CEC's environmental staff is multi-disciplined and capable of undertaking stand alone environmental projects or providing support services to CEC’s varied coastal and civil engineering projects. CEC provides natural resource management, environmental permitting, and monitoring services for coastal environments throughout the Southeastern United States. Services include field mapping and assessments, restoration and monitoring of marine and estuarine habitats, and conducting similar work in related freshwater and upland habitats.

Environmental Services include:

• Environmental Site Assessment
• Wetland Delineations, Mangrove and Marsh Resource Surveys
• Seagrass, Hardbottom, and Benthic Resource Surveys
• Permitting Issues Related to Manatees, Sea Turtles, and Smalltooth Sawfish
• Listed Species Surveys
• Mitigation Plan Design, Permitting, and Implementation
• Resource Monitoring and Permit Compliance
• Ecosystem Restoration Design, Permitting, and Implementation

Jurisdictional Wildlife and Vegetation Surveys allowed creation of Golf Course Community in Collier County, Florida

Our staff includes specialists in aquatic and terrestrial biology, wetland resources, geology, hydrogeology, engineering, and land use planning. We have prepared a wide variety of documents in compliance with federal laws including NEPA, Endangered Species Act, and Essential Fish Habitat consultation among others. Example documents include Environmental Assessments, Environmental Site Assessments, Wetland Delineations, Threatened and Endangered Species Assessment Reports, and Cultural Resource Survey Reports.

PHILOSOPHY

The following outlines CEC’s project approach to environmental design, resource protection, and mitigation planning:

• Fundamental Design Philosophy
  • Understand and Mimic Natural Processes
  • Restore Ecosystem Functionality
  • Minimize Environmental Impacts
• Construction Standards
  • Provide for Endangered Species & Natural Resource Habitat Protection Safeguards
  • Conduct Routine Monitoring to Document Safeguards
• Mitigating Impacts
  • Quantify Environmental Impacts from Restoration Measures
  • Develop Mitigation Plan to Compensate for Losses
  • Provide for Monitoring to Document Performance & Success

Our design and construction projects are conducted in accordance with local, state, and federal laws governing construction. One of our primary focuses is the protection of the environment. We pride ourselves on our innovative designs to avoid impacts to the environment; and, where appropriate, design and implement mitigation plans to offset these impacts. While conducting resource surveys, we coordinate detailed mapping, characterization, and quantification of flora, fauna, and quality and character of the sensitive environmental habitat within and adjacent to the project site.

PERMITTING

One of the most common requests from our clients is to assist them in obtaining federal, state, and local environmental permits. CEC’s decades of experience have established us as leaders in preparing, submitting, and obtaining these permits on a timely basis and at a reasonable cost.

Cypress Hammock and Marsh Prairie, Collier County, Florida

Our specific areas of expertise include:

Federal Permitting

• US Army Corps of Engineers Federal Dredge and Fill Permitting
• Threatened and Endangered Species consultations, biologic surveys and biological assessments - US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service
• Essential Fish Habitat assessments - National Marine Fisheries Service
• NEPA Process Services (EIS, EA, FONSI and related documents)

State Permitting

• Environmental Resource Permitting with emphasis on marinas, docks, mooring fields, and new and maintenance dredging
• Permit Compliance including monitoring to ensure permit conditions are attained
• Coastal Construction Control Line Permitting
• Joint Coastal Permitting
• Wetland Delineations
• Listed Species Surveys
• Submerged Land Leases
• Marina Management Plans

Mooring Field in Matanzas Harbor, Lee County, Florida

SPECIALTY ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Due Diligence

Businesses and individuals need more than a company that submit and process an environmental permit. Often, before applying for environmental permits, there is a need to understand the environmental history of a property or an existing project. CEC’s sleuthing skills are built upon the staff’s knowledge and experience in finding hard to get information. Specific due diligence services provided by CEC include:

• Research Permit History
• Conduct Permitting and Environmental Alternatives Analyses
• Provide Expert Opinion Research Services

Permit Resolution

At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who need assistance resolving issues related to alleged or documented permit violations. CEC’s knowledge of the complex federal, state and local permitting regulations and creative resolution skills has helped our clients avoid or minimize the fines and remedial actions requested by regulatory agencies. CEC has experience with the following:

• Resolution of local environmental permitting and zoning issues
• Consent Orders – Work with clients to develop solutions; monitor and report on required remedial actions
• Enforcement Actions – Provide environmental expertise in addressing requirements related to enforcement actions

Field Surveys, Mapping, and Assessments

From marine, coastal, and estuarine systems to freshwater wetlands and upland sites, CEC has experience conducting surveys to assess the general flora and fauna of a property and/or preparing species-specific surveys for state and federally listed species.

Mother Plover protecting her eggs Stump Pass, Charlotte County, Florida	Critical Piping Plover Habitat Raccoon Island, Louisiana

Seagrass Mapping, Blind Pass, Lee County, Florida

Our experience includes the following specialty field surveys and assessments:

Sea Turtle Hatchling, SW Florida Coast

• Seagrass surveys, mapping studies, density and abundance analyses, and monitoring
• Underwater flora and fauna surveys
• Benthic invertebrate surveys and sampling in intertidal and subtidal environments
• Vegetation maps and surveys
• Listed species surveys and/or habitat assessments of the Florida panther, crested caracara, and red-cockaded woodpecker, West Indian manatee, sea turtles, and smalltooth sawfish
• Wetland delineations
• As an Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent, we are approved to do surveys, trapping, excavating, marking transporting, and releasing at recipient sites.

Wetland and Coastal Zone Mitigation, Restoration, and Creation

In the 1980s, CEC conducted one of the first successful mangrove restoration projects in Florida. Since then, we have worked on mangrove trimming, monitoring, and restoration projects, designing living shorelines, dune restoration and creation projects that include planting and replanting of dune vegetation, and seagrass restoration.

Freshly Planted Mangrove Propagules, Collier County, Florida

Prolific Mangrove and Oyster Growth at Wetland Restoration Site, Collier County, Florida

Since 2002, CEC has been part of a team of coastal scientists and engineers working on the permitting and construction of barrier islands designed to protect the marshes and bayous in coastal Louisiana. This work involves creating extensive salt marshes on the bays side of these islands and dune creation including planting of native dune vegetation on newly created and existing barrier islands.

Aerial Photo of Barrier Island Shoreline and Marsh Restoration
Pass Chaland, Louisiana