There are many considerations when planning a project, but what happens when you find out that you may have a rare species of bird nesting within or near your work zone?  For most projects that require Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) permits (i.e. stormwater, wetland, waterway permits), a Natural Heritage Inventory  (NHI) request must be submitted to the WDNR’s Bureau of Endangered Resources (BER) to determine which rare species of animals and plants, if any, may be present and whether or not a permit will be necessary to conduct certain activities.  In the case of Endangered and Threatened bird species, there may be several ways of protecting them, their nests, and their habitat. Early coordination with the WDNR is essential. 

The WDNR's list of Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern bird species provides an overview of habitat requirements and typical breeding/nesting periods (avoidance periods). This list is occasionally revised based on new information/research collected by the WDNR’s BER. For example, the barn owl, snowy egret, and Bewick’s wren have been proposed for de-listing, while other species such as black tern, Kirtland’s warbler, and the upland sandpiper have been proposed for listing.  For more information, please contact Tina Myers (262) 317-3389 or Heather Patti (262) 317-3361, R.A. Smith National ecologists.  Our ecological team is highly familiar with the NHI process and we have completed a number of rare species habitat assessments and surveys, including rare bird surveys.

R.A. Smith National’s engineering staff has been busy over the last several years on several projects that contributed to the recent opening of the new I-94 Interchange at Drexel Avenue and reconstructed Drexel Avenue in the City of Oak Creek.  Our transportation and municipal services divisions were pleased to be part of this major effort to spur new development in this area and along nearby arterials such as South 27th Street.  The new interchange is the first one added to the freeway system in Milwaukee County since it was originally built in the 1970s. 

Our traffic division assisted with traffic volume forecasting in the area of the interchange and played a key role in the design of both traffic signals at the I-94 ramps as part of our on-site contracts with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Our municipal services division provided design, ecological and environmental permitting services to the City of Oak Creek for the reconstruction of Drexel Avenue from S. 27th Street to S. 13th Street. That project involved the innovative design of a rammed aggregate pier system to serve as a road base reinforcement for a shallow embankment over a wetland.