Critical Habitats Management Plan
Northeast Generation Service Company
Housatonic, CT
Kleinschmidt was retained by Northeast Generation Services Company (NGS)
to prepare a FERC license compliance
plan for their hydro-electric development
on the Housatonic River in Northwestern Connecticut. The project was granted
a new operating license which required the preparation of a management plan for habitat critical to numerous state listed species occurring at two of
its five developments.
Kleinschmidt biologists and planners worked closely with our client to develop the Critical Habitats Management Plan, which provided for the protection and enhancement of rare calcareous habitats. This regionally rare habitat type covers over 600 acres on project lands and is home to over 20 state listed species with varying management needs. Our staff performed a rapid habitat assessment and provided a schedule for population monitoring and implementation of protection and enhancement measures to benefit these rare plant and animal populations.
This project challenged our staff to balance the multiple use pressures of power generation and recreation with preserving and enhancing valuable ecosystem functions. Effective and adaptive plans were developed by drawing on our strong technical expertise and licensing experience while maintaining open communication between federal and state regulators, stakeholder groups and our client.
Kleinschmidt provided the following services to complete these projects:
- Meeting Facilitation / Scope Negotiations
- Monitoring and Management Plan Development
- Terrestrial Habitat Assessments / Literature Reviews
- GIS Mapping