Projects

Here's a sample of the projects and clients we have helped.

Senior Manager for Fish and Aquatic Resources, Electron Hydro, WA

Electron Hydro owns and operates a 26-megawatt hydropower project on the Puyallup River. During recent upgrades to this 100+ year old project to restore more natural patterns of movement of ESA-listed fish and sediment, a quantity of artificial turf and crumb rubber was released into the river. This event led to the company’s decision to hire Paradox NR to provide senior fisheries support. The overall goal, as stated by Thom Fischer, Electron’s COO, “is to ensure we provide the same level of expertise and attention to fish and fish habitat as we already provide to the hydropower portion of our project.” Toward that end, Jeff is taking a senior role in the planning and implementation of future work on the project to ensure that fisheries concerns are fully considered and addressed in the company’s engineering design, permitting, and implementation efforts. He reports directly to Thom Fischer, and will serve as a senior point of contact for fisheries experts at the Puyallup Tribe, Pierce County, and state and federal agencies to ensure that their input and concerns are addressed in the planned upgrades and operations of Electron Hydro’s facilities.

Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Permitting, WGHOGA and WSDA, WA

The Willapa Grays Harbor Oyster Growers Association represents a large number of commercial oyster growers in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, Washington. We have worked with growers and their legal counsel to develop permit applications for chemical control of burrowing shrimp, which infests and destroys shellfish beds. Those applications include a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, and Sediment Impact Zone (SIZ) authorization. In addition, we led a Department of Ecology funded team that prepared a State Environmental Impact Statement that evaluated the toxicology, water quality, biological and socioeconomic impacts, and potential mitigation measures associated with chemical spraying in marine environments. Beginning in 2020 we were awarded funds from the Washington Department of Agriculture to continue research on commercial shellfish. Guided by a “Working Group” composed of numerous state agencies and environmental stakeholders, we have developed and implemented research programs looking at the movement and concentration of Rhodamine WT dye in Willapa Bay as rising tidewaters cover treated shellfish beds. Rhodamine dye is non-toxic and easily measured in the field, making it an ideal substance to test how chemicals would be transported and diluted by rising tidewaters from areas of application on commercial shellfish beds. In addition, we have conducted extensive laboratory and field studies examining a number of chemicals to control burrowing shrimp, and to assess potential toxicity to non-target organisms like Dungeness crab. This work is ongoing.

Holden Mine Watershed Studies and NRDA, Hart Crowser, WA

Holden Mine is located in Wenatchee National Forest and for several decades produced copper and other minerals. The site is now the focus of a large environmental remediation and National Resource Damage Assessment led by the consulting firm Hart Crowser, our client. Prior work included an extensive watershed analysis of the Railroad Creek basin where the mine is located. We assessed forest, animal, and water-based aquatic resources under past, current, and projected future conditions. We also developed resource assessment algorithms linking metals levels to resource conditions, and modeled expected ecosystem recovery as cleanup of the Superfund site is implemented. For the past three years we have been working on a Natural Resource Damage Assessment on behalf of the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Yakama Indian Nation, and the Washington Department of Ecology to quantify injury levels to fish, aquatic ecosystems and forest vegetation, and to develop estimates of the ecological benefits of potential restoration projects necessary to offset such losses. Further work is expected as part of the settlement negotiations under way between the Trustee team and the owner of the mine.

Stibnite Gold Project, Midas Gold, ID

The Stibnite Gold Project combines large-scale environmental mitigation of impacts from historical mining operations in the area with development of new mine workings to produce gold and antimony. We have worked on a variety of fisheries studies in the Stibnite Mining District of north-central Idaho for Midas Gold. That work includes development of a sampling program to capture, tag, and track ESA-listed fish in order to support consultations with federal agencies; development of a Biological Assessment to estimate potential impacts of this population study on bull trout; and field studies to examine water quality, in-stream habitat, and fisheries restoration potential on Midas controlled lands. We also did work to evaluate the feasibility and design of fish passage facilities for ESA-listed salmon and steelhead. One element of this work, a nearly mile-long diversion tunnel to re-establish fish passage to upstream spawning areas, will be one of the longest fish passage facilities in the world.

Exploration Mining Support, Ivy Minerals, ID

Ivy Minerals has more than 50 mining claims on US Forest Service lands in north-central Idaho. We have conducted a wide range of activities for Ivy Minerals in support of their exploration mining activities on these claims. Our aquatic studies include mapping of stream crossings and aquatic habitat, e-DNA studies to determine fish distribution, and measurements of in-steam sediment levels in reference areas and sites potentially affected by road and mine site erosion. For development of USFS Operating Plans to authorize activities by Ivy Minerals, we have conducted studies of in-stream hydrology, including calculation of peak flow and monthly flow levels, measurements of stream discharge, and development of water withdrawal plans to support exploratory drilling. We have surveyed more than 40 miles of roads that access mining claims to assess current condition, active sources of road erosion to streams, and the effectiveness of existing erosion control measures. We developed a transportation plan that identified more than 200 sites needing new erosion controls,, and specified the mitigation measures needed at each site for implementation by constructions crews. We also spent two years supporting Ivy Minerals in a USFS sponsored public/private collaborative that included agencies, mining interests, residents, the Nez Perce Tribe, and conservation groups. We were key in developing a plan for the collaborative that provided for road restrictions and improvements to protect ESA-fish species and aquatic habitat, while providing opportunities for access and use of roads by members of the public.

Timberland Management, CA

For many years we were responsible for all operations of a forest products company that controlled 210,000 acres of redwood and Douglas fir timberlands in Northern California, including its Forestry, Science, Logging, and Roads Groups. At this company, Scotia Pacific LLC, we managed harvest levels of 80-140 million board feet per year, oversaw forest planning to support timber harvest plans, and managed projects involving growth and yield modeling, development of a clonal propagation program, reforestation, and stand improvement activities. Road team activities included improving and maintaining approximately 1,500 miles of primary and secondary roads. More recently, ParadoxNR conducted preliminary work to support claims by forest owners whose natural resources had been damaged by fires caused by Pacific Gas and Electric’s electrical transmission lines.

Finfish Aquaculture Permitting, Cooke Aquaculture Pacific, LLC, WA

Cooke Aquaculture is a major producer of net-pen raised salmon in Washington State. We worked with Cooke Aquaculture to prepare various permitting documents needed to support replacement of the company’s net-pen facilities in Rich Passage, Washington. We developed draft JARPA and Biological Evaluation documents, emphasizing water quality mitigation measures and protections for Endangered Species Act-listed species of salmon, trout, rockfish, whales and pinnipeds. Our work also involved meetings with the City of Bainbridge Island to address project concerns identified by planning staff, and to provide information needed to prepare a Shoreline Exemption for the project under the Shoreline Management Act of Washington.

Pebble Mine Aquatic Studies, Pebble Partnership, AK

The proposed Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska would have involved one of the world’s largest deposits of gold, copper, and other materials. The mine plan required development of extensive infrastructure, including a transportation corridor extending over 83 miles and involving stream, lake and marine habitats. We served as one of Pebble’s experts in assessing the potential environmental effects of this transportation corridor on aquatic and shoreline habitats and sockeye salmon populations that are a critical subsistence resource to Native American communities in the project vicinity. To evaluate effects of an 18 mile ferry crossing through Iliamna Lake we led extensive fish collection and diving-related studies of freshwater fish and shoreline habitats. For the proposed marine port location we evaluated the potential effects of facilities and vessel traffic on beach, intertidal reef, and subtidal marine habitats. Marine work included fish sampling, intertidal habitat mapping, and sampling of marine sediments to document background levels of metals and hydrocarbons. We also assessed potential impacts to Essential Fish Habitat designated by the National Marine Fisheries Service, and assisted Pebble Partnership in providing data and responses to public comments for the Environmental Impact Statement developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps formally decided not to approve this project in 2020 and Pebble Partnership has appealed this decision.