Karen Caddis is the principal, senior biologist, and wetland scientist at Caddis Environmental Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned small business. Over her 30-year career, Karen has been extensively involved in the coordination and/or management of multi-disciplinarian environmental and biological teams throughout the western U.S. and Alaska involving local and state governments, BLM, DOD, USFS, USACE, NRCS, CEC, OSM, FERC, and BIA. These have included biological studies and permitting for developments, utilities, transportation, oil and gas pipelines, hard and soft rock mining, reservoirs, ski areas, and renewable energy.

Karen specializes in coordination and completion of biological, wetlands, and environmental studies and documents in relation to regulatory permitting. She is also well-versed in preparing, evaluating, and conducting biological, and wetland delineation analyses to ensure compliance with applicable laws. She has managed and coordinated many biological field studies, associated NEPA permitting and reporting, and Section 404 and 401 coordination, including biological and wetlands studies for a 750 MW solar thermal electric development across 6,000+ acres in the Imperial Valley near El Centro, California; and over 50 large field efforts associated with military bases, airport development, mining, renewable energy, power plants, and other utility projects in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Montana, and Nevada.

Karen has bachelor’s degrees in Natural Resource Management, Physical Geography, and Journalism from Colorado State University and Eastern Washington University. She is current in both surface and underground MSHA training, is a USACE-certified wetlands delineator and CDOT FACWet-trained and is permitted by the USFWS to conduct Ute-ladies’ tresses orchid, black-footed ferret, Mexican spotted owl, and Chiricahua leopard frog surveys. She is also experienced in desert tortoise, raptor, migratory bird, rare plant, invertebrate, general vegetation, yellow-billed cuckoo, and southwestern willow flycatcher studies.

Chelsea is an Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management in the Department of Biology at Grand Valley State University. Her current research primarily investigates the biogeochemistry of wetland ecosystems toward developing solutions for problematic soil situations and improving wetland conservation and management.

Vegetation ecologist specializing in wetland and riparian ecology, assessment, classification, and restoration.

I have more than 28 years of academic and consulting experience within public and private sectors in the science, policy, and management of aquatic environments, including extensive experience in the assessment, restoration, and management of degraded wetlands and rivers across multiple scales. The goal of my career has always been to provide straightforward analysis of ecological data to facilitate a translation for management applications to solve tangible problems that intersect natural and human environments. At Montana State University, I focus my research on assessment and management questions that address combined anthropogenic and natural disturbances and how these drive aquatic structure, function, and services.

https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/gregory-noe

Toney Ott

Toney Ott has been with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 over 40 years ago. Toney began her career as an aquatic field biologist and has assessed and sampled waters across the west.  Toney has worked developed a strong fish advisory program in Region 8, worked in the nonpoint source program, worked in the aquatic invasive species field and water/wetland monitoring and assessment.  Toney began working with the Region 8 wetlands team about 20 years. She was an active member of the waters of the U.S. Workgroup and helped with the completion of the first guidance for jurisdiction and initial rulemaking. She led the Region 8 workgroup to ensure consistent implementation of jurisdictional determinations, trained EPA and other water staff personnel on the processes and field support work.

She has been involved in the CWA Section 401 and 404 program. She provides support to the NEPA program, reviewing and providing comments on water and wetlands issues. Under 404 she has reviewed  a wide of range of projects, including pipelines, residential and industrial development, dam removal, hydroelectric facility redesign and relicensing, and supported the jurisdictional reviews. She also organized four regional wetland workshops that had participants from all levels of government and the private wetland world.  Toney led the 401 program  for 20 years and continues to support the program.  Toney is the lead for tribal wetlands technical assistance and grant program management. For the past 6 years Toney has been supporting EPA rule making.

Toney is an interdisciplinary riparian, wetland, and river ecologist with a diverse background in wetland, stream, floodplain, and watershed research support, restoration, and planning. Because of this broad background, she is able to see projects in their larger context and always work to see both the forest and the trees (and the watershed and floodplain).

Toney has organized and managed a number of large national and regional workshops and conferences. She has been able to bring diverse groups together to present on emerging and standard aquatic biology assessment methodologies and monitoring. Accordingly, I can help organizations of all sizes synthesize, create, and communicate scientific information and meetings to meet their needs.

I got my start in the field, monitoring and auditing wastewater and drinking water facilities. The other aspect of my position involved sampling, monitoring and assessing riparian, stream, river, wetlands and wetland complex ecosystems to inform adaptive ecosystem management and restoration, natural resource policy development, and environmental planning efforts. I am currently involved in Clean Water Act rule making, implementation of rules and guidance development, education of tribal professionals, policy and planning of environmental programs. I am knowledgeable in the development of wetland programs including monitoring, developing restoration and criteria to protect aquatic resources.

I am an experienced project manager, grant manager, assisting in the development of work plans and budgets, and developing successful programs to protect aquatic resources. I have managed over 75 grants, working with our applicants to develop and manage strong, nonpoint source, water quality, fish consumption and wetland programs. I have been able to develop relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, and interagency teams. As an experienced scientist, I specialize in the technical aspects of aquatic programs, but also my leadership and policy experience allow me to place ecosystem science into the policy and stewardship contexts that matter to agencies, companies, and society. Some of these contexts include the National Environmental policy Act (both Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act (including section 404, 402 and 401 programs), and tribal trust responsibilities outreach. 

Chris Prah is the co-founder and CEO of On Pointe Consulting, a woman-owned environmental consulting firm specializing in natural resource “boots on the ground” surveys, permitting, and project management for the energy industry nationwide. 

She has over 17 years of experience working for private environmental consulting firms, local government, and non-profit organizations in a variety of regions (from the Rockies to the Gulf Coast to the Midwest). 

Chris is passionate about truly acting as an ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISOR to On Pointe’s clients by helping them complete the projects that benefit people while also protecting the natural resources that benefit our world. She believes that the best way to secure clients and create strategic partnerships is by building relationships and trust through genuine connection and engagement. Good business starts with a good relationship!

You will find Chris nowadays traveling across the country in the On Pointe mobile RV office! This adventure allows her to travel, live, and work wherever project needs and business development opportunities arise. 

Gallup Clifton Top Superpowers: Futuristic, Achiever, Responsibility, Strategic, Relator.

I earned my MS in Environmental Science at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 1980.  I began my 39 year career with the U.S. National Park Service at Everglades National Park in 1980, working on optimizing surface water flow to the park's wetlands.  In 1988 I moved to Denver, Colorado where I served as the National Park Service’s Servicewide Wetlands Program Lead (NPS Water Resources Division) until I retired in March 2020. I am now an NPS Water Resources Division "Affiliate" (volunteer).