Katherine M. Cowan

(707) 616-9319

kmc44@humboldt.edul

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science - Biology, 2006 - Emphasis in Environmental Sciences

California State University, Humboldt

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Senior Environmental Inspector, Tetra Tech / EMS, Northeast Pennsylvania

(April 2013 – July 2015)

  ·Conducts daily environmental compliance inspections for active construction

projects in order to verify and document compliance with environmental permit

conditions and applicable Pennsylvania Department of Environmental

Protection regulations.

  · Inspects erosion control device installations, stream bridging, and wetland

matting to ensure they were installed according to the specifications and

locations depicted in the Erosion and Sediment Control Plans for the project.

  · Inspects stream and wetland crossings to verify that permit conditions and

mitigation measures are being followed.

  · Inspects dewatering activities to ensure that only approved locations were

being used and appropriate BMPs were being used.

  ·Interacts with construction foreman and crew members to communicate

environmental requirements throughout the day as construction activities are

taking place. Environmental deficiencies are communicated to the Lead EI, the

contractor foreman, and in the daily reporting system for a timely resolution.

  · Responsible for a staff of three Environmental Inspectors to ensure that

weekly and post-runoff stormwater inspections for 150 miles of restored

rights-of-way are completed. Also Responsible for developing punch lists of

additional clean up or restoration work that needs to be completed in order to

facilitate closing the construction stormwater permit.

  · Inspects punch list repair work and right-of-way restoration work to verify it

is being completed in an environmentally compliant manner.

Associate Environmental Inspector, Natural Resource Group, Wyoming and

Montana

(April 2012 – March 2013)

  ·Conducted daily environmental compliance and storm water inspections,

throughout construction of a 115-mile segment of the ONEOK Bakken NGL

Pipeline to ensure compliance with the Project's Construction Mitigation and

Restoration Plan. Documentation of environmental inspections and compliance

status were recorded daily using a web based reporting system.

  · Inspection responsibilities included providing guidance to the construction

contractor for installation and maintenance of erosion control devices, soil

segregation practices, surface water and wetland construction mitigation

techniques, trench dewatering, hydrostatic test water discharge and water

quality sampling, landowner stipulations, cultural resource considerations,

active nesting bird areas, and other environmentally sensitive or off limits

areas.

  · Responsible for installing access road, wetland, waterbody, and sensitive

resource signage.

  · Conducted raptor nest monitoring during the 2013 nesting season for historic

nests.

Biological / Environmental Monitor, Chambers Group, Inc., San Diego, CA

(January 2011 – October 2011)

  · Conducted environmental compliance monitoring of pre-construction and

construction activities on the 119-mile, 500 kV San Diego Gas & Electric Sunrise

Powerlink transmission project. The project is regulated by the California

Public Utilities Commission, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States

Forest Service, as well as several other state and local jurisdictions.

  · Responsible for ensuring that contractor crews are complying with mitigation

measures and applicable environmental permits at various construction yards,

helicopter tower staging access pads, tower foundation and assembly pads, and

micro-pile drilling sites.

  · Inspection responsibilities included conducting daily environmental tailboard

sessions with crews to review environmental constraints at each work site,

ensuring that environmentally sensitive areas are well marked and are not

impacted by work activities, relocating all wildlife from work area, ensuring

that dust mitigation measures are followed, reporting spills and monitoring

appropriate clean-up activities, inspecting erosion control devices for

effectiveness, enforcing no refueling areas near jurisdictional waterbodies,

verifying that work is occurring within approved project work area, and

ensuring that crews are complying with appropriate nesting bird buffers and

clearing provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

  · Reported environmental deficiencies to environmental lead and communicate

with construction crews to resolve deficiencies.

  · Completed agency protocol avian nest surveys and avian presence/absence

surveys, including passerines and raptors, during pre-construction and

construction activity. Reporting to state and federal agencies on sensitive

species sightings or incidental takes.

  · Conducted biological reconnaissance-level surveys, performs habitat

assessments, and focused surveys for federal- and state-listed species as well

as California special concern species.

  · Responsible for VHF radio check-in of construction crews with project safety

operations base. Point of contact to advise crews of emergencies, direct them to

escape routes in remote areas, to call in helicopter transport, to clear crews

for work in Peninsular Big Horn Sheep critical habitat, and to report any onsite

incidences requiring emergency response.

  · Project specific safety training includes venomous animal handling and

awareness, Unexploded Ordinance awareness, helicopter safety training, and

wildfire safety training.

Environmental Emergency Response Technician and Data Manager, Entrix,

Houma, LA (September

2010 – March 2011)

  · Responsible for daily location itineraries, retrieving data from all scientists

on deployment, organizing, and managing a water quality sampling team. Also

responsible for all sample transfers, creating and checking labels in excel,

packaging samples, and ensuring accuracy of Chain of Custody documents.

  · Monitored water quality by launching a rosette Conductivity Temperature

Depth finder in the Gulf of Mexico and taking samples to measure toxicity,

salinity, dissolved gasses, sediments, etc.

  · Assisted in launching, monitoring, and performing general maintenance of a

Digital Autonomous Video Plankton Recorder and an Autonomous Underwater

Vehicle to conduct research on the presence of oil and current plankton

abundance or biomass in the Gulf of Mexico.

  · Assisted with the Gulf Sturgeon Project, which included deploying acoustic

receivers along the Gulf Coast for an ongoing telemetry study.

At Sea Monitor, Marine Resource Assesment Group, Inc., Gloucester, MA (April

2010 – October 2010)

  · NOAA certified groundfish monitor, North East At Sea Monitor Program.

  · Sample for species composition, document fishing effort, document marine

mammal, bird, and turtle interactions, estimate total catch and discard, and

recorded protected species interactions.

  · Data collected in the field is used in real time by NMFS to help regulate and

monitor East Coast commercial fisheries.

Fisheries Observer, Saltwater, Inc., Anchorage, AK (February 2008 – March 2010)

  · NOAA certified groundfish observer, North Pacific Groundfish Observer

Program.

  · Sampled for species composition, documented fishing effort, estimated total

catch, monitored for and documented potential fishing violations, recorded

marine mammal and bird interactions or sightings, and completed various

special projects aboard commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea and Gulf

of Alaska.

  · Data collected in the field was used in real time by NMFS to help regulate and

monitor Alaskan commercial fisheries.

  · Required working in the field for periods of 3 to 90 days and the ability to

tolerate a wide range of harsh conditions and personality types.

Field Tech, Redwood Sciences Laboratory, Arcata, CA (March 2005 – May 2009)

  · Set up bird banding stations to monitor passerines in Northern California.

  · Identified birds, removed birds from mistnets, recorded data such as sex and age

using the Pyle Guide.

  · Performed point counts, identified birds on site by song, responsible for data

entry.

  · Ran field stations in Costa Rica for two months and participated in Leatherback

Turtle surveys.

Field Tech / Environmental Educator, Yurok Tribe Environmental Program,

Klamath, CA (January

2007 – December 2007)

  · Monitored water quality stations, groundwater purging and soil samples,

recorded stream flow, turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, cyanobacteria,

macroinvertebrates, and fish disease, as well as collecting periphyton samples.

  · Entered data, performed statistical analysis, and wrote reports analyzing field

collected data.

  · Wrote sampling protocols and calibrated field equipment.

  · Created a scientific curriculum for tribal schools and tabled at community

events.

  · Drove 4 wheel drive on back country roads and hiked long distances with heavy

packs in hot weather.

SKILLS

Experienced in Mac and Windows environments. I am proficient with the use of

Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint. Familiar with the operation of

ArcGIS software and Trimble GPS equipment. I am an effective researcher who is

able to utilize both academic and non-academic search engines.

COMMUNICATION

I have the ability to write clearly, concisely, and logically. Experienced with

technical documentation of field environmental compliance conditions and survey

protocols using various tools like field data logs and web-based reporting

systems. I am able to communicate in a professional manner and with a wide variety

of personality types.

TRAINING

3-day FERC Environmental Review and Compliance for Natural Gas Facilities

Seminar training 2011 in Seattle, WA, previous First Aid, previous CPR Certified,

and previous 24 hr HAZWOPER Certification; current Flat-tailed horned lizard

handling permit, Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead by

Washington State Department of Ecology, SafeLand USA certified. Approval to take the

CPESC exam with exam date pending.