Environmental Conservation Services

Our staff is composed of professionals who have lived and worked in Idaho, with working knowledge of local, state and federal agency requirements and regulations. Our success results from close working relationships with clients, integrating their needs with our expert resources.

Charlie Baun Kenn Hardin Danielle Klemash Maguire Jayson Murgoitio

Charlie Baun:

I am a native Idahoan and the lead ecologist and principal of Environmental Conservation Services Inc. (ECS). I have over 15-years or academic and work-related experience with ecosystems of the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau. I earned a MS degree in Natural Resource Management, with an emphasis in range and disturbance (grazing and fire) ecology, from the University of Idaho in 2001, and a BS degree in biology, with an emphasis in ecology and botany, from Albertson College of Idaho in 1998.

My work experience has primarily been associated with environmental projects and natural resource management/ planning. I have prepared and authored environmental reports (RMP, EIS, EA, BA, FONSI, etc.) for federal and state agencies, as well as private industry, in Idaho, eastern Oregon, northern Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona. The most significant portion of my work as a public employee and private consultant has been associated with sagebrush/grass steppe and forested ecosystems associated with the Great Basin and Columbia Plateau. Through these projects I have been responsible for:

Managing and participating in multiple interdisciplinary projects;
Management, analyzing, and interpreting biological and land use data;
Surveying and measuring wildlife and vegetation, including special status species, and assessing its response to disturbance (grazing, wildfire, invasive species, recreation, military training, and other human uses);
Mapping (GIS) and analyzing wildlife and vegetation populations;
Wetland delineation; and
Biological mitigation reports and associated monitoring.

In addition to surveys, assessments, and mapping, I have significant experience with local, state, and federal environmental policy and regulations including but not limited to the: NEPA; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; Endangered Species Act; National Historic Preservation Act; Executive Order 13007 (Indian Sacred Sites); Executive Order 12898 (Environmental Justice); and others. I am also currently on a number of voluntary panels and scientific boards, including: the only non-agency (state or federal) member on the Lepidium papilliferum (slickspot peppergrass) scientific panel; a member of the Blueprint for Good Growth Steering and Technical Committee; a member of the Ada County Conservation Weed Management Partnership; and a supervisor for the Ada County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Publications

Baun, C. and English, A. 2005. Biological assessment (BA) for the S-95 Smokey Boulder to Hazard Creek Project. Prepared for the Idaho Department of Transportation, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Sharp, L., A. Burt, T. Reynolds, and A. English et al. 2005 Technical report for biological resource impacts for the proposed Cotterel Wind Power Project.

Baun, C., Blades, J, Hardin, K., Koleini, K. and Miller, S. 2005. Spring-summer slickpot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) survey and inventory in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Blades, J, Koleini, K. and Miller, S. 2005. Fall slickpot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) survey and inventory in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Blades, J., Hardin, K., Koleini, K. and Miller, S. 2005. Sensitive species findings report for the Spring Valley Ranch (Phase 1). Findings Report For SunCor Inc.

Baun, C. 2004. Livestock grazing environmental assessment (EA) for Boise District, Four Rivers Field Office. Prepared for the Four Rivers Field Office, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C. and Hardin, K. 2004. Special status rodent survey and inventory in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Koleini and Hardin, K. 2004. Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) extirpation survey in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C. 2004. Sensative species findings report for the Spring Valley Ranch (Phases 1 and 2). Findings Report For SunCor Inc.

Baun, C. 2003. Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) extirpation survey in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., English, A., and MacDaniels, S. 2003. Sensitive species and archeological findings report for the Spring Valley Ranch (Phases 1 and 2). Findings Report for SunCor Inc.

Baun, C. and Bridges, B. 1998. Light sensitivity on male satin bowerbirds, Bundaberg Mountains, Australia. Idaho Academy of Science Journal 4-3-98. Boise, Idaho

Kenn Hardin:

I am a native of the northwest and have lived in the Boise area since elementary school. I am currently a biologist at Environmental Conservation Services Inc. (ECS). I have over 6-years of academic and work-related experience with ecosystems of the Great Basin. I received a BS degree in biology, with a focus of study in ecology, from Boise State University in 2006. Prior to my career in Natural Resources I completed a Bachelors of Business Administration at Boise State University in 2001.

My work experience has primarily been associated with environmental projects in southern Idaho. Projects I have been involved in include:

Multiple local Environmental Assessments;
Wildlife Mitigation Plans for area planned communities;
Biological Assessments;
Land Condition Trend Analysis in the Orchard Training Area;
I conducted rangeland utilization assessment and nested frequency analysis for the BLM’s Four River Field Office;
I conducted presence/absence small mammal surveys in the Orchard Training Area; and
I conducted Lepidium papilliferum (slickspot peppergrass) inventory in the Orchard Training Area.

My most recent experience prior to ECS was as a Biologist and Asbestos Building Inspector. My time was split between building inspections, Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments, Natural Features Analysis, and assisting with vegetation field identification with their wetlands specialist.

The most significant portion of my work as a public employee and private consultant has been associated with sagebrush/grass steppe ecosystems associated with the Great Basin. Some of my past employers include: the Idaho Army National Guard’s Environmental Management Office; URS Corporation; the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Four Rivers Field Office; and Materials Testing and Inspection. My experience and education have focused on the vegetation condition and animal behaviors associated with Great Basin ecosystems.

Publications:

Baun, C., Blades, J, Hardin, K., Koleini, K. and Miller, S. 2005. Spring-summer slickspot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum) survey and inventory in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Blades, J., Hardin, K., Koleini, K. and Miller, S. 2005. Sensitive species findings report for the Spring Valley Ranch (Phase 1). Findings Report For SunCor Inc.

Baun, C. and Hardin, K. 2004. Special status rodent survey and inventory in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Baun, C., Koleini and Hardin, K. 2004. Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) extirpation survey in the Orchard Training Area. Prepared for the Environmental Management Office of the Idaho Army National Guard, Boise, Idaho.

Danielle Klemash Maguire:

I graduated from Boise State University in 2004 with a B.S. in Biology, with an Ecology Emphasis and a minor in Anthropology. I have eight years experience in field ecology of the Great Basin (sagebrush steppe, riparian and forested habitats), of Idaho and California, and my experience includes:

Surveys of upland and riparian plant species, and special status species (flora and fauna);
Aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling;
Avian surveys and point counts;
Habitat assessments for baseline data and monitoring; and
Establishment of wildlife habitat relationships.

In addition, my federal and state permitting expertise and experience includes Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Clean Water Act (Sections 401 and 404), and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Assessment (EA) development for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). I am also responsible for completing wetland delineations, and I have obtained Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation and Management Certification. I’ve also conducted research projects and co-authored two peer-reviewed papers examining the pollination biology and the effects of predation risk in the rare plant, slickspot peppergrass (Lepidium papilliferum). At ECS I specialize in plant ecology, riparian ecology, macroinvertebrate ecology, and project design and data analysis. My employment prior to ECS includes Oxbow Environmental, Bureau of Land Management Four Rivers Field Office, Ecosystem Sciences and Boise State University.

Publications:

Robertson, I.C. and D. Klemash. 2003. Insect-mediated pollination in slickspot peppergrass, Lepidium papilliferum L. (Brassicaceae), and its implications for population viability. Western North American Naturalist. 63(3) 333- 342.

Robertson, I.C. and D. Klemash Maguire. 2005. Crab spiders deter insect visitations to slickspot peppergrass flowers. Oikos. 109(3) 577-582.

Jayson Murgoitio:

I am a Boise native; my family has farmed and ranched in the Treasure Valley for over 100 years. I am pursuing a Master's Degree in Geographic Information Science from Idaho State University. I have a B.S. in GIS and Information Technology from Boise State University and a B.S. in education from the University of Idaho. In between degrees, I served as an officer in the United States Air Force.

I have 8 years of experience using GIS based systems for command and control operations, datalinks, and remote sensing (C4ISR). My 6 overseas deployments included tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, where I oversaw tactical operations of a 120 person organization. After careful calculation, I chose to end my military career to spend more time with family and remain in Idaho.