Register Nelson Environmental Consultants

>>Owners/Partners

Butch Register - Principal Consultant/ Partner

Butch Register is a Professional Wetlands Scientist with 20 years of experience related to Section 404 Regulatory permitting and wetland mitigation issues. He received his B.S. in Biology from University of West Florida. During his 11-year tenure with the U.S. Government, he served as a field biologist in Savannah and Atlanta, ultimately serving as Chief of the North Area Section of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and as Georgia Project Manager for the Wetland Section at Region 4 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Butch gained experience with interagency coordination during his tenure at EPA and as Chief of the North Area Section. Butch is our Principal Consultant and lead biologist for developing permits and design strategies. He specializes in working with complex projects.

His experience encompasses a wide range of abilities including:

Jurisdictional waters determination
Wetland delineations
Endangered species surveys
Wetland mitigation plans/strategies
All facets of mitigation banking
A myriad of permit documents
EX: public notices, 404 (b) (1) alternatives analysis, and associated USACE Case Documents

Environmental Assessments (EA)
Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
Categorical Exclusions (CE)
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)

Mark S. Nelson - Principal Consultant/Partner

Mark S. Nelson is a Professional Wetlands Scientist. He graduated in 1989 from Southern Illinois University with a B.S. in Zoology. He worked under Butch Register while at the North Area Section, regulatory Branch of the USACE and joined R&A in November 2000. He has more than 15 years of regulatory experience throughout the Southeastern United States. He has completed all phases of the stream restoration courses offered by Wildland Hydrology. Mark has designed and implemented wetland and stream mitigation projects in Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia. In October of 2005, Mark formally became a partner in Register & Associates, which is now officially Register-Nelson, Inc.

His environmental experience includes:

Section 404 permitting
wetland and stream mitigation design
mitigation banking
terrestrial protected species surveys
resolving enforcement actions

NEPA documentation for DOT projects:

Interstate 4 Widening in Hillsborough County, FL
Interstate 110 Connector in Biloxi, MS
Airport Connector in Jackson, MS
Dothan Bypass in Dothan, AL
Russell Road Widening in Gwinnett County, GA

>>Project Managers

Steve Wiedl - Special Project Manager

Steve is a Professional Wetland Scientist with 35 years experience in environmental field studies. He possesses a BS in Biology from the University of Notre Dame and an MS in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Steve’s ecological experience includes threatened and endangered species surveys; vegetation community sampling and mapping; numerous wetland delineation projects; search, development, design, permitting, contracting, construction oversight and monitoring of wetland and stream mitigation projects; and, biological and chemical monitoring of river and marine systems. He has accumulated a variety of environmental training including advanced wetland delineation; wetland mitigation methodologies; natural channel stream assessment and restoration design; and, environmental project management and review. Steve spent 18 years with the Georgia Department of Transportation working as an Ecology Team Supervisor, specializing in wetland and stream mitigation projects. In pursuing these wetland and stream mitigation measures, he coordinated innovative projects involving GDOT with The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, The Arabia Mountain Alliance, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Before joining our team, Steve worked as a Senior Environmental Scientist at Buck Engineering, focusing on search and development of stream mitigation banking projects. Here at Register-Nelson he is currently a Senior Project Manager providing project management and quality control for our environmental assessment, restoration and mitigation activities.

Steve’s extensive additional training includes:

Wetland Delineation with emphasis on Wetland Hydrology, 1994
Freshwater Wetlands Construction, Restoration and Enhancement, 1995
Natural Channel Stream Design, 2000
Restoring Forested wetlands, 2000
Applied Fluvial Geomorphology- Rosgen Level 1, 2001
River Morphology and Applications- Rosgen Level 2, 2002
Stream Investigation, Stabilization and Restoration, 2004
Level II Certified Plan Reviewer, 2006
Geomorphic Stream Assessment, 2006

Dr. R. Darrell Smith - Senior Environmental Scientist

Darrell has earned multiple degrees including a B.S. in Aquatic Biology, a M.S. in Fisheries Biology/Water Quality and a Ph.D. in Wetland Ecology. He has more than 25 years experience in the areas of wetlands, fisheries and water quality and is a Professional Wetland Scientist.

Working as a regulatory wetland specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers he was responsible for all wetland matters including identification, delineation, and enforcement. He was also responsible for performing complex wetland studies and advising permit applicants regarding the potential environmental impacts of permitted activities.

After six years with the Corps he co-founded an environmental consulting firm where he performed various types of environmental studies including endangered species surveys, wetland delineations and habitat functions and values assessments.

He subsequently left his firm to join a private humanitarian organization and has spent the last several years in Eastern Europe teaching sustainable development and environmental conservation. While there, he also did environmental consulting work, including leading educational workshops for government officials.

Dr. Smith now brings his extensive knowledge and talents to Register-Nelson, to assist with complex permitting, environmental, and water quality projects.

Marcus Rubenstein - Senior Project Manager

Marcus received his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources in 2000 from the University of Georgia, where he specialized in and gained certification as a Wildlife Biologist. Mr. Rubenstein gained three additional years of local and global experience as a field research biologist, concentrating on international and endangered wildlife. Redirecting to water-related issues, he worked for three years as the Regional Representative with the Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission where he was responsible for overseeing local environmental programs as they related to land development. Currently a Senior Project Manager with Register-Nelson, Mr. Rubenstein is responsible for managing the Federal and State Waters permitting program, developing and managing water quality and watershed services to local governments, resolving environmental orders and enforcement actions, and overseeing various operational duties for the company.

His experience encompasses a wide range of abilities including:

Stormwater Quality Design and Management
Biological and Habitat Assessments
Water Quality Sampling
Section 404 - Clean Water Act Permitting
Stream Buffer Variance Permitting
Mitigation Planning and Strategies
Stream and Bank Restoration
Stream Geomorphology Surveys
Jurisdictional Waters Determinations
Wetland Delineations
Endangered Species Survyes
GPS data collection and GIS mapping
Erosion, Sediment and Pollution Control Plans

Tommy Krebs - Senior Project Manager

Tommy received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Range Resources from Brigham Young University and earned a Masters of Science in Ecology and Evolution at Northern Illinois University. While an undergraduate he worked as a Range Technician for the U.S. Forest Service and Brigham Young University researching wildland improvements and evaluating range conditions. During his time at BYU and NIU, Mr. Krebs traveled to various cities to present studies on invertebrates and various restoration practices. Mr. Krebs’ experience includes collecting field data for restoration projects, implementing riparian bioengineering practices and researching the population dynamics of phantom midge. He joined the Register-Nelson team in August 2006 and performed jurisdictional waters determinations, GPS mapping services and permit applications. He now mainly works on stream restoration/bioengineering projects where he collects mitigation monitoring and baseline data, prepares monitoring reports and helps oversee the construction and planting on mitigation/restoration sites.

Josh Goldsmith - Restoration Project Manager

Josh attended Purdue University where he earned a B.S. degree in Forestry Natural Resources (2002). He has worked as a Project Manager for the Trees to Furniture program. He set-up and maintained a log yard for the recycling of trees in the City of Indianapolis. After a move to Atlanta in 2002, he supervised and participated in the design of stream bank stabilization projects throughout metro Atlanta and north Georgia. Goldsmith volunteered with the Atlanta office of the USGS and participated in the installation of and monitoring of water quality stations installed for the City of Atlanta.

Experience:

biological stream surveys
water quality testing
wetland and stream monitoring
hydrologic and vegetative data collection
writing of annual reports for various mitigation sites throughout Georgia
preparation and submittal of field delineations of waters of the U.S. Pre-Construction Notifications for use of Nationwide Permits and natural heritage surveys in Georgia

Alex Ottley - Project Manager

Alex earned a B.S. degree in Biology in 1992 from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. He has more than eight years of experience as a fisheries scientist. During this time, he has gained experience assisting with a three-year Georgia Department of Natural Resources completion report and produced a number of Biological Assessments for DOT projects. He also assisted with NEPA documentation for the U.S. Navy. Furthermore, Alex has led a number of fisheries projects for consulting firms and assisted with fisheries research for several governmental agencies. He has two years experience as a staff scientist with an environmental consulting firm in Washington State and now Ottley assists Register-Nelson Inc. with performing wetland delineations and threatened and endangered species surveys.

Experience:

Wetland delineations
Permitting
Wetland Surveys using GPS technology
Stream Surveys
Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys
Macro-invertebrate surveys
GIS mapping

Tim Jackson – Project Manager

Tim is a Wetland Professional In Training and has 5 years of experience in biological/ecological field science and environmental permitting. He possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Clemson University. Tim’s experience includes:

Nationwide Permit and Individual Permit applications for impacts to "waters of the United States"
Stream Buffer Variance applications for disturbance to "buffered State waters"
Delineation of "waters of the United States" and ecological field surveys
Biological and morphological stream surveys
Preparation of compensatory mitigation plans
Endangered species surveys and backpack electrofishing
Monitoring of mitigation sites and annual report preparation
GIS mapping and GPS technology

>>Environmental Scientists

Matt Gates - Environmental Scientist

Matt is a graduate of Michigan State University where he acquired a B.S. in Zoology with a concentration in Ecology & Natural Resource Management. Prior to joining Register-Nelson Matt held positions as; Staff Biologist with Tetra Tech Inc., Assistant Zoologist with the Montana Natural Heritage Program, Field Biologist with the Michigan Natural Heritage Program, Crew Leader for a university riparian ecology study, and Land Survey Technician for White Engineering Company and Horizon Land Services. Matt’s biological experience includes designing and conducting numerous zoological and botanical surveys, state rapid wetland assessments, wetland delineations, and the composition of NEPA and ESA documents, including BAs, EAs and EISs. His experience with aquatic systems include: water quality sampling, stream morphology and habitat classification surveys, fish and benthic macroinvertebrate surveys, and aquatic amphibian and reptile inventories and studies.

As an Environmental Scientist with Register-Nelson, Matt now assists with stream mitigation design, restoration, and monitoring; prepares State Stream Buffer Assessments and Variance Applications; performs threatened and endangered species surveys, conducts water quality, fish, and macroinvertebrate sampling; performs GPS mapping; and provides GIS support.

Experience:

Threatened, Endangered, and Special Concern Species Surveys
Stream morphology surveys and stream habitat assessments
Freshwater fish surveys
Water quality sampling
Benthic macroinvertebrate sampling and terrestrial invertebrate surveys
Wetland delineations and wetland classification surveys
Vegetative data collection and identification
GPS data collection and GIS mapping support
Amphibian and reptile studies and identification
Avian, bat and mammal surveys
Prepared EISs, BAs, EAs in accordance with NEPA and ESA
Conducted riparian ecology research
Conducted old growth forest inventory
Assisted with Phase I environmental investigations
Performed GIS Vegetation Mapping for a BLM Resource Management Plan

Jeb Holder - Environmental Technician

Jeb graduated in 2006 from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. While earning his degree, he worked for a soil science company and collected soil samples, measured water table depths, and gained experience using GPS technologies. As an Environmental Scientist with Register-Nelson, Jeb now assists with:

Nationwide Permit and Individual Permit applications for impacts to "waters of the U.S."
Stream Buffer Variance applications for the encroachment of "buffered State waters"
Wetland delineations and stream classification surveys
GPS data collection and GIS mapping support
Threatened & Endangered Species surveys
Freshwater fish surveys
Macroinvertebrate sampling
Stream morphology surveys and stream habitat assessments
Water quality sampling
Monitoring of mitigation sites
Vegetative data collection and identification

>>Business Professionals

Heidi Davis - Administrative Assistant

Candy Reeves - Business Manager

Candy Reeves earned a BBA from Belmont University in Nashville, TN with a double major in Finance and Economics with a minor in Business Administration. In addition she also has an Associates Degree in Fashion Merchandising from the Art Institute of Atlanta. Over the past 20 years, her work experience has been broad and encompassed all aspects of business/office management.