Solution
Beacon’s experienced Ecologists are skilled in the identification and assessment of plants, wildlife and different vegetation communities and habitat types. Depending on the natural and scope of the project, these skills are applied at various scales ranging from site-specific inventories to broader watershed-scale assessments in urban, urbanizing and rural settings.
Staff are certified and experienced in use of ecological land classification system and Ontario wetland evaluation system. Beacon is also qualified under the Ministry of Transportation Registry, Appraisal and Qualification System (RAQs).
Beacon’s terrestrial work typically includes: feature boundary verification, vegetation community assessments using the ecological land classification system; wetland assessments and wetland evaluations using the Ontario wetland evaluation system; botanical surveys; wildlife surveys (e.g., for birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles); and screening for terrestrial species at risk as well as regionally and locally significant species. This work is often the basis for significant wildlife habitat assessments, impact assessments, management and mitigation recommendations. It can also inform habitat enhancement and restoration plans.
Expertise
- Plant surveys, including species of conservation concern and invasive species
- Wildlife surveys and significant wildlife habitat assessments
- Terrestrial species at risk surveys including Butternut health assessments
- Breeding bird screening under the Migratory Birds Convention Act
- Wetland boundary delineation and verification, and application of Ontario wetland evaluation system for southern and northern Ontario
- Ecological land classification system mapping and inventory
- Forest resource inventory
- Qualified on the Ministry of Transportation RAQs for natural sciences
