BTNP Biologist Lisa Jamison looks on while the DESCO team identifies herbaceous vegetation, as aided by Dr. Larry Brown, an expert plant taxonomist.

DESCO concluded a Post-Operational Vegetation Assessment of the Big Sandy Creek Unit to determine impacts from the Knight Phase II 3-D Seismic Survey. DESCO compared pre- and post-project data from vegetation plots affected by the survey. This is the final phase of a three year project in the Big Thicket National Preserve.

In other news, DESCO is monitoring another 3-D seismic survey further east, in the Hickory Creek Savannah and Village Creek Corridor Units of the BTNP. DESCO has completed environmental permits in conjunction with several 3-D seismic surveys for the US Army Corps of Engineers and US Fish and Wildlife Service in east Texas and Louisiana. As part of the mandate for these projects, DESCO biologists have ventured into the field to survey for threatened and endangered species, as well as eagle nests and bird rookeries.  ¶ 10:36 AM

  DESCO Awarded BLM Professional and Technical Services IDIQ Contract

DESCO was one of eight consulting firms awarded contracts to support the BLM in six states for a total of five years. Work will be conducted in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Projects will be related to an array of DESCO's familiar fields including:

-National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) projects
-Subbasin Review/Landscape Analysis
-Public Involvement/Project Scoping
-Watershed Assessments
-Writing/Editing
-Natural Resource Studies
-Cultural/Paleontological Resource Protection Strategies and Studies
-Geographic Information Systems
-Timber/Forestry Management
-Social/Economic Studies
-Monitoring
-Engineering Surveys/Assessments/Analyses
-Fuels Management
-Remote Sensing
-Mining Opertion Assessments/Analyses
-Noxious Weed Inventories
-Reality Actions including Right of Way and Easement Acquisition

DESCO is also hard at work on a variety of new projects

DESCO employees are designing a Post-Operational Vegetation Sampling Plan to measure impacts in the Big Sandy Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve from the Knight Phase II 3D Seismic Survey. Additionally, we are gathering information for an Environmental Assessment for a new wastewater treatment plant in Bell County, Texas. We will also be conducting Red Cockaded Woodpecker and Cultural Resource Surveys in conjunction with a 3D seismic survey in Smith County, Mississippi.  ¶ 9:09 AM

  DESCO Conducts a Variety of Projects in Wyoming and Colorado

DESCO has completed Environmental Assessments (EAs) for several 3D projects on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in both Colorado and Wyoming, spanning the Casper, Lander, Rock Springs, Rawlins, and Little Snake River Districts. Our team has conducted biological assessments in association with these projects for mountain plover, sage grouse, raptors, black-footed ferrets, and other species of concern.

DESCO is presently working on EAs for a 3D seismic and a pipeline project near Clark, Wyoming, which are both scheduled to begin this year.

"Overall, I thought this was one of the better contractor produced documents I have reviewed. I thought the biological survey was very well written and contained most of the details I like to see in a report." -James F. Wright, Wildlife Biologist for the Bureau of Land Management in the Casper Field Office.



Travis Scott scans ideal habitat for mountain plover while a pronghorn antelope observes.
Jackie Smith identifies different bird species near a stock tank.


DESCO Completes Environmental Site Assessments, T&E Surveys, and Preliminary Wetland Determinations in Conjunction with the Development of Waterwood National Resort.

Numerous properties have recently been acquired by Waterwood National Resort in and around Livingston, TX, to fascilitate expansion. DESCO completed Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) prior to the purchase of each of the properties to identify any recognized environmental conditions.

To assist with planning and development, DESCO surveyed several of the properties for threatened and endangered (T&E) species and conducted preliminary wetland determinations from color-infrared aerial photography.
  ¶ 1:20 PM

  DESCO Conducted A Threatened And Endangered Species Survey In Hardin County, Texas

Dixie Environmental Services Co. (DESCO) conducted a Texas trailing phlox (Phlox nivalis ssp. texensis) survey in conjunction with Quantum Geophysical’s Triangle 3-D Seismic Survey. The survey was conducted to satisfy one of the permit conditions set forth by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACOE), allowing Quantum to operate under Nationwide Permit #6 (Permit SWG-03-06-014).

The purpose of the survey was to determine if Texas trailing phlox was present in appropriate habitat within the project area to ensure that seismic activities would not adversely impact this state- and federally-listed endangered species.

Color infrared aerial photography and USGS (7.5 minute) topographic maps were used to locate areas that could potentially contain appropriate habitat for Texas trailing phlox. DESCO also utilized data developed by Texas Parks and Wildlife and Southwest Texas University, which identified potential habitat for Texas trailing phlox using a Landsat Thematic Mapper and Ancillary Biophysical Data. The study combined aerial photography, existing habitat information, and soils and vegetation data to identify areas of suitable habitat.

Areas of potential habitat within the project area identified through the above mapping effort were ground-truthed to verify the existence or absence of appropriate habitat.

Three locations of Texas trailing phlox were discovered during the survey. All three locations were found in similar habitat, loose sandy soils in or adjacent to disturbed areas. DESCO flagged the boundaries of these areas with red tape so the seismic crews would not disturb them. In consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it was determined that 3-D seismic operations would not be conducted within 100 feet of known locations of Texas trailing phlox to protect the species and its habitat.


Texas Trailing Phlox


Jacqueline Smith and Tanya Matherne inspect Phlox site

DESCO Provides Environmental Compliance Monitoring And Consulting Services In Cojunction With A 3-D Seismic Project Within The Big Thicket National Preserve

Seismic operations began on the Big Sandy Creek and Menard Creek Corridor Units on November 1, 2003 and should finish in May of 2004. DESCO provided environmental compliance monitoring in the field to ensure the crews performed their duties in the least invasive manner possible. The monitors also aided the drilllers in finding least impact access routes to and along source lines. Several preventative measures were employed to minimize impacts to the preserve. For example, safety buffers were placed around fire ecology and threatened and endangered species plots, including Texas Trailing Phlox (Phlox nivalis ssp. texensis) and Scarlet Catchfly (Silene virginica). Monitors inspected seismic lines after each crew (survey, drill, and recording) finished in an area to document any incidental impacts in daily field reports and detailed photograph logs.   ¶ 2:00 PM

  DESCO Conducted Vegetation Sampling and Mapping of the Big Sandy Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve

DESCO sampled over 200 plots and mapped vegetation alliances of the Big Thicket National Preserve’s Big Sandy Creek Unit in Polk County, Texas. The vegetation survey covered over 14,000 acres of upland pine, slope pine/hardwood mix, and bottomland floodplain habitat. It was conducted as part of an Environmental Assessment in support of proposed 3-D seismic survey activities within the unit. The project was the most detailed vegetation analysis of the area to date, and its purpose was to determine baseline ecological conditions and predict project impacts. The data collected will later be used to assess actual project impacts.

DESCO recruited a number of ecologists and botanists to compliment our staff and assist in completing the extensive fieldwork required for the project. The resulting team included DESCO’s ecologists, Dr. Stanley D. Jones (renowned plant taxonomist associated with Whitenton Group, Inc. and Botanical Research Center); ecologists from the Houston and Austin offices of PBS&J; and several other botanists and ecologists from all over the United States.

Along with the vegetation sampling, threatened and endangered species surveys were conducted with an emphasis on red cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), canebrake rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), Texas trailing phlox (Phlox nivalis spp. texensis), and scarlet catchfly (Silene subciliata), which is a species of special concern listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).

The National Park Service is currently reviewing and finalizing the Environmental Assessment and Plan of Operations. Proposed seismic operations will occur on the Big Sandy Creek, Menard Creek Corridor, and the Hickory Creek Savannah Units of the Preserve in the winter of 2003/2004. DESCO will provide environmental compliance monitoring and consulting services during seismic operations to ensure the crews perform their duties in the least invasive manner possible.

  ¶ 7:11 PM

  DESCO Forged a Strong Relationship with National Wildlife Refuges and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service

DESCO has had the opportunity to work in conjunction with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on several National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) over the past couple of years. DESCO has conducted three separate projects on the Trinity River NWR in bottomland hardwood forest habitat, two projects on the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR in Tamaulipan xeric scrub habitat, and a project on the Sabine NWR in coastal marsh habitat.

Each project provided unique environmental and natural resource concerns. The Trinity River NWR was established to preserve and protect bottomland hardwood forest. Bottomland hardwood forest habitats are environmentally important for floodwater retention and attenuation. These habitats support a multitude of waterfowl and migratory bird species, as well as scores of other wildlife. The Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR is responsible for preserving and protecting native habitats of South Texas, including habitat of the ocelot, which is federally listed as endangered. Most of the native habitat in the Lower Rio Grande Valley outside of the NWR has been converted to crop and ranch land. The Sabine NWR is held liable for preserving and protecting coastal marsh habitats, which support a multitude of aquatic, bird, and wildlife species.

Each of these projects allowed DESCO’s biologists to work hand in hand with Refuge staff and USFWS personnel. DESCO provided oversight, consulting, and compliance monitoring to minimize impacts of oil and gas exploration activities conducted within these sensitive and ecologically significant areas.


  ¶ 10:52 AM

  DESCO Conducts Finfish Impact Assessment for Texas Parks and Wildlife in Conjunction with Bridge Demolition

Jones Contractors hired DESCO to assess impacts to finfish as a result of activities conducted in association with the demolition and removal of old pilings from the I-10 bridge across the Sabine River. All fish species impacted during the project were identified, measured, and recorded. Data collected during the assessment was provided to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, allowing the agency to determine damage assessment fees. DESCO’s biologists are approved by the Texas General Land Office, which maintains jurisdiction over all state waters and submerged lands, to perform finfish monitoring and impact assessments.


  ¶ 11:05 AM