Director of Biological Analysis /Senior Project Manager /Wetland Delineator

Since joining the firm in 1980, Ms. Peterson has applied her technical expertise and management skills to assess the impacts of a wide range of projects including sanitary landfills, materials recovery and transfer stations, quarries, housing developments, wastewater treatment plant expansion, water well development, and high-voltage transmission line alignments.

In her capacity as the Director of Biological Analysis at TRA, Ms. Peterson directs staff in the technical analysis and preparation of biological services documents, provides quality control over all biological services work products, assigns staff to projects based on the required expertise needed for the project, and maintains contact with the client, project engineers, and the lead agency. As such, she is familiar with every aspect of the preparation of biological related documents including CEQA documents, NEPA documents, wetland delineations, biological assessments, as well as survey protocols for many listed and sensitive species. Several of the projects that she has managed have been controversial in nature, and she has extensive experience in responding to public concerns and comment.

Ms. Peterson has a background in biology and has been a long-time observer of California’s natural history. She is experienced in identification of plant and animal species, in mapping plant communities, in mark/release/recapture work with butterflies, and in survey methods for the endangered San Joaquin kit fox. She is familiar with special habitats such as vernal pools, serpentine grassland, and riparian zones, and she is a trained wetland delineator. She has had much practice in the use of biological data sources such as the California Natural Diversity Database, the California Native Plant Society, agency and local contacts, and numerous field guides and floras.

Highlights

Managed numerous projects, most recently including the Stanford University HCP EIS; a wetland/waters delineation at the Corral Hollow SVRA and adjoining properties, red-legged frog monitoring at the Kirby Canyon landfill in San Jose; an Initial Study on the relocation of a gas recovery facility at the Guadalupe landfill in San Jose; Wildlife Habitat Council certification applications for two landfill sites; a biological impact assessment for the Palo Alto Foothills Fire Management Plan; and a Habitat Opportunities Report for a property in Portola Valley.

Provides technical expertise on a variety of work products and has prepared constraints analyses, biological assessments, Initial Studies, EAs, EIRs, mitigation monitoring plans, applications for US Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Game, and Regional Water Quality Control Board permits, and revegetation plans.

Contributing author of the HCP for San Bruno Mountain, in which she applied the principles of the Plan in order to develop the specific activities required for each administrative parcel on the mountain.

Principal author of the Kirby Canyon Landfill Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Conservation Plan, and the Revegetation Plan for serpentine grassland at the project site.

Educational Background

Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Human Biology

Professional Training

Trained Weltand Delineator, Wetland Training Institute with supplemental courses on regulatory updates.