Biohabitats Project, Places & People

Projects

Lower Carmen Reach Bypass Habitat 

Surrounded by an ancient forest of old growth, the upper reach of Oregon’s McKenzie River emerges from below a layer of volcanic rock and forms the clear, cold Blue Pool before flowing through the Willamette National Forest. This part of the river provides the highest and coldest habitat in the area for fish species like the threatened Chinook salmon and bull trout. To ensure that this section would continue to serve as a cold-water refuge with ample fish habitat, Biohabitats helped the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) construct a complex habitat restoration project along a two-mile reach of the Upper McKenzie River.  

As contractors on a team led by Wildish Building Company with Interfluve, Blue Ridge Timber, and Columbia Helicopter, Biohabitats constructed major habitat improvements along a two-mile reach of the river, which included supplementing the gravel that some fish species use to build their spawning nests. With very little gravel in this area due to relatively recent lava flows, spawning gravel was imported to the project site from a quarry in Eugene, OR, within a short timeframe to accommodate the scheduled helicopter transport dates.   

Biohabitats managed the helicopter placement of 2,000 tons of spawning gravel, direct placement of 500 tons of spawning gravel, 30 bundles of bushy treetops, and the mechanical tipping of 10 large trees with rootwads directly into the river. Whole trees were pulled down from the forest by a cable yarder directly onto the helicopter-placed materials in the riparian area. This will help to retain gravel in place and mimic naturally occurring downed trees where fish can hide from predators.   

During construction, Biohabitats also provided and managed staff to maintain the temporary closure of the heavily trafficked McKenzie River Trail, a popular destination for mountain bikers and hikers that runs adjacent to the project site. During the peak summer months, the trail sees hundreds of visitors every day and it was important to close the trail to keep the public safe during construction operations. For any questions about this project, contact Matt Koozer. 

Watch this video from EWEB to learn more and see the project in detail. 

Linnean Gully and Outfall Restoration  

During summer 2025, Biohabitats and design/build partners Meadville Land Service, Ecological Restoration and Management and Empire Landscape helped the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) design, permit, and construct a stable, creative, cost-effective Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) for an eroded gully in Northwest D.C.  

Stormwater flowing unprotected down the area’s steep slope caused severe erosion, sedimentation, and impacts to the riparian area within the 200 ft gully.  Biohabitats’ restoration design minimized potential impacts from the steep project site and maximized reuse of onsite materials like stone and woody debris. Biohabitats worked with MLS to build the project structures on a 40% slope, far more challenging existing conditions than a typical project. 

Watch this aerial tour of the Linnean Gully and Outfall Restoration from the District Department of Energy & Environment.

Along with select clearing from Empire Landscape and native plantings and invasive control by ER&M to help restore a healthy riparian forest to the area, the new RSC is a long-term, sustainable solution that will reduce sediment and nutrient pollution entering the Rock Creek watershed.

Contact Doug Streaker with any questions about this project. 

High Line Canal  

Biohabitats is completing a 15-month long collaborative conservation effort for the High Line Canal Conservancy with 15 jurisdictional Canal Collaborative partners—including Denver Water and Mile High Flood District—to find common goals and stewardship practices to develop a Natural Resources Management Plan for 860 acres and 71 miles of the High Line Canal corridor. The Plan protects the corridor by prioritizing strategies for habitat enhancements, integrating nature-based solutions for stormwater management, and coordinated maintenance to improve resilience, safety, and biodiversity. The Plan built on Biohabitats’ prior experience assisting the Conservancy and its partners develop an approach for transforming the Canal from its historical use as an irrigation conveyance to a model of smart stormwater planning and urban green infrastructure.  

Funk Bottoms Restoration

Thanks to a dedicated team led by West Creek Conservancy, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources‘ (ODNR) Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area project has transformed 50 acres of unused farmland into a lush mosaic of wetlands and greenspace. Wildlife is thriving in the restored habitat, with several species of rare birds, Bald eagles (𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴), the state endangered sandhill crane (𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴), and the state-endangered northern harrier (𝘊𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘶𝘴) observed in this important migration area since construction!  

Biohabitats is proud to have designed the restoration of this unique and beautiful Ohio landscape. Adjacent to an established Wildlife Area, the 130-acre property was acquired and protected by the Conservancy as part of the H2Ohio Program.  The restoration converted this former farm field back into natural green space, with emphasis on reducing nutrient, phosphorous, and sediment loading into the local water ways and wetlands, ensuring a thriving habitat for local wildlife. Contact Erin Jennings for questions about this project. 

Old St. Vrain Road Reach Restoration  

Members of the Old St. Vrain Road Reach Restoration design/build team led by Left Hand Excavating have been working in the St. Vrain Watershed on multiple projects over the past decade. Biohabitats drew on our experience working on the St. Vrain and Left Hand Creek Stream Management Plan and the Left Hand Canyon Watershed Restoration to help the project team design a process-based restoration approach for The Watershed Center’s latest efforts to restore and protect floodplain connectivity to this important river in the St. Vrain Watershed. Biohabitats led design and construction oversight, working with Team members Otak, Wright Water Engineers, and GEI.  

Learn more here, and see the project up close on a tour hosted by Boulder County Parks & Open Space, City of Longmont Natural Resources, and the Watershed Center at the Society for Ecological Restoration’s 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration. 

Award-Winning Projects 

Biohabitats projects have had a great year for awards so far! The Hamlin Street and Hickey Run LID Retrofits project received the Best of the Category in Small but Mighty; Green Infrastructure, Stormwater Controls, and Retrofits, at the Chesapeake Stormwater Network’s 2025 BUBBA awards! Congratulations to our collaborators District Department of Energy & Environment, Triangle Contracting, TCG Property Care, Precision Surveying, Stevenson Consulting, and Casey Trees. 

Biohabitats was honored to be a part of the Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy Beargrass Preserve Master Plan team led by Taylor Siefker Williams, and we were thrilled to learn that this project won a 2025 Merit Award from ASLA Kentucky! Thank you to our team members Studio Kremer Architects, Mindel Scott, and Corn Island Archaeology. 

The Stanley Center for Peace and Security partners with individuals, organizations, the private sector, and governments to drive policy progress toward halting the use and spread of nuclear weapons, preventing mass violence and atrocities, and mitigating climate change. Biohabitats provided design and engineering services to help the Stanley Center meet the stringent requirements of the LBC’s water petal, which include Net Zero water. This year, the project was honored with a COTE Tope Ten Award from the American Institute of Architects! Congratulations to the project team Neumann Monson Architects, Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc., Raker Rhodes Engineering LLC, and Graham Construction! 

Places

11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration (SER 2025)

10/2, 2PM – Scaling Up Restoration with the Network for Engineering with Nature
Where are the frontiers of restoration science? The Scaling Up Restoration with the Network for Engineering with Nature panel will examine how ecological restoration is incorporated into a range of projects and discuss the partnership, funding, and policy obstacles and opportunities that affect the implementation of nature-based solutions. Biohabitats’ Jessica Hardesty Norris and fellow N-EWN members Chris Behr (HDR), Jared Bramblett (Moffatt & Nichol) , Aliza Leit (ECOncrete), Brendan Cousino (LimnoTech), and Kyle McKay (Woolpert) will share an overview of N-EWN activity and examples of their work to seed a discussion on how SER and N-EWN can work together. 

10/2, 2PM – Identifying urban habitat connectivity in Denver, Colorado through the lens of a Halictid Bee and Bumble Bee
Join Biohabitats’ Claudia Brown and Aiman Duckworth with Cincere Eades from Denver Parks and Recreation during the Restoration in my Backyard session to discover how Denver’s bee habitat connectivity study will be a useful tool to inform strategic opportunities to protect, restore, and improve urban habitat.

9/30, 7 AM – Make a Differences Day 1: Burn Scar Restoration – Deer Creek Canyon Park Field Trip
Join Biohabitats’ Susan Sherrod and Jefferson County Open Space on a field trip to Deer Creek Canyon Park at SER 2025. Aiding the restoration of a landscape burned in the 2024 Quarry Fire, volunteers will remove invasive species and plant and seed native species in an area that was disturbed in the course of suppressing a wildfire. Volunteers will be immersed in the scrub-shrub habitat of the Rocky Mountain foothills where fire risk is significant and ongoing, and able to see the effects of recent fire and recovery after one year.  

 10/1, 2PM – Student and Emerging Professionals Mentor-Mentee Session
This interactive session at SER 2025 will connect students and young professionals with mentors in ecological restoration to explore current restoration practices, receive career advice, and build a network. Biohabitats’ Susan Sherrod will be leading the discussion on ecological restoration. 

ASLA 2025 

10/10, 10 AM – Indigenous Youth Workshop
Indigenous voices and knowledge are essential in shaping the landscapes of tomorrow. At ASLA 2025, Biohabitats Founder and Practice Leader Keith Bowers will join the Indigenous Collective Group (ICG) for a workshop that will introduce teens to the world of landscape architecture as a pathway to healing, stewardship, and leadership. Learn more about ICG. 

10/10, 10:15 AM – Designing Biodiversity Through Landscape Interactions: Applied Science at Varied Scales
Diverse approaches to the way we interact with the landscapes around us can have a huge influence on the biodiversity of our sites and communities. Featuring case studies from various countries and regions, Biohabitats Principal Landscape Architect Jim Cooper will be joining Sohyun Park from University of Connecticut and Evan Abramson with Landscape Interactions as they provide insight on how to create, restore, and enhance biodiversity through design during their ASLA 2025 presentation: Designing Biodiversity Through Landscape Interactions: Applied Science at Varied Scales. 

10/10, 3:45 PM – Tapping into Ecological Memory: A Key to Resilient Design Look through the lens of ecological memory and find out what we can learn to create and maintain resilient landscapes with Biohabitats Practice Leader Jennifer Dowdell, Tom Smarr from Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens and Claudia West from Phyto Studio at their ASLA session Tapping into Ecological Memory: A Key to Resilient Design. 

10/12, 2 PM – The Story of Site as Organism: Poetic Perspectives of Dynamic Landscapes Biohabitats’ Jennifer Dowdell, Chris Landau from LANDAU Design+Technology and Patricia Algara from BASE Landscape Architecture discuss the question: “What if we saw landscapes as whole, living, evolving organisms?” at their session The Story of Site as Organism: Poetic Perspectives of Dynamic Landscapes. 

10/12, 3:45 PM – How Do We Stay Here?: The Charleston Comprehensive Integrated Water Plan
A port city founded back in 1670, Charleston, South Carolina has had a long and fruitful relationship with water. As climates continue to change and risks increase, Charleston turns toward their Water Plan to embrace their deep history with water while continuing to respond to long term impacts. Looking ahead to 2050 and beyond, Biohabitats Landscape Designer and Restoration Ecologist Sarai Carter will be joined by Andy Sternad from Waggonner & Ball and Jared T. Bramblett from Moffatt & Nichol in an ASLA 2025 session focused on developing landscape-scale management of flood risks for low-lying coastal cities.

10/13, 8:30 AM – Landscape Architecture 2040: The New ASLA Climate and Biodiversity Action Plan
Biohabitats’ Jennifer Dowdell joins Meg Calkins from North Carolina State University, Andrew Wickham from LPA, Inc., Diane Jones Allen from the University of Texas at Arlington / DesignJones LLC and Mariana Ricker from SWA Group, to discuss Landscape Architecture 2040: The New ASLA Climate Biodiversity Action Plan. 

10/13, 8:30 AM – Nature as Client: Co-creating with More-than Human Species
How do we cede agency to nature, practice deep ecology, and apply ecological democracy in our work? Join Biohabitats’ Founder and Practice Leader, Keith Bowers in a session with MaFe Gonzalez from BASE Landscape Architecture, Nathaniel Willing from MIG INC, Pamela Martin from Coastal Carolina University RISE Center, and Britt Gondolfi with Bioneers as they expand on the role of landscape architecture in advocating for the sacredness and interconnectivity of all life at ASLA 2025.  

National Stream Restoration Conference 

10/22, 2:50 PM East Branch Chagrin River Restoration for Water Quality and Habitat Improvement 
With support from the City of Willoughby, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and Biohabitats, the Chagrin River Watershed Partners recently completed a large-scale river restoration to improve fish passage, restore habitat, and reduce sediment and nutrients in the Chagrin River and Lake Erie. Principal Engineer Doug Streaker and Senior Water Resources Engineer Brett Long share more about Biohabitats’ unique bank stabilization approach on the East Branch Chagrin River Restoration as part of the Dam Removal and Aquatic Passage Session at the 2025 National Stream Restoration Conference. 

10/22, 2:30 PM Stream Restoration Design Choices Drive Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Long-Term Project Benefits
While we are more accustomed to considering the long-term benefits of a restoration project against the construction-phase impacts, not many of us think about the carbon emissions and whether our restoration projects will ever sequester more carbon than was emitted during construction. Join Joe Berg during the Climate Resilience & Adaptation Session for a presentation on how our design decisions dramatically influence individual long-term project benefits.  By sharing this information, we hope to help the stream restoration community make positive design choices that result in better, long-term projects. 

Greenbuild 2025 

11/6, 1:15 PM: Join Jennifer Dowdell and Christopher Locke, Steward of Mission and Vision with Collective UNBound at Greenbuild 2025 for their talk Resilience: Reframing Community Based Design and Ecological Planning Frameworks. This session will discuss the history of racialized architecture and land planning and its ongoing impact on Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, challenging the myth of design neutrality. Through a case study from Biohabitats, we will examine a year’s long planning process that resulted in a holistic recreation and restoration plan for the Anacostia River floodplain corridor in Washington, DC.  

Nature-Based Exchange Symposium 

11/5: join the Nature-Based Exchange for a day-long symposium on nature-based solutions in South Carolina. Register now, and contribute a case study to the Exchange’s Digital Library by October 15th to have your project digitally showcased at the symposium. A happy hour sponsored by Weston & Sampson will follow the Symposium from 4:30 pm until 6:00 pm. See the full agenda here. 

People

Earlier this year, we announced some team member promotions. In case you missed it, we’re happy to share the news again! Mike Trumbauer has been promoted to Principal Restoration Ecologist. A 14-year member of the Biohabitats family with 26 years of experience in ecological restoration, Mike previously led the Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion team. Mike is now funneling his experience, expertise, and passion for restoration into advancing the practice and extending Biohabitats’ reach throughout the East Coast.

Four team members in our Chesapeake Delaware Bays Bioregion office now serve as Senior Project Managers: Senior Water Resources Engineers, Bryan Arvai and Brett Long; Senior Construction Coordinator, Jim Favret; and Senior Environmental Scientist, Sarah Roberts. Their demonstrated excellence in managing some of our most challenging projects and servicing our clients has made their contributions to Biohabitats invaluable. 

Congratulations to the Biohabitats team members who have been elevated to the next level of their profession. Environmental Scientist, Austin Vong; GIS Analyst and Environmental Scientist, Hanna Harper; and Ecologist, Caroline Hildebrand have advanced to the level of Scientist II. Water Resources Engineer, Erin Jennings, has moved on to become an Engineer II. We are proud of the accomplishments and growth of these team members and look forward to continuing to work with them for many years! 

We’re also thrilled to announce the promotion of Senior Water Resources Engineer, Meghan Gloyd, to the position of Southeast Atlantic Bioregion Team Leader! 

Congratulations to the many Biohabitats team members who recently reached professional milestones: Water Resources Engineer Sydney Salzwedel received her Colorado PE license, Senior Ecological Designer, Suzanne Hoehne, passed her Fundamentals of Engineering exam; Ecological Designer Ellie Month and Water Resources Engineer Emily DuBois passed their PE exams, and Environmental Scientist, Austin Vong, became certified as a Maryland Forest Conservation Act Qualified Professional. 

2025 Interns 
If Biohabitats’ 2025 cohort of interdisciplinary interns is any indication, the future of applied ecology is incredibly bright. Whether working on their individual research projects or supporting Biohabitats projects in the field and office, each intern brought a unique perspective, spirit, and set of skills to work every day, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We look forward to following their careers! 

A graduate of Morgan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a minor in Spanish, Syan Smoot brought a passion for green stormwater infrastructure to her summer internship at Biohabitats Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion office. We wish Syan the best as she heads to North Carolina State University this fall to begin a Master of Science in Biological and Agricultural Engineering program. Syan recently shared her reflections on her internship on the Rhizome blog. 

A graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University who majored in Indigenous and American Indian studies, Tyler Moore understands how intertwined Earth’s natural systems are with the lives and histories of Indigenous peoples. This summer, Tyler contributed his knowledge and unique insight to the development of a Vision Plan for the Wakarusa River Corridor, which borders the Haskell campus. Tyler also supported our internal Indigenous Relations working group, helping our overall effort to nurture and build upon a culture of belonging in our office and project work. Tyler will pursue his master’s degree in Indigenous Studies at the University of Kansas, and dreams of teaching Native history to other Native scholars.

A rising Junior and Environmental Science and Technology major at the University of Maryland, Diego Henriquez is interested in the intersection of natural resource management and data science. Diego will return to College Park in the fall to continue his education, and we wish him the very best! Hear about his time as a Biohabitats intern on the Rhizome blog. 

Taking Root 

Our unique culture is central to our mission and the way we operate. We’re thrilled to welcome our new People and Culture Coordinator, Jasmine Roberts, who will help ensure that it is nurtured and protected. Currently pursuing her Doctorate in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources Management, Jasmine brings nine years of diverse experience in the Human Resources field, including a background in non-profit organizations, e-commerce, gaming and technology, and the energy sector. Learn more about Jasmine on the Rhizome blog!

We’re thrilled to welcome Carson West back to Biohabitats Construction team. Carson is a Water Resources Engineer with nine years of expertise in restoration construction (including five spent on river restoration projects for Biohabitats Construction!) We are delighted to have Carson back in his new role as Assistant Project Construction Team Leader. Over the summer, Water Resources Engineer Katie Ellis and Senior Landscape Architect Martha Eberle joined our Southeast Atlantic Bioregion team; Administrative Assistant Mark Wax and Water Resources Engineer Emily Brucks joined the Southwest Basin & Range Bioregion team. More recently, we welcomed Water Resources Engineer Nicolina Sarnelli to the Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion team.  

Migration 

Restoration ecologist, Bryon Salladin, has relocated from Biohabitats’ Chesapeake/Delaware Bays Bioregion office to our Northeast Highlands and Coastal Bioregion in Middletown, CT. In his new post, Bryon will join senior ecologist, Josh Wilson, in managing projects that help communities from New York to Maine protect and enhance biodiversity, clean water, and resilience. Bryon is thrilled to apply his skills in arboriculture, natural resource management, and ecological restoration to his home region of New England.  

Building upon the experience she gained working in our Southeast Atlantic Bioregion office over the last four years and inspired by her years of service in community organizing, landscape designer and restoration ecologist, Sarai Carter, is now helping communities in the Great Lakes basin to address challenges related to water quality, biodiversity, climate resilience and environmental justice. Sarai works out of Biohabitats’ Great Lakes Bioregion office in Cleveland, and she is already making a positive impact on our team and work! 

Award-Winning Team Members

Biohabitats’ quarterly Golden Acorn award is presented to a team member who has excelled in demonstrating our mission to “Restore the Earth and Inspire Ecological Stewardship.” The gold color symbolizes purity of purpose in protecting and defending nature, and the acorn symbolizes strength of resolve. Golden Acorn winners are awarded $1000 to donate to non-profit organizations of their choice. The most recent winners of the Golden Acorn award were Marketing and Brand Leader Amy Nelson, who chose the Environmental Justice Journalism Initiative as the recipient of her Golden Acorn donation; Rachel Spadafore, who directed her donation to the Footpath Foundation; and Todd Alsbury, who donated to the Greater Oregon City Watershed Council. Congratulations to Amy, Rachel, and Todd!