Biological Studies
Designing and conducting surveys with the end goal in mind.
Our team designs studies to help you get the information you really need. Since no two projects are alike, we efficiently evaluate every project to determine the right level of effort needed to inform project decisions. Ascent’s Natural Resources practice uses our full suite of wildlife biology and botany capabilities to support environmental decision making and stewardship of land and water resources. Our work supports natural resource and outdoor recreation planning and management, CEQA and NEPA documents, regulatory compliance, and monitoring during project implementation.
- Habitat assessments
- Wildlife and botanical surveys
- Aquatic resource delineations
- Invasive weed risk assessment
- GIS modeling and analysis
- Conservation and mitigation strategies
- Natural resources management planning
- Biological mitigation monitoring
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife
- California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- California State Parks
- California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
- California Department of General Services
- California Tahoe Conservancy
- California Wildlife Foundation
- City of Sacramento
- City of South Lake Tahoe
- Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
- NV Energy
- County of Napa
- North Tahoe Public Utilities District
- Sacramento Area Flood Control District
- County of Sacramento
- Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District
- Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
- Sierra Nevada Conservancy
- Stanislaus National Forest
- Tahoe City Public Utilities District
- Tahoe National Forest
- Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
- Tahoe Resource Conservation District
- Tahoe Transportation District
- County of Tuolumne
- UC Davis
- Vail Resorts
- County of Yolo
- Yuba Water Agency
On October 10, 2024, the California Fish and Game Commission accepted a petition to list western burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and designated the species as a candidate species. This decision has triggered a 12-month status review by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). A decision on whether to list this species is expected by spring of 2026; however, as a candidate species, western burrowing owl is afforded the same protections as a listed species under CESA, including prohibition of take of individuals.
AB 2091 was signed by Governor Newsom on September 22, 2024, creating a new CEQA exemption for non-motorized public access. The new exemption applies to park districts and the Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) when providing new nonmotorized public access to existing roads, trails, parking areas, and similar areas owned by the park district or GRTA. To use the new exemption, the lead agency must hold a public meeting to solicit input, consider effects on natural and tribal cultural resources, make required findings, and file a Notice of Exemption.
What is a “rare” species? In the context of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, this became a central question in the recent court decision, Nassiri v. City of Lafayette, et al., First District Court of Appeals, June 27, 2024. The Section 15380 definition of “Endangered, Rare or Threatened Species” has long been a part of the Guidelines. This section also mandates lead agencies to consider a species endangered, rare, or threatened if it can be shown to meet the qualifying criteria described therein, even when the species is not listed under either the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) or federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). Public agencies serving as a CEQA lead or responsible agency carry the responsibility to consider a species’ qualification as endangered, rare, or threatened under CEQA based on the facts of the project. This responsibility raises important issues for the environmental practitioner.
