Environmental Consulting - HWA Wildlife Consulting
Environmental Consultants

Research

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Environmental Research and Spatial Analysis

HWA is an issues-oriented research group with a focus on providing products that are readily amenable to application by our clients and the managing agencies in industrial siting, habitat protection, decision support, and other issues related to sustainable landscape management.  HWA biologists know how to design research in a way that provides answers to sustainability problems, how to apply the latest methods and statistical tools, and how to present results in both scientific and non-scientific terms.  Since the inception of our research branch in 2008, HWA biologists have presented and published their work widely.  Representative projects include:

  • Control-impact study of pygmy rabbit occupancy dynamics in an area undergoing energy development

  • Severe-winter habitat for sage-grouse

  • Interaction between ravens and sage-grouse

  • Elk response to energy development

  • Range-wide occurrence and abundance of the dunes sagebrush lizard

  • Conservation of seasonal habitat for sage-grouse

  • Winter occurrence patterns among mule deer before wind energy development

 
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Wildlife Trapping and Handling

  • Federal permits to capture and band particular wildlife species

  • Radio telemetry (VHF) and global positioning systems (GPS) telemetry using various transmitters (PTT, GSM, CTT)

  • Wide range of species handling, trapping, and body condition measurements

Specialized handling of Specific Species

  • Bat capture methods (i.e. mist-netting)

  • Amphibians and reptiles including the Dune Sagebrush Lizard (DSL)

  • Greater sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse

  • Raptors, most recently ferruginous hawks

  • Various bird species including ravens and songbirds

  • Big game, including elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorn

  • Carnivores such as wolves, lynx, and weasels

  • Small mammals including Preble’s jumping mouse, Wyoming pocket gopher and Idaho pocket gopher

  • Waterfowl including ducks, geese, coots, pelicans, and cormorants

  • Large birds such as condors

 
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Spatial Analysis & Modeling

HWA has experience in a wide variety of analyses, including:

  • Resource selection modeling

  • Spatial analysis and spatial modelling

  • Human/wildlife interactions

  • Survival

  • Habitat modelling

  • Estimation of detection probability and occupancy dynamics

  • Movement patterns and spatial ecology

  • Bias correction for habitat-related influences on fix success or location error