The first quarter of 2016 has been an exciting and invigorating start to the year for WRA.  We have added several new staff to our Northern and Southern California offices and are inspired by the ideas and energy they bring.  After working for approximately 10 years in a regulatory capacity with Ken Sanchez from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I am truly excited for him to join the WRA team this month as a Senior Associate Biologist!  Ken brings more than 28 years of experience in the federal government and deep knowledge of Endangered Species Act permitting and conservation banking.

I’m also proud to announce our mitigation banking department has achieved another huge milestone.  After working with the Interagency Review Team for several years, we were able to garner approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish the Petersen Ranch Mitigation Bank in Los Angeles County.  Spanning more than 4,000 acres, Petersen Ranch will be the largest mitigation bank in the State of California.  We wanted to thank and congratulate our clients Tracey Brownfield and Linda Law of Land Veritas for this amazing accomplishment.

May represents a busy month for WRA and you’ll find many of our team members presenting and attending conferences throughout the country.  While the environmental industry and regulatory policies continue to change rapidly, our diverse and nimble staff are staying in front of the curve and actively sharing our expertise industry-wide.  From a town-hall style discussion of sea-level rise on urban communities, to sharing our experience using drones for monitoring and restoration design, to showcasing innovative approaches for managing endangered estuarine fish, and attending meetings in the nation’s capital with senior regulatory agency staff, our team remains committed to providing informed and cost-effective guidance to achieve successful project outcomes.

We look forward to connecting with you at our upcoming events!  If you are attending NMEBC in Fort Worth, Texas please stop by Booth #9 to say hello to our team!  You can also find a number of our staff at SERCAL in Lake Tahoe this week – stop by our exhibitor table and find out more about our current restoration work.