Restoring and protecting the land for current and future generations

The projects aren’t over when construction is complete. Our natural resource team is following through on the maintenance and monitoring efforts for each individual project to ensure the permitted performance standards are being met. We provide erosion control and vegetation monitoring and reporting services for our clients to oversee the long-term progress of the project. We coordinate with landscape contractors to provide management strategies to control invasive and weedy species and promote native plant growth and meet with permit agencies to ensure sign-off is received and the project is successful.

Our team has experience competing floristic studies and tree inventories on a variety of projects both pre-design and post-construction. Plant inventories are key to understanding the quality of the natural resources prior to project engineering. In addition, post-construction inventories document the progress of each landscape creation or restoration project and help to provide long-term management goals.

We help coordinate the funding process of projects in advance of the engineering and design phase. Our staff work closely with our clients to develop cost estimates so yearly budgets can be allocated for specific project goals. We have experience writing grant applications and being successfully awarded grants from agencies including local, state and federal opportunities.  

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Our staff are experts in federal, state, and local requirements for working in and near Waters of the U.S., wetlands, and floodplains. Due to our successful history of providing our clients with advice and tools they need to get their projects completed within permit requirements, meeting the project goals, and protecting the area’s natural resources. Our staff have strong relationships with the permit agencies including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, County stormwater departments, and City municipal engineering departments.

WBK has a Professional Wetland Scientist on staff, and we are qualified to perform wetland assessments in the counties in Illinois that require certification including Kane, Lake, McHenry Counties.  We have completed wetland and Waters of the U.S. delineations throughout Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We work with our clients in developing strategies and plans to restore wetlands and mitigate impacts during the design and permitting process.