Jared Lewis

A-T-S is responsible for the post-construction (restoration) maintenance and performance monitoring for the San Antonio Creek Bioregional Habitat Restoration project near Sunol, California. Since 2014, A-T-S has served as the restoration manager responsible for project management, ecological and environmental services, specialized hydrologic staff, specialty monitoring and implementation of the Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (MMP). We provide regulatory permitting and compliance assistance for… Show more

A-T-S is responsible for the post-construction (restoration) maintenance and performance monitoring for the San Antonio Creek Bioregional Habitat Restoration project near Sunol, California. Since 2014, A-T-S has served as the restoration manager responsible for project management, ecological and environmental services, specialized hydrologic staff, specialty monitoring and implementation of the Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (MMP). We provide regulatory permitting and compliance assistance for local, state, and federal environmental regulations and natural resource agency support including, but not limited to the federal Endangered Species Act (FESA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 404 permit, California Endangered Species Act (CESA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) 2081 incidental take permit and 1602 streambed alteration agreement, and Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) 401 certification support through report writing, review, environmental oversight, training and implementation, and operational compliance. Show less

Climate-induced impacts to aquatic and terrestrial habitat may be a continuous factor affecting amphibian populations on SLT managed properties over the next 10-15 years. Long-term studies will enable SLT to track CTS/CRLF populations over time to understand impacts related to environmental change as well as the implications of ongoing restoration efforts and management actions. The proposed surveys will provide critical information to support adaptive management and decision making within… Show more

Climate-induced impacts to aquatic and terrestrial habitat may be a continuous factor affecting amphibian populations on SLT managed properties over the next 10-15 years. Long-term studies will enable SLT to track CTS/CRLF populations over time to understand impacts related to environmental change as well as the implications of ongoing restoration efforts and management actions. The proposed surveys will provide critical information to support adaptive management and decision making within SLT’s network of protected lands.

This research fulfills the long-term resource monitoring objectives for the Solano Land Trust: 1) establish and implement a monitoring program for CTS/CRLF that contributes useful information to the recovery of the species; 2) integrate with long-term monitoring efforts throughout the land trust network of protected lands; 3) ensure that land management practices are consistent with the conservation of the species; and 4) to provide information on population trends. Show less

This study aims to evaluate the potential for atmospheric carbon sequestration in rangeland soils as a viable climate mitigation and green-house gas (GHG) reduction method. The study protocol complies with the American Carbon Registry (2014) quantitative methodology for accounting and assessing carbon sequestration and avoided GHG emissions related to Compost Additions on Grazed Grasslands, and also supports a concurrent Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation… Show more

This study aims to evaluate the potential for atmospheric carbon sequestration in rangeland soils as a viable climate mitigation and green-house gas (GHG) reduction method. The study protocol complies with the American Carbon Registry (2014) quantitative methodology for accounting and assessing carbon sequestration and avoided GHG emissions related to Compost Additions on Grazed Grasslands, and also supports a concurrent Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), which promotes coordination between NRCS, local producers and Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) to deliver conservation assistance implementing “carbon farming” projects on rangelands and croplands. Specifically, the research seeks to (1) identify and quantify the ecological factors that drive ecosystem carbon storage in the context of a sustainable agricultural enterprise, and (2) to evaluate the management, socio-economic, and ecological implications of enhancing carbon stocks and improving ecosystem services through compost addition. These objectives are accomplished through a large landscape-scale experiment, involving 20 1-acre plots in rotationally grazed rangelands in northern California, to which completely cured, locally sourced green-waste compost is spread about 0.5 in thick in a single application (about 33 cy/ac). Each experimental plot is paired with an adjacent control plot on the same soil type. Monitoring and evaluating the bio-physical impacts of compost addition also include soil chemistry, soil carbon and water dynamics, native and non-native plant communities, weeds, rare or endangered species, and native pollinator guilds. Show less

There is a near universal need within the NERRS and by other natural resource stakeholders for accurate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and habitat maps to support a diversity of applications including: reducing the error of marsh DEMs to support sea level rise research and management and flood forecasts; evaluating the impact of specific vegetation management practices on elevation in marsh micro-environments; assessing beaches after storms for damage assessment and restoration purposes; and… Show more

There is a near universal need within the NERRS and by other natural resource stakeholders for accurate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and habitat maps to support a diversity of applications including: reducing the error of marsh DEMs to support sea level rise research and management and flood forecasts; evaluating the impact of specific vegetation management practices on elevation in marsh micro-environments; assessing beaches after storms for damage assessment and restoration purposes; and identifying high priority invasive and sensitive vegetation. Data from multiple high resolution multi-spectral sensors and lidar elevation were acquired for three NERRS sites: Jacques Cousteau, NJ; Grand Bay, MS; and San Francisco Bay, CA. Each reserve has vertical control infrastructure and high resolution imagery to support validation of the UAS products.

This project evaluates the effectiveness of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) platforms to produce multiple mapping data and products for elevation and vegetation mapping in marshes and dune systems. UAS data collection was contracted to the private sector and the ground truth conducted by National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and NOAA staff. We utilized multiple NERRS sentinel sites as test beds and conducted repeat collections to determine relative and absolute elevation change mapping abilities in different ecosystems and evaluated the cost/benefit of acquiring multi-season data for vegetation mapping. Show less

The Solano Natural Areas Plan (SNAP) was developed with regional natural resource and agricultural data and a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool. It uses conservation prioritization criteria developed by Solano Land Trust (SLT) to generate a comprehensive regional conservation assessment. SNAP and associated maps identify high priority conservation areas in Solano County and rank potential conservation lands based on natural resource and agricultural values.

SNAP and the… Show more

The Solano Natural Areas Plan (SNAP) was developed with regional natural resource and agricultural data and a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool. It uses conservation prioritization criteria developed by Solano Land Trust (SLT) to generate a comprehensive regional conservation assessment. SNAP and associated maps identify high priority conservation areas in Solano County and rank potential conservation lands based on natural resource and agricultural values.

SNAP and the associated GIS tools are intended for broad use within SLT and by partners. The SNAP expands on SLT’s 2002 Agricultural Conservation Easement (ACE) Plan by integrating the most current, biological, parcel, land-use, and agricultural data, and by incorporating GIS tools. The expansion is consistent with the criteria proposed in the 2002 ACE Plan, while including a number of additional conservation datasets, such as a special status species and landscape factor analysis. Show less

Landscape-scale monitoring programs are fundamental to conservation management and ecological restoration goals in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta. Regional monitoring programs are constrained largely by methodological and scalability issues and thus costs. Remote sensing and imagery analysis overcome both methodological limitations and challenges related to accuracy at large spatial scales through standardization of data collection, analysis, and methodological approaches. Scalability… Show more

Landscape-scale monitoring programs are fundamental to conservation management and ecological restoration goals in the San Francisco Estuary and Delta. Regional monitoring programs are constrained largely by methodological and scalability issues and thus costs. Remote sensing and imagery analysis overcome both methodological limitations and challenges related to accuracy at large spatial scales through standardization of data collection, analysis, and methodological approaches. Scalability limitations are addressed by capturing imagery with manned aircraft and leveraging automation and technology tools. Show less

Remote sensing (RS) is an indispensable tool for monitoring vegetation change in estuarine systems (Tuxen et al. 2011). We evaluated a number of UAS based remote sensing applications at the Rush Ranch Reserve (Solano Land Trust/SF Bay NERR) in Solano County, focused primarily on monitoring vegetation change and invasive species in a remnant tidal marsh. Using high spatial resolution imagery captured with a UAS we compared two pixel-based classification approaches verified by field data… Show more

Remote sensing (RS) is an indispensable tool for monitoring vegetation change in estuarine systems (Tuxen et al. 2011). We evaluated a number of UAS based remote sensing applications at the Rush Ranch Reserve (Solano Land Trust/SF Bay NERR) in Solano County, focused primarily on monitoring vegetation change and invasive species in a remnant tidal marsh. Using high spatial resolution imagery captured with a UAS we compared two pixel-based classification approaches verified by field data. Accuracy assessments were produced for twenty classification trials across five vegetation types to evaluate site and ecologically appropriate classification strategies; standardized remote data collection methods; and assess the repeatability of our sampling and classification approach. Our
study demonstrates the utility of UAS for monitoring vegetation in tidal marshes with high diversity. Vegetation maps were consistently accurate (Kappa = > .73), and provided high resolution spatial data.
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