PBJ Engineering Services’ Post

Todd Valley Habitat Restoration Project Nelson City Council is thrilled to announce a community agreement between the Council and the Department of Conservation (DOC) to enhance the ecological values of the Wakapuaka Sandflats through the Todd Valley habitat restoration project. Project Goals: - Create freshwater and coastal wetland habitats for inanga spawning Maintain fish passage - Improve flood capacity in the lower reaches of Todd Valley Stream Progress So Far: Stage 1: Completed post-August 2022 floods, involving debris removal, stream bank grading, and planting in winter 2023. Stage 2: Scheduled for December, focusing on earthworks to remove weedy species, grade banks, and create diverse habitats. Planting will commence in winter 2025. This project is a significant step towards a healthier, more resilient ecosystem. #Conservation #HabitatRestoration #Ecology #CommunityProject #Sustainability

🌱 Creating a Thriving Riparian Zone in partnership with local Hapū. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been immersed in the rewarding process of writing a riparian restoration plan for a development. It’s incredible to see how strategic thinking and thoughtful plant choices can play such a pivotal role in enhancing waterway health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience. In developing this plan, I focused on: ✅ Site-specific planting – Selecting native plants that align with local soil types, hydrology, and climate conditions to ensure their success and long-term sustainability. ✅ Erosion control – Including species with strong root structures to stabilise streambanks while improving water quality. ✅ Habitat creation – Providing food and shelter for native birds, fish, and insects. ✅ Cultural considerations – Collaborating to include species of significance to Mana Whenua and local communities. Did you know riparian zones are critical buffers for our waterways, reducing sediment and nutrient runoff, mitigating flood impacts, and restoring ecological balance. It’s rewarding to think of the long-term benefits that this plan will bring not only to the environment but also to the people who connect with these spaces. If you’ve worked on riparian or ecological restoration projects, I’d love to hear your experiences or insights on plant species that have worked well in your area! #RiparianRestoration #Ecology #NativePlants #Sustainability #Biodiversity #Waterways

📢 *REMINDER* JOIN US JULY 30 FOR A PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION IN MAUMEE, OHIO We want your input on our Great Lakes Fisheries and Ecosystem Restoration Towpath Park project! This project aims to sustain fish and aquatic species in the Maumee River and Lake Erie by restoring habitat at three proposed sites along the river in the vicinity of Towpath Park. Come learn more and engage with our team! 📅 July 30, 2024 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. Maumee High School Performing Arts Center 1147 Saco Street Maumee, OH 43537 📍 https://lnkd.in/g8PttUjM More about the project: Modifications to the Great Lakes and its rivers have significantly degraded the quantity and quality of aquatic and floodplain habitat within the Western Lake Erie Basin. This project may include construction of a river-adjacent wetland complex, vernal pools, and softening streambank features to stabilize the bank and slow water velocity near the shoreline of the Maumee River, benefitting fish species and other aquatic species, birds, and plants by creating or maintaining habitat. The project would also reduce the rate of stormwater runoff reaching the Maumee River in the local area and retain sediment to help improve water quality. Possible locations include sites adjacent to existing walking paths west or east of the Conant Street Bridge, or further downstream, northeast of the Audobon Islands State Nature Preserve. #USACE #BuffaloDistrict #GLFER #Environment #EnvironmentalRestoration #EnvironmentalEngineering

Let's be honest, sometimes making legal work look and sound exciting can be a touch challenging... Especially when using video, as there's only so many shots of shiny new offices and people working at computer screens you can take. So, it's fair to say the M&R comms team were rather excited to learn about an innovative (and yes, it truly is innovative), first of its kind partnership to transform a difficult to cultivate area of floodplain into a biodiverse wetland. Mills & Reeve has teamed up with longstanding client Albanwise Environment, a nature recovery and land management company, to embark on the first step in a nature conservation project. The ground-breaking project aims to restore the Stoke Ferry Wetland in Norfolk, creating a rich habitat for rare birds and wildlife. Stoke Ferry, uniquely positioned in a strategically important river corridor, is a low-lying peatland area which is challenging for traditional farming and holds immense potential. The plan? To create a nature-rich landscape that benefits both people and the environment. Supported by environmental DNA (eDNA) specialists at NatureMetrics, we’re analysing soil samples to detect the species living in and around the area, and also comparing the site to local thriving wetland sites to provide an indication of what it might look like in 20-30 years time. Stay tuned for the results…🦉🌱 Click here to find out more: https://bit.ly/4cVkH95 #biodiversity #naturerestoration #eDNA #collaboration #clientexperience

“A swale is essentially shaped earth that can hold and direct water. The aim of swales is to retain water – a precious resource – and improve the moisture content of the soil. “While it’s the mound form of swales that we see on the surface, it’s what’s happening below that really matters. Behind the mound and hidden below the surface, there is a rainwater retention trench. It is about a metre deep and half a metre wide. The trench is filled with materials like rocks and sand which creates a space for water to permeate and flow through. “Rainwater retention trenches mimic our alpine creek beds. Even when there’s no water visible on the surface, a subterranean aquatic environment persists. Paul Totterdell has dedicated much of his career to simulating this natural phenomenon in the built environment with swales and rainwater retention trenches. “I and several other practitioners with a wide range of experience in urban design, ecology and placemaking, have collaborated with Paul over many years. We have contributed our thoughts and experiences as his theories and work processes have evolved. It’s only through many years of research, reflection, collaboration and iterative processes that Paul’s design for water harvesting systems could emerge. “A swale by itself will hold water and slow erosion. But when you design a series of swales and incorporate rainwater retention trenches you multiply their benefits. This creates the right conditions to grow plants to create canopy. The canopy then cools the city through shading and evapotranspiration. “In the Bragg Street Park, the swales solved a problem of overland flow and flooding. But what they've also done is create a play space for the community, habitat for wildlife, and the foundation for a changed microclimate,” Paul says.

🌍 All We Are Saying is Give PEAT a Chance 🌍 Recently, I’ve been volunteering my time with Lancashire Wildlife Trust to help measure peat depth in the West Pennine Moors—a landscape shaped by centuries of human activity. The West Pennine Moors are a fascinating and complex landscape. Historically, they’ve been used for mixed grazing, though today, sheep grazing dominates, often contributing to erosion and vegetation changes. These uplands have also seen coal mining, the drainage of blanket bogs, and the construction of reservoirs, all of which have left their mark on the landscape. Add to this their role as a much-loved space for recreation, and you begin to see how the moors balance ecological, agricultural, and social demands. Peatlands are an incredible ally in the fight against climate change, storing vast amounts of carbon while supporting unique ecosystems. Yet, many of these vital habitats are degraded, releasing carbon instead of storing it. That’s why this work is so important. 🎯 The Task: Create a baseline peat depth map to guide future peatland restoration efforts. This involves systematically sampling across the moorland, covering different vegetation types, topography, and hydrology, using a stratified grid design. ⚙️ The Action: Armed with a carbon fibre extendable probe and a phone loaded with ArcGIS software: We navigate to sampling points marked on an aerial map. At each point, the probe is inserted vertically into the peat until resistance indicates the mineral substrate below. The depth is recorded directly into ArcGIS, ensuring real-time, accurate data collection. 📊 The Result: The data will generate a peat depth map, forming a critical baseline for planning restoration activities like rewetting, revegetation, or altering grazing practices. This map will help maximise carbon storage and improve biodiversity, bringing the moors closer to their natural state. Volunteering on this project has deepened my appreciation for peatlands' role in climate action and landscape recovery. It’s rewarding to contribute to work that bridges ecology and technology while building solutions for a more sustainable future. 🔎 If you’ve been involved in peatland restoration or mapping projects, please share your experiences below—it would be great to learn more. Movie: Annie Masters-Parmar using a peat depth probe #Peatlands #ClimateAction #RestorationEcology #WestPennineMoors #Conservation

🐾 European Water Voles are considered ecosystem engineers because they actively shape their environment in ways that benefit other species. Here's how they do it and why restoring their population is important: 🌱 How Water Voles Act as Ecosystem Engineers: 🔧 Burrowing: Water voles dig extensive networks of burrows along riverbanks and wetland edges, which helps aerate the soil, promoting plant growth and improving soil quality. 🌳 Vegetation Management: By feeding on grasses, sedges, and other aquatic plants, water voles help manage vegetation in wetland ecosystems. This creates a more diverse plant structure, which can support a wider variety of wildlife. 🌰 Seed Dispersal: Their feeding habits contribute to seed dispersal, aiding in the regeneration of wetland plant species. 🏡 Creating Habitats: The presence of water voles often leads to the creation of habitats that support other wildlife, such as amphibians, insects, and birds, by maintaining the balance and health of wetland ecosystems. 😊 Why Restoring Their Population is Important: 🐛 Biodiversity: As ecosystem engineers, water voles play a critical role in maintaining biodiversity. Their burrowing and feeding activities help sustain healthy ecosystems that support numerous species. 🦆 Wetland Health: Restoring water vole populations contributes to the health and resilience of wetland habitats, which are crucial for flood control, water filtration, and carbon storage. ⛑ Species Recovery: Water voles are one of the UK’s most endangered mammals. Their recovery is essential not only for their survival but also for the overall stability and richness of wetland ecosystems. ⚖ Balancing the Ecosystem: By restoring water vole populations, we help counteract the negative impacts of habitat degradation and invasive species, like the American mink, that threaten the ecosystem's balance. #Restoration #WaterVoles #Rewilding #EcosystemRestoration #NatureRestoration

It's our favourite kind of post. A before and after post 😍 And it's a big one! *Before > After* Here's an area of restoration works on Bodmin Moor that took place in March looking incredible this week. You can see that *so much water* is being held back and slowed down in the landscape. The comparison with the dry, scrubby, eroding environment from before is clear. These works have made the area better for water, richer for wildlife, helpful for carbon storage, encouraging for plant diversity, and stronger for protecting the erosion of historic environment features. 💧 The water may draw down as we get into summer, but the design of the stone, peat and wooden blocks will help raise and stabilise the water table, encouraging peat-forming sphagnum mosses to colonise and build up. 🌱 Bracken should soon become flooded out, diversifying plant life to more bog species like the insect-eating sundew, bog bean, bog asphodel and cotton grasses 🌳 Willow will thrive, trapping sediment, filtering water and providing habitat for wildlife (we heard a willow tit out here yesterday) and we'll be seeing dragonflies, waterfowl and whirlygigs on these pools in no time at all. This was a challenging site for the team due to the sheer volume of water we've received this spring in the South West. The results are testament to our Project Officers thinking outside the box and working closely with skilled contractors to achieve this vision. The area will 'green up' as vegetation takes hold and we finally get some sunshine here in Cornwall, and our monitoring team will retake this picture in the next few months to show you how quickly it may change again. 🌞 SWPP is funded by Natural England South West Water (whose site this is and whose biodiversity improvements through conifer removal can be spotted in the background) #DuchyofCornwall Cornwall Council National Trust Environment Agency QUANTOCK AND EXMOOR LIMITED #peatland #peatlandrestoration #rewilding #regeneration #peatbogs #generationrestoration #nature #landscapemanagement #slowtheflow

🌍 Happy World Migratory Bird Day! 🦆 Today, we celebrate our feathered friends who travel thousands of miles each year, relying on the chain of wetlands along their routes. These wetlands are not just stopovers; they're crucial for the survival of migratory birds, providing food, rest, and shelter. We're committed to creating and preserving these natural sanctuaries through our sustainable engineering practices. MAGNA’s Storm Parks offer opportunities to sustain high-value insitu wetlands through creative hydroperiod mirror practices and provide improved ecological services. Our expertise with low-impact development (LID), biofiltration processes, and applied hydrology has allowed us to demonstrate alternative stormwater management approaches that outperform traditional conveyance, detention, treatment, and reuse methods while remaining cost-competitive and compliant. Our work in enhancing and developing wetland habitats ensures that these vital ecosystems continue to thrive, supporting biodiversity and helping migratory birds complete their incredible journeys. Let's all do our part in protecting these indispensable habitats. Together, we can make a big impact—one wetland at a time. #WorldMigratoryBirdDay #BuildWithPurpose #FitForPurpose #MAGNAStormParks #MAGNAEngineering #NatureBasedInfrastructure

Can beavers (and beaver dams) co-exist with fish? YES! Beavers, often called “ecosystem engineers,” create habitats vital for countless species, including fish. By adding wood to streams and slowing water flow, natural beaver dams and human-built Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) enhance aquatic habitats by pooling water and and providing essential rearing and overwintering spaces for salmon and trout. Check out this footage from the Earl Ranch restoration site in Newgate, B.C., where our team partnered with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it (Tobacco Plains Indian Band) to install ten BDAs in 2024. Watch closely to see fish thriving in the ponds created by these human-built beaver dams! This work is part of BCWF’s 10,000 Wetlands Project, which aims to install 100 BDAs by 2025 and promote beaver-based restoration techniques to address watershed degradation caused by climate change, development, and declined beaver populations. By replicating beavers’ natural engineering with BDAs and supporting their return, the 10,000 Wetlands project helps restore balance to vital ecosystems. Thank you to the Government of Canada, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, and the Province of B.C. for supporting this work. 🎥: Geneva Bahen #beaverdamanalogues #beaverdams #beaversintraining #fishhabitat #wetlandrestoration #watershedhealth #bcwildlife #bcsalmon #bcwf