contaminants, and habitat restoration constraints/opportunities. Westervelt and its team members have worked closely with the EBMUD staff of biologists and land managers in preparing these studies, which form the foundation of the bank proposal – also known as the Prospectus – that is currently under review by the Interagency Review Team. Doty Ravine Preserve Westervelt implemented a 20-acre riparian floodplain restoration project on land owned by the Placer Land Trust (PLT). As the lead applicant, PLT was approved for funding by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board). The funding was from a supplement environmental project proposed by a private developer group, PL Roseville, and agreed to by the Water Board as part of a settlement to compensate for floodplain impacts impacted by PL Roseville, as described in Administrative Civil Liability Complaint #R5-2006-0511. The project included data collection related to soils, hydrology, vegetation, cultural resources, topography, and sensitive species utilization, and the preparation of a site-specific operation and management (O&M) plan, restoration concept plan, grading plan, monitoring program and implementation cost projections. Westervelt oversaw the construction implementation, of the habitat restoration project including site collection of seeds and cuttings for container stock, removal of non-native shrubs, and the installation of pre-grown 5,700 native trees, shrubs and sedges. Also included was the construction of a seasonal wetland in the floodplain



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to catch suspended soil particles during flood events. The seasonal wetland was seeded with native grasses and forbs. Reclamation District 830 Mitigation Analysis and Plan, GIS Model Between January 1 and December 31, 2009, Westervelt developed a 408,578-acre GIS-based land suitability analysis model to identify lands that have the highest potential for restoration and mitigation within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This project was funded by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Delta Levees Program, and the GIS model will be used by DWR and the Department of Fish and Game to evaluate future mitigation proposals for their suitability. The project has also provided Westervelt with a valuable land suitability analysis tool that no other private mitigation company possesses. To develop the model, many data layers (criteria) were compiled, processed, and evaluated for their applicability to restoration of three habitat types: tidally-influenced freshwater marsh, shaded riverine aquatic habitat, and riparian forest/scrub-shrub habitats. Criteria such as existing vegetation, elevation, soils, proximity to existing habitat, adjacent land uses, zoning, proximity to existing tidal channels were processed and combined to produce maps for each habitat type that identify high-priority areas for restoration. The model emphasizes natural processes and long-term sustainability in order to accommodate environmental changes such as sea-level rise and climate change. Burke Ranch Conservation Bank The 962-acre Burke Ranch Conservation Bank in Solano County has been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide conservation credits for vernal pool habitat preservation. These credits include alkali playa, due to the presence of a rare soil formation (gilgai soils) that has resulted in a complex of micro mima-mounds. A total of 246.26 acres of waters of the United States were delineated within the Bank. The site was also approved for over 500 acres of California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) habitat compensation. Westervelt did an extensive analysis of many alternative locations for the bank before selecting the Burke Ranch location. Establishment of the bank included GIS analysis, permitting and planning, interaction with governmental agencies and coordination with local governments and landowners. Westervelt also coordinated its bank project with the Solano



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County Water Agency’s Habitat Conservation Planning effort to ensure that the site would be complementary with its habitat. Oursan Ridge Conservation Bank

Oursan Ridge Conservation Bank (ORCB) occupies 274 acres in western Contra Costa County owned by the East Bay Municipal Utility District. This bank contains both Alameda whipsnake (Masticophis lateralis) and California red-legged frog habitat. Located along the Oursan Ridge in

the Pinole Valley watershed, the site is approximately five miles southeast of the Town of Pinole. As much of the surrounding region is currently in high density development, the ORCB will serve to facilitate the protection of Alameda whipsnake and California red-legged populations and high quality habitats in the area against on-going development pressures in perpetuity. Thus, the bank will assist in meeting defined regional recovery goals for both species Westervelt, under contract with EBMUD, has prepared a prospectus and will assist them in developing a full range of permitting and bank documents. This will include aspects of the; land management plan, bank crediting, credit transfers, endowment funding, agency review and coordination, and marketing.

ROLES AND QUALIFICATIONS OF KEY TEAM MEMBERS IN THE WEST Greg Sutter, MS Mr. Sutter serves as Executive Vice President in charge of operations and land acquisitions. He has worked on ecosystem restoration planning and implementation throughout the Central Valley and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for over 25 years, and is an acknowledged leader in mitigation land acquisition and effective bank establishment. Under his leadership, projects are kept within the anticipated schedule for implementation and within budgeted allocations. During this time, he has actively participated in the implementation of over 10,000 acres of habitat restoration, including the breach of multiple levees to provide habitat enhancement, such as at the Cosumnes Floodplain Mitigation Bank.

Greg Sutter also oversees planning and budgeting for Westervelt projects, including capital expenditures, labor and materials costs, and operations and maintenance expenditures. Mr. Sutter has particular expertise in crafting equitable, multi-million dollar land acquisitions for mitigation and conservation banks. Mr. Sutter works with landowners, to produce positive transactions ranging from fee title purchase to innovative partnerships, in addition to directing due diligence efforts



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such as in-depth review and analysis of a site’s ecological suitability and title constraints. Mr. Sutter has a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University, and a Master of Science in Ecology from the University of California at Davis.

Greg DeYoung, MUP, AICP Mr. DeYoung serves as a Vice President with oversight of the mitigation and conservation bank entitlement process, overseeing mitigation and conservation bank establishment in Westervelt’s Western and Southeastern regions. His experience in mitigation bank establishment includes the permitting of over 30 mitigation and conservation banks and large-scale mitigation projects in California, Washington, and Alaska. He was involved in a number of mitigation and conservation banking milestones, including: the first California Red-Legged Frog Conservation Bank; the first Central Valley vernal pool conservation bank; and the first Delta smelt, steelhead, and Chinook salmon conservation bank.

Mr. DeYoung has prepared regional planning and environmental documents, including NEPA / CEQA, and EIS / EIR. Mr. DeYoung’s volunteer positions have included Director for the Nevada County Land Trust and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Mr. DeYoung holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Master of Urban Planning from the California State University, Pomona. Mr. DeYoung is a member of the American Planning Association. Charles “Hal” Holland Mr. Holland is responsible for overseeing entitlement and compliance on mitigation and conservation bank properties at Westervelt. In this role, Mr. Holland oversees project management and scheduling, entitlement document preparation (e.g., prospectus and mitigation bank instrument), and Interagency Review Team approval processing. Mr. Holland’s experience includes endowment fund budget preparation, third-party conservation easement holder negotiation, credit methodology justification, service area analysis, biological review, and CEQA / NEPA compliance.

Mr. Holland has conducted numerous surveys for State and federally listed threatened and endangered species, and he has extensive experience with Clean Water Act, Section 404 and 401 permitting. Mr. Holland has a Bachelor of Science degree in ecology, behavior, and evolution from the University of California at San Diego. He is currently a Board member on the Sacramento Chapter of The Wildlife Society.



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Lucy Triffleman

Lucy Triffleman is a Conservation Planner in the entitlement division of Westervelt and has worked in the natural resources for over 12 years. For the majority of that time, Ms. Triffleman worked as a federal employee for a variety of agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in California, the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Oklahoma, the Bureau of Land Management in New Mexico, and the Bureau of Reclamations and U.S. Forest Service in Colorado. During her time with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ms. Triffleman assisted in the implementation of various federal policies including conservation banking and sections 6, 7, and 10 of the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Ms. Triffleman also has experience performing a variety of field studies for listed species and native plants. Additionally, she has worked on developing and implementing a number of habitat restoration projects in both tall and short grass prairie ecosystems, riparian corridors, and various wetland types throughout Oklahoma and California. At Westervelt, Ms. Triffleman’s primary responsibilities include coordinating with various State and federal agencies to establish, permit, and manage conservation and/or mitigation properties throughout California.

Ms. Triffleman has a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Languages and Literature from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. She currently serves on the Board of the Sacramento-Shasta chapter of The Wildlife Society. Robert Capriola, MS Mr. Capriola is a senior conservation planner for project entitlement at Westervelt. As a Project Manager in the Bank Entitlement Group, Mr. Capriola spends a majority of his time on feasibility analysis for the establishment of banks, bank document preparation, and interacting with members of the Interagency Review Teams for bank development and approval. He assists in the evaluation of properties for restoration opportunities, development of technical baseline studies, bank feasibility analyses, preparation of entitlement documents for mitigation banks, and providing guidance on permitting and construction. Mr. Capriola came to work for Westervelt after eleven years with the California Waterfowl Association (CWA). While at CWA, Capriola developed many successful proposals and managed several multi-million dollar grants for habitat improvement feasibility studies, engineering designs, and permitting and construction of wetland and fisheries projects. Mr. Capriola has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cultural Anthropology and a Master of Science in Natural Resources, both from the California State University at Humboldt.



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Jeff Mathews, MPA Mr. Mathews serves as Senior Sales Associate for Westervelt Ecological Services. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of land appraisal, acquisition, utility relocation and project management for public transportation projects, including acquisition of habitat values needed prior to the issuance of regulatory permits. Mr. Mathews has extensive knowledge of land use planning and transportation planning, including over eight years of experience as a city and county planning commissioner, which serves as a guide to the strategic development of mitigation projects to serve a variety of client needs. He currently serves as co-chair of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce Cap-to-Cap Transportation team and leads an annual mission to Washington, D.C., advocating for federal support of federal transportation projects in the Sacramento Region. Since 1999, Mr. Mathews has secured over 2000 acres of conserved and restored habitat for transportation projects in California.

Mr. Mathews also guides the market research effort for Westervelt including a systematic review of public and private development projects within our bank service areas and monitors regional development trends. Mr. Mathews has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from California State University, Chico, and a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Chico.

Travis Hemmen, MS Travis Hemmen directs the business and market development for Westervelt. Mr. Hemmen coordinates with private and public clients on project specific mitigation and manages sales for existing bank credits. Mr. Hemmen identifies potential site acquisitions and analyzes market information to ensure mitigation bank viability. He sits on the economic subcommittee for the South Sacrament Habitat Conservation Plan. Mr. Hemmen leads both regulatory and political efforts that support Westervelt projects and issues affecting the habitat banking industry. He is a co-chair of the Land Use Natural Resources committee for the Sacramento Metro Chamber that manages the “cap-to-cap” lobbying trip to Washington D.C. to meet with headquarter and senior staff at Federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, and elected officials.

Mr. Hemmen has a Bachelor of Arts in biology with an emphasis in ethics from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Master of Environmental Law and Policy with an emphasis in alternative dispute resolution from Vermont Law School.



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Mark Young, MLA Mark Young is a licensed landscape architect with 25 years of experience in environmental planning, and habitat and wetland restoration design. Mr. Young is the manager for restoration design and construction at Westervelt. This experience has allowed the development and implementation of environmentally sensitive and realistic solutions that comply with permit requirements. Mr. Young has conducted wetland delineations, prepared wetland and stream rehabilitation and mitigation design plans, habitat mitigation and monitoring plans. He has also coordinated environmental elements for permitting project documentation, and overseen the preparation and implementation of storm water pollution prevention plans.

Mr. Young has led interdisciplinary teams on project design from a few acres to over 500 acres in size. He has managed the design and implementation on multi-million dollar mitigation projects. This work has given him an opportunity to communicate with federal and State resource agencies in the Western United States, including projects in the Delta region and greater Central Valley. Mr. Young has a Bachelor of Arts degree in interdisciplinary studies, including environmental design, from Evergreen State College, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Washington.

Chris Holland Chris Holland is a restoration designer and is involved in both Construction Management and Computer Aided Design (CAD). As a restoration designer, Mr. Holland uses multiple programs and design tools including AutoCad, Google SketchUp, and Photoshop to produce the construction documents necessary to obtain grading permits. Throughout the design process, each site is analyzed and evaluated to maximize the habitats’ potential, and Mr. Holland provides the data which team members use to finalize a projects design.

Once the design is finalized and construction phase begins, Mr. Holland provides on-site design solutions and inspection of the earthwork using GPS and Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) survey to ensure projects are being built to specification. Additional on-site roles that Mr. Holland oversees include, biological monitoring to comply with federal, State and local permitting, as well as storm water pollution prevention plans (SWPPP). This biological monitoring has included giant garter snake, Swainson’s hawk, Valley elderberry longhorn beetle and ground-nesting birds.

Prior to joining Westervelt, Mr. Holland was a senior designer with The HLA Group and helped prepare construction documents for master planned communities, regional parks and other large scale urban projects. He obtained a Bachelor of Science, Landscape Architecture degree from Arizona State University and is an active member of The California Society for Ecological Restoration (SERCAL).



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Matt Gause Mr. Gause has had direct experience as an ecologist and land manager with wetland and habitat related projects on the Sacramento River, Cosumnes River Preserve, and within the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta including projects on Staten Island, Dead Horse Island, Andrus Island, McCormick-Williamson Tract, Holland Tract, Liberty Island, Jersey Island, and Kimball Island. He has conducted vegetation mapping and remote wetland delineation on over 160,000 acres of former tidal baylands surrounding the San Francisco and San Pablo Bays in California. This work was performed to identify suitable mitigation sites for the restoration of both tidal and intertidal habitats that would have been impacted by the proposed expansion of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Mr. Gause identifies and evaluates the biological and ecological suitability of candidate properties for conservation and/or restoration throughout California. Mr. Gause also develops and implements long-term land management and monitoring strategies for mitigation and conservation banks. Further, he manages biological technical staff through all phases of project development and operation. Mr. Gause has a Bachelor of Science in botany from the University of California, at Davis. Michael Lozano Mr. Lozano is a GIS Analyst and Cartographer with 26 years of experience. His responsibilities at Westervelt include Enterprise Geodatabase Management, developing Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) GIS models and Habitat Suitability Index (HIS) GIS models and preparing cartographic maps to present analysis results or for use in permit applications. Mr. Lozano’s skills include developing innovative methods using GPS, Autocad and ESRI GIS software to prepare highly accurate and detailed map layers.

Prior to Westervelt Mr. Lozano worked for PG&E (Land Dept), Enron O&G (EOG), Jones & Stokes Associates and A. Teichert & Son, Aggregate Resource Development (ATS) performing surveying and land mapping tasks, data acquisition, geodatabase management and site suitability analysis. Mr. Lozano has extensive experience working on projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Region while working with Enron Oil & Gas. Mr. Lozano also provided GIS data management and consulting services to numerous clients while with Jones & Stokes Associates. Mr. Lozano was trained as a Land Draftsman with PG&E while attending California State University, Sacramento where he received a B.A. in Geography in 1986 with emphasis on Land Use Planning, including Land Surveying coursework in the Department of Engineering.



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Documents

Statement of Qualifications - WES · and team management. Prior to joining WES, he was employed for 6 ½ years as wetland ecologist for an engineering consulting firm in Montgomery,