Permit Compliance:
Biological Assessments, Mitigation Plans + Reporting

Wilder prepares CEQA- and NEPA-compliant biological documentation and specialized mitigation plans for private developers, local jurisdictions, and federal land managers throughout the California desert regions. In addition, we support private residential interests with CDFW Census Protocol Western Joshua Tree surveys and reporting to comply with the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act and California Endangered Species Act.

Work With Us →

A desert landscape at dusk featuring a Joshua tree in the foreground, with sparse native vegetation, a dirt road on the left, mountains in the background, and a house with a red roof and a few other Joshua trees scattered throughout the scene. There are also some utility poles and distant structures.

Our Approach

Whether the project is a three-acre capital improvement plan in need of a local Conditional Use Permit (CUP), a 3,000-acre scale utility project in need of a specialized biological mitigation plan for state Incidental Take Permit (ITP) measures, or a 30,000+/- acre federal land management action reporting on biological surveys for a Federal Endangered Species (FESA) Section 7 requirement, successful permitting compliance is distinguished by core requirements:

Protocol baseline surveys, designed carefully, and implemented effectively
Curation of accurate data
Reporting that is timely, defensible, and can clearly inform and guide decision-making
Well-organized, detailed mitigation plans that regulators will approve
Ongoing permit compliance reports, submitted on timelines indicated in the mitigation measures outlined within each permit

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Federal Environmental Compliance

National Environmental Policy Act - NEPA, Migratory Bird Treaty Act - MBTA, Federal Endangered Species Act - FESA, and US Army Corps of Engineers - USACE protocols

During 20+ years of work on multiple large projects in the US desert southwest, Wilder leadership has coordinated directly with USFWS, BLM, and Department of Defense environmental staff to develop mitigation plans, implement specific protocol surveys, perform biological assessments, and keep documentation aligned with agency expectations and timelines.

Many thousands of miles of utility lines cross federal land through the US Southwest, and Wilder has supplied expertise for compliance with federal laws on dozens of jobs across hundreds of miles of electrical, gas, and fiber optic lines.

State + Local Compliance

(California Environmental Quality Act - CEQA, California Endangered Species Act - CESA, Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act - WJTCA)

Wilder prepares the biological resource documentation that lead agencies require for CEQA compliance on projects going through county or city discretionary review, for example in obtaining conditional use permits and capital improvement approvals. We work directly with applicants, planners, and their consultant teams to keep biological findings from becoming a bottleneck in the entitlement process. Our team has provided CEQA-compliant Biological Assessments, species surveys, and CDFW permitting support for more than a dozen small and mid-scale capital improvement projects across the California high desert including private residential property improvement, hospitality and lodging expansions, event venue permitting, and rural commercial development.

In addition to compliance with federal laws, many commercial utility and infrastructure projects have a state regulatory nexus, and benefit from the decades of experience accessed through Wilder management and associates. We are often sub-contracted to provide subject matter expertise and create specialized products for larger environmental consulting, architecture and engineering firms that lack the specific, in-house experience for a region or species.

Pre-construction survey reporting, and other initial study support.
- Western Joshua tree census, mitigation plan development, and CDFW-protocol reporting
- Mojave desert tortoise mitigation plan development, translocation and disposition plans, permit compliance and USFWS-protocol reporting
- Western burrowing owl mitigation and relocation plan development, permit compliance, and CDFW-protocol reporting
- Mohave ground squirrel mitigation and relocation plan development, permit compliance, and CDFW-protocol reporting
- Common Raven management and mitigation plan development
- Invasive weeds management and mitigation plan development
- California Native Plant Society (CNPS) survey reporting
- Federal MBTA surveys and nest monitoring reporting
- CDFW protocols

How We Work With You

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Scoping Call(s)

We review your project footprint and identify what surveys and documentation your permit or environmental review may require

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Field Site Visit(s) and Survey(s)

Applied to protocol windows and your project timeline

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Survey Documentation

CEQA/NEPA-ready data analyses, mapping and reporting, written for your lead agency or reviewing planner

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Mitigation + Monitoring Plan(s)

If needed; built to be approved and to actually work in the field

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Ongoing Permit Compliance Reporting

Periodic submissions to county, state, and federal agencies, as detailed in permit mitigation measures