PBS&J’s Endangered and Threatened Species

Endangered and Threatened Species

PBS&J ecologists offer extensive cumulative knowledge of the flora and fauna considered by federal and state agencies as endangered, threatened, proposed for listing, candidates for listing, or rare. We perform presence/absence surveys, habitat evaluations, and species monitoring in terrestrial, subterranean, and aquatic ecosystems.

Specifically, our staff is experienced in:

Terrestrial

Pedestrian surveys
Aerial surveys
Trapping and translocation
Anuran call surveys
Live trapping
Bat surveys using mistnets, harp traps, and Anabat bat detectors

Aquatic

Invertebrate sampling
Seining
Boat and backpack electroshocking
Underwater observation using SCUBA and snorkeling equipment
Radio tracking

Subterranean

Karst feature surveys
Microgravity surveys
Burrowing species surveys

Permitting and Regulatory Compliance
PBS&J has a long history of preparing environmental documents and successfully conducting permit negotiations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973.

We are experienced in preparing biological assessments to evaluate project locations for the likelihood of the presence of endangered or threatened species and the associated effects of a project, in conjunction with Section 7 consultation with USFWS.

When incidental take is anticipated and a Section 10(a) permit under the ESA is required, Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) are used to describe the conservation and mitigation efforts that will be employed to reduce effects on protected species. PBS&J has produced individual HCPs where a single species or landowner is affected, as well as regional and programmatic HCPs where numerous species and/or landowners are covered under the plan.

PBS&J also provides the full range of services critical to the formulation and implementation of Safe Harbor Agreements, which promote the voluntary management of endangered and threatened species on private lands.

PBS&J’s staff has experience with protected species across the U.S. these include, but are not limited to:

Mammals
Indiana bat, Ozark bigeared bat, beach mice, Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, Florida panther, Florida black bear, key deer, black right whale, West Indian manatee, black-footed ferret, gray bat, mangrove fox squirrel, and Sherman's short-tailed shrew

Birds
Piping plover, interior least tern, bald eagle, southwestern willow flycatcher, Attwater’s prairie chicken, red-cockaded woodpecker, Florida scrub jay, golden-cheeked warbler, black-capped vireo, whooping crane, Mexican spotted owl, and wood stork

Reptiles
Mojave desert tortoise, gopher tortoise, American crocodile, Florida indigo snake, Concho water snake, timber rattlesnake, alligator snapping turtle, hawksbill sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, and green turtle

Amphibians
San Marcos salamander, flatwoods salamander, Houston toad, Florida bog frog, pine barrens treefrog, gopher frog, Barton Springs salamander, Jollyville Plateau salamander, and Texas blind salamander

Fish
Gulf sturgeon, Neosho madtom, fountain darter, slackwater darter, Okaloosa darter, and shortnose sturgeon

Invertebrates
Cave arthropods, Comal Springs riffle beetle, and American burying beetle PLANTS– Tobusch fishhook cactus, Texas wild rice, Johnson’s seagrass, Florida golden aster, Apalachicola rosemary, Navasota ladies’-tresses, Eggert’s sunflower, White River penstemon, Schweinitz's sunflower, Texas prairie dawn, and scrub lupine

Protected Species Mapping Services
To map protected species’ habitats, our technical staff uses computer-aided drafting and design (CADD), geographic information system (GIS), and remote sensing software. We maintain a large inhouse repository of mapping data. Our staff is also skilled in locating and retrieving mapping data from the Internet, which is frequently integrated with data collected in the field with Global Positioning System (GPS) instrumentation. We provide maps in both digital and hard-copy formats, produced in a wide variety of sizes, including large displays for meetings.