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EDM International, Inc.
4001 Automation Way
Fort Collins, Colorado  80525

Phone:  970.204.4001
Fax:  970.204.4007
Email:  info@edmlink.com

Please come visit us at EDM!!
Click here for a map to our office


"Guide to Raptor Remains"

Photographic guide to identifying the remains of selected species of raptors. 

For additional information,
please click here

 


 

"Raptors at Risk"

"Raptors at Risk"

winner of the 2000 
Technical Achievement Video Award

For more information
or to place an order,
click here!


For a printable (.pdf) version of this Environmental Services web page, 
click here

 


If you don't already have a free
copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader,
click above to go to their website to
download a  free copy

 

For a list of relevant publications
authored by our Environmental Services
Key Staff, Click Here


 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
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Environmental Services at EDM International, Inc.  

     


Click for further information on Raptor Protection

The Environmental Services Group at EDM International, Inc. provides distinct qualifications for analyzing and resolving high-profile environmental issues and offers a unique combination of research scientists, wildlife biologists, and engineers.  We specialize in integrating industry and government concerns into practical and scientific consensus-based solutions with expertise, objectivity, integrity, experience, enthusiasm, and credibility.

EDM is known nationally and internationally for research and consulting work on avian collision and electrocution, using a core team of interdisciplinary specialists. EDM’s Environmental Services Group holds a GSA Contract and has specialized in regulatory environmental review, permitting, and compliance for more than 26 years.

EDM is an employee-owned corporation and you will find the pride of ownership reflected in the level of effort we direct into every project.  We are proud of the leadership role EDM has earned in the professional community, and we accept the responsibility that accompanies such a role.  EDM is committed to producing results that are expected of industry leaders.

EDM is a forerunner in the electric utility industry, merging excellence in engineering and science.  However, we also serve the environmental needs of other industries, regulatory agencies, and non-profit organizations.  Our environmental team includes wildlife biologists, avian experts, NEPA and ESA specialists, wetlands scientists, soil scientists, engineers, GIS programmers, and archaeologists.

 

Since EDM's incorporation in 1982, the key to the success of our consulting, research, and development services has been our team of dedicated professionals and support staff chosen for their unique yet complementary abilities.

Consulting and Research

EDM has extensive experience with the utility industry, specifically in identification, evaluation, and problem resolution for a wide variety of wildlife-related issues associated with electric and wind power generation, distribution, and transmission.  EDM’s additional expertise includes independent scientific research as well as, environmental compliance and litigation support.

EDM holds a General Service Administration (GSA) contract (# GS-10F-0327R) with a Multiple Award Federal Supply Schedule for environmental services (899).

 

 

Technical specialties include:

  • Avian Electrocution Studies and Risk Analysis

  • Avian Collision Studies and Risk Analysis

  • Avian Protection Plans

  • Potential Impact Index to Rank Wind Energy Development Sites

  • Animal-Caused Outage Studies

  • Local, Tribal, and NEPA Regulated Environmental Reports and Compliance

  • Wetlands Mitigation, Construction, Delineation, and Permitting

  • Nest Management  and Wildlife Research Projects

  • Migratory Bird Treaty Act Permitting

  • Litigation Support

  • Utility Product Testing

  • Training and Workshops

Avian Protection

EDM has over 26 years experience with utility companies and regulatory agencies to identify and solve avian electrocution and collision problems, both nationally and internationally. 
 

An integral part of this process is identifying problem areas, specifying applicable retrofits for existing facilities, and developing effective approaches for new construction.  Retrofitting recommendations are combined with a review of existing utility design standards to ensure new facilities are constructed to bird-friendly standards.

EDM actively partners with utility manufacturers to test new products to reduce animal electrocutions and bird collisions.  EDM has the capability to safely test products with live animals in a controlled setting.

Scientific research is a critical part of EDM’s wide range of capabilities.  EDM is presently testing a Bird Strike Indicator (BSI) to remotely detect and report collisions with overhead lines or guy wires.  Other current research projects include developing a repellent for pileated woodpeckers, commercializing a spray‑on insulation to mitigate animal contacts with power lines, testing a sonic dissuader to deter woodpeckers from dangerous utility poles, and testing the feasibility of a remote bird and bat collision sensor for wind turbines.

 

EDM often incorporates and combines biological and engineering capabilities.  For example, EDM engineers recently evaluated bird collision marking devices, tested and recommended by the Environmental Services Group, for their possible electrical impact on high voltage power lines.

 

EDM’s role is often that of educator through serving as host or participant in workshops on animal interactions with electric utility infrastructure.  Educational projects include the development of an interactive web site on raptor electrocutions for the California Energy Commission, http://bems.edmlink.com and a product encyclopedia of mitigating products for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).  EDM co‑produced the award winning video “Raptors at Risk” as well as a photographic field guide for identifying raptor remains. 


 

 

Permitting and Compliance

EDM assists with Federal, State, Local, and Tribal permitting requirements and regulatory review processes.  EDM’s Environmental Services Group regulatory focus and specialties include:

  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

  • Endangered Species Act (ESA)

  •  Potential Impact Index (PII)

  • Linear Routing

  •  Wind Energy Siting and Routing

  • Communication Tower Siting and Review

  • Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA)

  • Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act  (BGEPA)

  • National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)

  • Environmental Assessments

  • Environmental Impact Statements

  • Natural Resource Assessments

  • Rare Plant Surveys

  • Biological Assessments & Evaluations

  • Biological Data Acquisition and Analysis

EDM focuses on analyses that are accurate and defensible in an effort to streamline agency and public review. This approach minimizes potential schedule delays and associated costs with the permitting processes -- particularly for large or complex projects.

EDM specializes in the development and implementation of bird management guidelines to comply with the MBTA, BGEPA, and ESA.  Incorporating federal agency guidelines with professional expertise, EDM performs routing and siting studies for linear and spatial projects to examine the potential collision risks to resident and migratory birds.  EDM recently authored an in‑depth summary of regulatory permitting requirements and proactive problem resolution for EPRI’s International Transmission Line

 

 
Reference Book (i.e., Red Book) and co-authored a detailed review of avian collision studies with communication towers for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).  EDM also specializes in topic‑specific workshops or seminars on NEPA, ESA, MBTA, and EPA and how to facilitate these complex permitting processes.

EDM’s Environmental Services Group has extensive experience working under NEPA, ESA, and MBTA -- encompassing large, third‑party, multi-agency Environmental Impact Statements; Environmental Assessments; interstate permitting projects; and natural resource planning programs.  EDM often works directly with the Federal lead agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in facilitating section 7 consultations under the ESA, emphasizing a proactive, yet practical, communicative approach to issue resolution in coordination with the permit applicant, land management agency, and applicable regulatory agencies.

 
 

Wetlands Mitigation, Delineation and Permitting

Our staff has performed numerous wetlands consultations throughout several U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) districts, is recognized by the COE as preferred consultants, and is formally trained in COE-approved wetlands delineation techniques, construction design, and Section 404 permitting regulations.

 

EDM’s wetlands experience also includes the development of wetland mitigation banking programs, which encompass: 

  • Coordinating with multi-agency review team

  • Drafting the COE regulated banking instrument

  • Designing wetland construction plans

  • Implementing wetland monitoring plans

  • Assessing existing wetlands for function and value

  • Evaluating existing and created wetlands for mitigation banking value (creation, enhancement, restoration, preservation)

  • Completing Section 404 permit applications (individual, nationwide, and regional)

  • Delineating wetlands for potential mitigation use

Key wetland experience includes: 

  • Wetland mitigation, monitoring, and construction design

  • Wetland delineation

  • Section 404 Permitting and compliance

  • Wetland impact assessment

  • Wetland water treatment design

  • Wetland and biological sampling for contamination source mapping

 

 

 

 

A successful mitigation program is effectively designed to compensate for wetlands lost due to construction activities pursuant to the ‘no net loss of wetlands’ compliance defined under the Clean Water Act. EDM’s success in wetlands mitigation and permitting can be attributed to proactive communications with the COE and the interagency review team, typically consisting of the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and State Wildlife Agencies.

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Mapping

EDM extensively utilizes the spatial analysis and cartography capabilities of GIS for an array of power line, wind turbine, communication tower, and other permitting and compliance projects.  In the context of Avian Protection Plans (APPs), GIS is used to consolidate and compare biological and power line data, prioritize survey focus, and produce a working tool to facilitate short- and long-term retrofit approaches.  GIS-based viewshed analyses have been integral to evaluate and predict potential sage‑grouse and prairie- chicken predation issues in proximity to aboveground structures.  EDM uses the latest ArcGIS and AutoCAD software as well as the statistical modeling package R to provide up-to-date GIS and spatial modeling functionality.

 

 

 

     


 

Copyright 2007.  EDM International, Inc.  All rights reserved.  No graphics, images or text may be reproduced without the written permission of EDM International, Inc.