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Natural Resource Assessment

Mount Rainier, viewed from Sunrise.

Steward and Associates provides a wide variety of services to meet your Natural Resource Assessment needs. Our staff are experienced in stream and riparian habitat assessment protocols, species inventories and water quality monitoring. See our Wetlands page for delineation and mitigation services.

We also provide Impact Assessment, mitigation planning and associated reporting for many types of activities, including urban development, transportation projects, hydroelectric dams, instream flow alterations, forestry activities, wastewater treatment, land-use alterations and many others.

  • Stream surveys
  • Species inventory and census
  • Habitat inventory and assessment
  • Urban, forestry, and agricultural impact assessment
  • Water quality monitoring and analysis
  • Critical Areas delineation, assessment, and mitigation

Sample Projects:
Lower Columbia Watershed Assessment and Recovery Planning: At the request of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, Steward and Associates and the environmental consulting firm URS, developed a GIS database and assessment methodology to identify important watershed and subwatershed-scale functional landscape parameters (e.g., land cover, land use, precipitation, topography, soils, etc.) over a five county region in southwest Washington. Results were analyzed to identify data gaps, priority subwatersheds, limiting factors, restoration opportunities, and linkages between subwatershed condition and channel geomorphology, riparian condition, and instream habitat quality. This information is critical to effective recovery planning and long-term monitoring.
2006-2007 On-Call Environmental Services for Snohomish County, WA: Steward and Associates, as a subcontractor to Perteet Engineering, Inc. of Everett, Washington, will provide technical services to the Snohomish County Public Works Department. Our staff will assist Perteet and the County with project planning, natural resource surveys, permitting, environmental review, and public involvement. Technical work will comprise biological assessments, critical area (wetland) delineations, permit preparation, SEPA/NEPA documentation and other environmental services, as requested by our client.
Development Review Services for the City of Snohomish and Landowners: Steward and Associates has an ongoing contract with the City of Snohomish to review development proposals for compliance with the City’s Critical Area Ordinance, as well as compliance with provisions of the Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act. Steward and Associates often works directly with local landowners to develop restoration and mitigation measures that will offset and protect aquatic resources from significant development impacts. Steward and Associates is responsible for recommending actions that the City might take to link local government goals with goals of salmon recovery in the Snohomish watershed.
Snohomish City WWTPS (Waste Water Treatment Plant Settlement): As part of a settlement agreement between the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance and the City of Snohomish, the Sustainable Fisheries Foundation was asked to monitor the biological health of key stream sites within the City, as well as the presence of pesticides, hydrocarbons and nutrients in the water column. The Foundation contracted with Steward and Associates to perform the work.
Lyon Creek Habitat Assessment - City of Lake Forest Park: Steward and Associates conducted habitat sampling of Lyon Creek in the Lake Washington watershed on behalf of the City of Lake Forest Park. Field surveys included stream reach delineation and characterization, measurement of habitat parameters (e.g., bank condition, instream cover, substrate, large woody debris), collection of fish presence/absence data, identification of problems or concerns - such as points of discharge or withdrawal and fish passage barriers - as well as identification of opportunities for protection or restoration projects.
Cowlitz Indian Tribe - Natural Resource Review and Departmental Planning: Steward and Associates is currently working with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to perform a comprehensive review of natural resource status within the Tribe’s traditional territories (WRIAs 25, 26, 27, 28, 29) and facilitate the development of the Tribe’s Natural Resource Department. As a recently recognized tribe, the Cowlitz are in the early phases of establishing the tribe’s capacity to serve its members and participate in regional management decisions in numerous arenas, such as environmental issues, transportation and public health. Steward and Associates is playing a leading role in developing the Tribe’s natural resource management capacity by providing technical expertise on fisheries and water resource issues, representing the Tribe in a number of regional forums, and assisting in the assessment of current and future personnel, financial and technological needs and identification of priorities.
City of Snohomish ESA Compliance and Salmon Conservation Strategy – Wetland Delineation: Steward & Associates provided the city of Snohomish with wetland delineation services for all city and UGA wetland areas. Steward & Associates performed onsite inspections to document the presence or absence of required wetland characteristics: hydrophilic vegetation, wetland hydrology, and hydric soils. Once delineated, the approximate wetland boundaries were geographically located with a Global Positioning System and transferred to Geographic Information System (GIS).