Pathfinder Environmental, New Mexico - Specialists in Environmental Regulatory Compliance

REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

National Park Service - Buffalo National River (BNR) in Harrison, Arkansas - Recently awarded contract to prepare an EA for improvements to the ponds and trails at Cedar Glade. The proposed improvements include providing access for the mobility impaired to the south pond, designating the south pond as a youth and mobility impaired only fishing area, designating the north pond as a youth only fishing area, managing the two ponds for quality fishing, and removing some vegetation from around the ponds to improve bank fishing access. The lead agency for the EA will be the National Park Service. These modifications will improve the visitor experience at Buffalo National River and increase the availability resources that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Armed Forces Reserve Training Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico - Prepared an EA for the construction and operation of a new Armed Forces Reserve Training Center located in the West Mesa Industrial Park on the west side of Las Cruces. The new center will provide Army and Marine Corps Reserve members with modern facilities to conduct weekend training. This EA was prepared under a subcontract with PARS Environmental, Inc.

National Park Service - Buffalo National River in Harrison, Arkansas - Prepared an EA for improvements to park facilities. The improvements comprised parking and traffic flow improvements at Rush Landing along with a new updated restroom facility, a formal parking area and trailhead for the Spring Creek Trail, drainage improvements at Hasty Landing, and surface, safety, and access improvements to the Lost Valley Trail and Eden Cave. The lead agency for the EA was the National Park Service. These upgrades will improve the visitor experience at Buffalo National River.

National Park Service - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (GCNRA) in Page, Arizona - Prepared an EA for a new radio repeater tower on Navajo Mountain. This project includes additional Archaeological and Biological Surveys as well as a land survey for legal description. The lead agency for the EA was the Bureau of Indian Affairs with the NPS acting as a cooperating agency. The new radio tower will improve radio communications within the GCNRA, thus improving safety and emergency response as well as the resource protection capabilities of the Park Service.

National Park Service, GCNRA and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monticello Field Office - Prepared an EA for a system of new radio repeaters that would provide reliable telephone and broadband services to the Dangling Rope Marina in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on Lake Powell.

City of Page (City), Arizona - Prepared an EA for new supplemental water supply facilities located on Lake Powell in Arizona. The National Park Service (NPS) was the lead federal agency for the project NEPA compliance because the proposed new pumping plant and a portion of the new pipeline will be located on NPS land in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The existing water supply system for the City was built into the Glen Canyon Dam back in the early 1960s and has a limited capacity. The new supplemental water supply facilities will provide both additional pumping capacity and system redundancy to protect the City and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation, which obtains its water supply from the City, from any potential failure of the existing system.

Oregon Military Department (OMD), Salem, Oregon - Prepared an EA for the National Guard Bureau (NGB) for four proposed new weapons training ranges at the Boardman Bombing Range Complex (BBRC) near Boardman, Oregon. The NGB was the lead federal agency, with the Navy, as the landowner, acting as a co-lead agency. This project included cultural and biological resource surveys of approximately 2,200 acres at the BBRC and a Fire Potential Report. The NEPA compliance for this project was elevated to an Environmental Impact Statement after potential significant impacts were identified during the preparation of the draft EA. The EIS was prepared by another consulting firm.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office - Prepared an EA for the realignment of an approximately two-mile segment of the Low Flow Conveyance Channel (LFCC) on the Rio Grande near San Acacia, New Mexico. The project was designed to provide room for the Rio Grande to migrate naturally to the west along this segment of the river, without breaching the LFCC and its associated levee. This project includes extensive post-construction site restoration to mitigate the opportunity for noxious weeds to increase their presence and to enhance the ecological condition of the river's floodplain by planting large numbers of cottonwood and willow trees. Two wetland habitats will also be created in the former LFCC channel. This EA was completed and a FONSI signed in four months. Project construction has since been completed.

Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office - Prepared an EA for a bank stabilization project along the west side of the Rio Grande near the Village of La Canova, New Mexico. Erosion by the river was threatening to undermine the La Canova Acequia and the access road that runs beside it. The project includes the placement of large boulders along the lower bank of the river and stabilization of the upper bank using coir blocks and fabric with pole plantings of cottonwoods, willows, and New Mexico olives. Construction of this project was completed in 2005.

U.S. Highway 285, Eddy County, Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 234, Lea County, Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

I-40/West Central Interchange Reconstruction Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 24 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 234 Fence Replacement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 243 Shoulder Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

U.S. Highway 82 Fence Replacement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT

U.S. Highway 285 Fence Replacement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT

Ribera, New Mexico, San Miguel County Road B-41-F, Low-water Crossing Improvement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Acequia Madre – Arroyo San Antonio Trail Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Paseo de la Tierra Drainage and Resurfacing Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Agua Fria 2400 Road Wastewater Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Bear Canyon Trail Extension Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Chapelle, New Mexico, San Miguel County Road B-27 Resurfacing Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Country Acres Subdivision, New Mexico, San Miguel County, Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

East Pecos, New Mexico, San Miguel County Road B-49 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, Escalante Middle and High School Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Ojitos Frios, New Mexico, San Miguel County Road A19A Low-water Crossing Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Pendaries Ranch, New Mexico, San Miguel County Road A-30 Resurfacing Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

San Miguel County Road 23, Storrie Bridge Replacement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Tres Hermanos Creek Low-water Crossing Erosion Control Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Las Vegas, New Mexico, Grande Avenue Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

New Mexico Highway 17 Fence Replacement Project Biological Evaluation for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 26 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 83 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 47 and New Mexico Highway 147 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Taos County Road CB-115, West Rim Road, Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

U.S. 84 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

U.S. Highway 550, Rio Rancho to Bloomfield, New Mexico, multiple biological surveys and CEs for annual maintenance projects for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 176 Drainage Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

U.S. 380 and New Mexico Highway 48, Capitan, New Mexico, Trails and Road Improvements Projects Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Santa Fe County Road 88G Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

San Ildefonso Pueblo, Avanyu Po and Yo Povi Po Pavement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

New Mexico Highway 313 North Diversion Channel Bridge Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 313 and 556 Intersection Roundabout Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Lincoln Avenue Extension Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Wilpett Road Intersection Improvement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Questa, New Mexico, Wastewater and Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

State of New Mexico Correctional Facility, Las Cruces, New Mexico Wastewater Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

New Mexico Highway 256 Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highway 502, West Pojoaque High School Entrance Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Los Alamos, New Mexico, Trinity Drive Improvements Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

U.S. Highway 64, Kirtland, New Mexico, Traffic Lights Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

New Mexico Highways 75 and 580 and Rio Arriba County Roads 63, 64 and 70, Dixon, New Mexico, Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Cimarron, New Mexico, Emergency Helicopter Landing Pad Biological Evaluation for the NMDOT.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 12th Street Improvements Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Detention Pond Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

City of Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Lisbon Drive Drainage Improvements Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Town of Taos, New Mexico, Morgan Road Improvements Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Peña Blanca, New Mexico Highway 22, Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico, Gutierrez Street Reconstruction Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Ramah, New Mexico, Bureau of Indian Affairs Highways 125 and 114 Intersection Improvements Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Rodarte, New Mexico Highway 73 Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

U.S. Highway 84, Dilia, New Mexico, Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Anton Chico, New Mexico Highways 386 and 119, Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Technical Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Rio Arriba County Road 126 Arroyo de las Barrancas Crossing Revegetation Plan for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Las Cruces Armed Forces Reserve Training Center Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Los Alamos High School Drainage Extension Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Town of Taos, Chamisa Road Water Supply Pipeline Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Cerro, New Mexico Highway 378 Water Supply Pipeline Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum for the NMDOT.

Clines Corners Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 285 Interchange Improvements Biological Evaluation for the NMDOT.

Taos County, New Mexico, Twelve Bridge Replacements, Biological Technical Memoranda for the NMDOT.

Pojoaque Pueblo, Viarrial Street Roundabout Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Williamsburg Waste Water and Water Supply Pipeline Replacement Project Biological Reconnaissance Memorandum.

Provided Technical Advisory services to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for water quality monitoring on the Pecos River between Fort Sumner, New Mexico and Dexter, New Mexico. This project consisted of taking weekly baseline water quality measurements using a handheld YSI multi-parameter device at the USGS Acme Gaging Station near Roswell, New Mexico. The data is being used as a reference for pool water quality when the river stops flowing and begins to dry up in the summer months when water is being diverted from the river for irrigation.

Project Management and principal authorship of an EA of a supplemental well at the Buckman well-field. The BLM Taos Field Office was the lead federal agency for the project. This project, called Buckman #9, was originally designed as a replacement for another well in its Buckman well-field near the Rio Grande, but as drought conditions in northern New Mexico continued, it became an emergency measure to increase the City of Santa Fe’s water supply capacity. The impact analysis included effects to the local aquifer, private wells in the region, and flows in the Rio Grande and its main tributaries. Construction of this three million dollar project was completed in 2003.

Project Management and principal authorship of an EA for four new supplemental wells, #10 - #13, at the Buckman well-field. This project was designed as an additional emergency measure to further increase the City of Santa Fe’s water supply capacity from its well-field near the Rio Grande. As in the EA for Buckman #9 (see below), the impact analysis included effects to the local aquifer, private wells in the region, and flows in the Rio Grande and its main tributaries. It also considered potential effects to distant riparian areas. This EA contained an extensive Secondary and Cumulative Effects section. Construction of this 12 million dollar project was completed in 2004.

Project Management and principal authorship of an EA for the construction of a new Armed Forces Reserve Center and Organizational Maintenance Shop for the Oregon Military Department (OMD) and the Oregon Army National Guard. The lead federal agency for this project was the National Guard Bureau. The new facility was designed to consolidate a number of existing National Guard units along with the U.S. Naval Reserves and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves in central Oregon.

Project Management and principal authorship of the Phase A initial environmental conditions in the Alignment Study Report, the Phase B Detailed Evaluation of Alternatives, an EA, and two CEs for an Interstate 25 reconstruction project in the Raton Pass corridor between the city of Raton, NM and the Colorado state line. This work was conducted for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) and the lead federal agency was the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This project was designed to address extensive geotechnical deficiencies in the roadway through the pass, where water seepage beneath the roadway prism was causing severe settling and the potential for mass wasting of the roadway foundation. Construction of this 12.5 million dollar project was completed in 2002.

Project Management and principal authorship of an EA for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Reclamation that assessed potential impacts related to the construction of a shallow aquifer infiltration collector well for demonstration purposes near the Rio Grande on the San Ildefonso Pueblo. The City of Santa Fe, NM, Santa Fe County, and San Ildefonso Pueblo entered into a Memorandum of Agreement for the purpose of exploring the potential for a gallery of infiltration collector wells along the Rio Grande at San Ildefonso Pueblo. This project received FONSIs from both the BIA and the USBR in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Construction of this project was completed in 2001.