E2PM’s lead environmental scientist, as approved by both the NJDEP ENSP and the NPS, worked as a Primary-level snake monitor and general construction monitor on all sections of a major electrical transmission upgrade project in Warren and Morris Counties. E2PM focus was where venomous snakes were known to occur as well as throughout the entire project corridor as a general construction monitor.
Working daily on-site, E2PM’s lead environmental scientist captured (from active workspaces) and released, in accordance with NJDEP/NPS protocols, numerous Timber Rattlesnakes and Northern Copperheads as well as numerous common snakes and turtles. Responsibilities included “sweeping” the active workspace prior to commencement of the day’s activities followed by continuous monitoring of the workspace throughout the day, looking for and responding to contractor requests to remove wildlife from the project site. Responsibilities also included enforcing compliance with various permit conditions such as ensuring that non-permitted encroachments into jurisdictional areas (i.e. wetlands, wetland transition areas, riparian buffers) did not occur as well as oversight of installation and maintenance of all required soil erosion and sediment control devises (i.e. silt fence, water diversion bars, plunge pools). Project also required installation of a total of five man-made snake hibernacula (dens) for purpose of mitigating the incidental take of various species of snakes that were discovered to have denned within the excavations associated with certain electrical transmission tower legs. E2PM’s lead environmental scientist was responsible for the collection of snakes not inadvertently killed during the excavation of the towers proposed to be replaced, as well as for the design of the hibernacula, oversight of the construction of same, and ultimately the release of collected snakes into the man-made dens. This unique project was the first of its kind located in northern New Jersey and subsequent to post-construction and post-release monitoring, determined to be a success.
In addition to the above, for the segment of the project located within the Delaware River Water Gap National Recreation Area, the NPS required post-construction snake surveys for purpose of attempting to gauge the project’s long-term impact to venomous snake critical habitats (i.e. hibernacula’s, early basking, gestation/birthing sites. E2PM’s lead environmental scientist led the survey team over a period of two years conducting emergence, early basking, and gestation/birthing surveys.