Expertise

Introduction

What We Do

We apply the science of ecology to restoring ecosystems, conserving habitat, and regenerating the natural systems that sustain all life on Earth.

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What We Do

Ecological Restoration

Conservation alone is not enough to sustain the diversity of life on Earth.

In any landscape, at any scale, assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or destroyed helps restore the future. A pioneer of ecological restoration, Biohabitats applies sound science, community input, adaptive management, and a whole lot of passion to restore damaged ecosystems.

Ecological Restoration
  • River & Stream Restoration

    • Natural Channel Restoration
    • Channel–Floodplain Reconnection
    • Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance
    • Fish Passage/Habitat Recovery
    • Soil Bioengineering
    • Riverine Habitat Enhancement
    • Mollusk Recovery
  • Coastal Tidal Wetland Restoration

    • Salt Marsh Restoration
    • Freshwater Tidal Restoration
    • Living Shorelines
    • Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration
    • Shellfish (Oyster Reefs, Mussel Beds) Recovery
    • Beach & Dune Restoration
    • Fisheries Habitat Restoration & Recovery
  • Non-Tidal Wetland Restoration

    • Forested and Emergent Wetlands Restoration
    • Riparian/Floodplain/Bottomland Wetlands Restoration
    • Bog, Fen, & Pocosin Restoration
    • Floating Wetlands
  • Forest Ecosystems Restoration

    • Eastern Deciduous Forest Restoration
    • Longleaf Pine Forest Restoration
    • Riparian/Floodplain/Bottomland Forest Restoration
    • Reforestation & Aforestation
  • Grassland Ecosystems Restoration

    • Short/Tall Grass Prairie
    • Native Grassland Restoration
    • Savannah Restoration
  • Restoration Planning & Management

    • Invasive Species Management
    • Wildlife Corridor Restoration
    • Nuisance Wildlife Herbivory Management
    • Soil Regeneration & Rehabilitation
    • Species Reintroductions
    • Prescribed Burning
    • Brownfield Phytoremediation & Post Contamination Restoration
    • Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Restoration
    • Mitigation Banking
What We Do

Conservation

Understanding the consequences of shifting demographics, climate change, habitat fragmentation, and resource consumption is critical to maintaining a healthy planet.

We help people reconcile the need to conserve vital natural resources with the desire to have healthy, vibrant communities. Our interdisciplinary team works at multiple scales to identify and prioritize conservation issues, assess threats to biodiversity, engage local communities, design conservation strategies, and model complex changes.

Conservation
  • Watershed Management

    • Watershed Management Planning
    • Stormwater (MS4 & NPDES Program Support)
    • Stormwater Management Design
    • Green Infrastructure
    • River/Stream Restoration
    • Policy Development
  • Ecological Master Planning

    • Urban Ecology Frameworks
    • Parks & Open Space
    • College & Universities
    • Riverfronts & Coastal Communities
    • Corporate & Health Care Facilities
    • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Landscape Ecology/Conservation Biology

    Landscape Simulation
    Integrated Landscape Management Planning
    Wildlife Corridor/Linkage Planning
    Protected Areas Planning
    Greenways/Blueways Planning
    Habitat Conservation Planning

  • Ecosystem Services

    • Ecosystem Services Evaluation/Valuation
    • Natural Capital Assessments
  • Community Planning

    • Biodiversity Planning
    • Sustainability Planning
    • Environmental Justice
    • Community Engagement
    • Green Infrastructure
    • Climate Change Adaptation
What We Do

Climate Change

Rising temperatures and shifting precipitation patterns are changing the landscape in profound ways and challenging us in new ways.

The variability in biological and ecological processes now being caused by climate change requires an approach firmly grounded in science, with an emphasis toward adaptability.

We’ve been working with dynamic, living systems for more than 35 years, so you can trust us to provide the most current research on mitigating the effects of climate change while sharing our applied knowledge to help you build landscape and community resilience.

Climate Change
  • Climate Change Adaptation

    • Habitat Adaptation & Species Migration Assessments
    • Green Infrastructure & Flood Mitigation
    • Assisted Habitat/Species Migration
  • Sea Level Rise Adaptation

    • Sea Level Rise Assessments
    • Coastal Flood Mitigation
    • Living Shoreline & Green Bulkhead Design
    • Coastal Wetlands Restoration
What We Do

Coastal

Our beginnings can be traced back to pioneering work restoring salt marshes throughout the Chesapeake Bay.

Since then, Biohabitats has cultivated a deep passion for protecting and restoring coastal habitat throughout the world. Our work has taken us to the Pacific Northwest to protect and restore important estuarine habitat in lower Columbia River estuary, to the Gulf of Mexico to develop sea level rise adaptation strategies for Galveston Island State Park, to the Hudson River estuary building living shorelines to enhance urban habitat.

Coastal
  • Coastal Zone Conservation

    • Habitat Suitability Assessments
    • Marine and Estuarine Protected Areas Conservation
    • Rare, Threatened & Endangered Species Surveys
  • Coastal Habitat Restoration

    • Salt Marsh Restoration
    • Freshwater Tidal Restoration
    • Living Shoreline & Green Bulkhead Design
    • Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration
    • Shellfish (Oyster Reefs, Mussel Beds) Recovery
    • Beach & Dune Restoration
    • Fisheries Habitat Restoration & Recovery
  • Climate Change Adaptation

    • Habitat Adaptation & Species Migration Assessments
    • Green Infrastructure & Flood Mitigation
    • Assisted Habitat/Species Migration
  • Sea Level Rise Adaptation

    • Sea Level Rise Assessments
    • Coastal Flood Mitigation
    • Living Shoreline & Green Bulkhead Design
    • Coastal Wetlands Restoration
What We Do

Infrastructure

Nature is the underlying foundation of the networks and systems that support life on Earth.

We harness the power of that foundation to plan and design networks of natural lands, working landscapes and other green spaces–at many scales–to conserve ecosystem functions, restore ecosystem processes, and regenerate healthy, robust, resilient, and just communities.

Infrastructure
  • Green Infrastructure

    • Natural Resource Mapping & Assessment
    • Green Infrastructure Planning & Design
    • Wildlife Corridor Planning & Design
    • Landscape Ecology Analysis
    • Greenway Planning
    • Phytoremediation
    • Native Landscape Planning & Design
    • Green/Complete Streets
    • Green Roofs/Living Walls
  • Stormwater Management

    • Best Management Practices Design
    • Low Impact Development Design (LID)
    • Environmental Site Design (ESD)
    • NPDES & MS4 Program
  • Integrated Water Strategies

    • Water Balance & Footprint Planning
    • Net Zero/Positive Water Analysis
    • Water Conservation & Reuse Feasibility Analysis
    • Natural Wastewater Treatment Design
    • Eco-Machine Design™
    • Living Shoreline & Green Bulkhead Design
    • Water Strategies for High Performance Buildings
  • Wastewater

    • Decentralized Planning
    • Alternative Treatment Feasibility Studies
    • System Evaluation
    • System Upgrades & Enhancement
What We Do

Water

The era of taking water for granted is over. Our rising global thermostat, aging water infrastructure and the increasing loss of aquatic ecosystems make that clear. When it comes to planning and designing buildings, landscapes and communities, water no longer comes last.

Biohabitats specializes in the planning and engineering of sustainable water infrastructure–including natural wastewater treatment, constructed wetlands, and water reuse systems for small communities, new or existing developments, urban infill, and commercial, educational, and district projects.

The most desirable and resilient communities now rely on integrated water strategies, ways of handling water that integrate the built world with the natural environment, ecological science with traditional planning and design disciplines, and people with the broader community of life.

Water
  • Water Reuse Systems

    Harvesting & Treatment Sources

    Non-Potable Uses

    • Toilet Flushing
    • Landscape Irrigation
    • Cooling System & Central Utilities Plant Make-up
    • Beneficial Reuse for Habitat & Groundwater Recharge
    • Integrated Water Strategies
  • Watershed Management

    • Watershed Management Planning
    • Stormwater (MS4 & NPDES Program Support)
    • Stormwater Management Design
    • Green Infrastructure
    • River/Stream Restoration
    • Policy Development
What We Do

Urban Ecology

Our urban ecosystems pulse with the flow of material and energy, transforming our ideas and products into fascinating places for industry, trade, and community.

But they also produce pollution and waste while requiring outside subsidies in order to survive. This not only makes them unsustainable, but unable to adapt or recover quickly from catastrophic events like major storms and droughts.

But there is good news. Each piece of land and drop of water in a city can play a part in holding the urban fabric together and supporting ecosystem viability. Once we recognize a city as an ecosystem we can identify components of the system that need improvement and broken loops that need to be closed. Looking to natural ecosystems as models, we can restore these broken loops and knit them back into the urban fabric. As the urban ecosystem becomes healthier and more interconnected, so do we.

Urban Ecology
  • Urban Biodiversity

    • Green Network Planning & Design
    • Urban Ecology Frameworks & Policy
    • Urban Forest Restoration
    • Stream Daylighting
    • Pollinator Pathways
    • Bird Friendly Design
    • Biophilic Design
    • Native Landscape Planning & Design
    • Green Roofs/Living Walls
    • Invasive Species Management
  • Green Infrastructure

    • Natural Resource Mapping & Assessment
    • Green Infrastructure Planning & Design
    • Wildlife Corridor Planning & Design
    • Landscape Ecology Analysis
    • Greenway Planning
    • Native Landscape Planning & Design
    • Phytoremediation
    • Green/Complete Streets
    • Green Roofs/Living Walls
  • Integrated Water Strategies

    • Water Balance & Footprint Planning
    • Net Zero/Positive Water Analysis
    • Water Conservation & Reuse Feasibility Analysis
    • Natural Wastewater Treatment Design
    • Eco-Machine Design
    • Living Shoreline & Green Bulkhead Design
    • Integrated Water Strategies
  • Urban Waterfronts & Waterways

    • Urban Waterfront/Waterway Planning & Design
    • Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance Design
    • Living Shoreline Design
    • Floating Wetland Design
    • Green Bulkhead Design
    • Aquatic Habitat Assessment & Enhancement
What We Do

Community

Communities reflect the ecological and cultural conditions that give shape to social behaviors and economic activities.

Over the past several hundred years, land degradation, pollution, soil erosion, water scarcity and the loss of biological diversity have compromised our connection to the land and sense of place. But a new picture is now emerging based on shared experiences, civic participation and inhabiting science. It’s about rediscovering what makes a place whole, healthy and resilient. It’s about reconnecting us with living systems, to each other, and the places where we live. It’s about strengthening ecological democracy and reinforcing rights of access to information, public participation, and justice.

Community
  • Ecological Democracy

    • Participatory Design
    • Environmental Justice
    • Inclusive & Informed Decision Making
    • Community Empowerment & Engagement
    • Nature Rights
  • Nature-Based Strategies

    • Placed-Based Design
    • Indigenous Communities Water/Land Restoration
    • Natural Capital & Ecosystem Services Valuations
    • Ecological Mapping
    • Biophilic Design
    • Green Network Planning & Design
    • Inspiring Stewardship
    • Environmental Education
    • Green Jobs Training
What We Do

General Contracting

Working with living, dynamic ecosystems requires finesse, adaptability, and unique construction methods.

Biohabitats provides general contracting and design-build services for ecological restoration, green infrastructure, urban ecology, stormwater management, and natural wastewater treatment/water reuse services.

General Contracting
  • River & Stream Restoration

    • Channel Grading & Construction
    • Log Jams & Woody Debris Installation
    • Native Plant Installation
  • Wetland Restoration

    • Grading
    • Native Plant Installation
What We Do

Design-Build

Working with living, dynamic ecosystems requires finesse, adaptability, and unique design and construction methods.

Biohabitats provides Design-Build and Construction services for ecological restoration, green infrastructure, urban ecology, stormwater management, and natural wastewater treatment/water reuse services.

Design-Build
  • Design

    • Concept Design
    • Community & Stakeholder Facilitation
    • Design & Construction Packages
    • Cost Estimating
    • Design Constructability & Feasibility Review
    • Regulatory Permit Compliance
    • Pre & Post Construction Monitoring
  • Build/General Contracting

    • Construction Project Management
    • Excavation & Grading
    • Erosion & Sediment Control
    • Clearing & Grubbing
    • Invasive Species Management
    • Prescribed Burning
    • Revegetation (Site Preparation, Planting, Seeding)
    • Habitat Enhancement Features
    • In-Water/Marine Work
    • Commissioning
    • As-Built Drawings
What We Do

Research & Development

Bioworks is a research and development practice within Biohabitats that aims to advance the pioneering practices of ecological restoration, conservation planning, regenerative design, and integrated water strategies.

Grounded in the disciplines of engineering, land planning, and the biological, earth, and social sciences, Bioworks applies whole-systems thinking, biomimicry, and co-learning to seek out solutions that are resilient to socioeconomic shifts. In a culture that fosters curiosity, knowledge, and open source innovation we:

  • Study past applications through data collection and analysis
  • Conduct cross-cutting research over multiple scales, geographies, and ecosystems.
  • Develop on-the-ground applications and supporting technologies that are cost-effective, practical, and life giving.

Research & Development
  • Let's Collaborate

    Let’s Collaborate

    We seek out partnerships with universities, research institutions, government and non-governmental organizations, and civil society. We believe that lasting solutions are born from the collective knowledge and wisdom of many people, including those from disenfranchised, marginalized, and indigenous communities.