TENERA ENVIRONMENTAL STAFF

Mr. John Steinbeck - Vice President / Principal Scientist
jsteinbeck@tenera.com

Mr. John Steinbeck has an M.S. in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has over 30 years experience as a professional environmental scientist. He is the manager of the San Luis Obispo Tenera offices and for the past 20 years he has been the principal investigator and manager for the environmental monitoring conducted at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant under contract to Pacific Gas and Electric Company. This program is one of the largest long-term marine environmental monitoring programs conducted in the United States. He has also been involved in studies on the effects of cooling water intake systems at most of the coastal power plants in California and Hawaii. Mr. Steinbeck combines a broad background of involvement in field and laboratory biology with extensive experience in data analysis and data management. He has testified and made presentations in formal agency hearings and workshops on water quality issues, study design, and thermal and ecological modeling and has authored or co-authored several papers in scientific journals and numerous technical reports including a California Energy Commission report on methods for sampling and analysis of studies on the effects of power plant cooling water intake systems that is used as the guidelines for these studies for California resource agencies.

Dr. John B. Hedgepeth - Project Scientist / Manager - Fisheries, Acoustics
jhedgepeth@tenera.com

John Hedgepeth, Ph.D., received a PhD in Fisheries from the University of Washington in 1994. While at UW he also completed graduate work in Civil Engineering. He obtained his B.S. degree in Environmental Studies at the University of California in 1978 and an M.S. in Natural Resources at Humboldt State University in 1983. Dr. Hedgepeth has international experience on a wide array of fishery and acoustic studies. At BioSonics in Seattle he developed acoustical tracking systems for estimating fish entrainment at hydroelectric projects. He joined Tenera Environmental in 1998, assisting in statistical and fish population dynamics analyses and bringing his expertise in both fisheries population and acoustical analyses. Recent projects include studies of fish movement using acoustics, habitat mapping including currents, bathymetry, and temperatures in the ocean, estuaries and rivers. He has used tracking sonars and ADCP current meters for assessing juvenile salmon behavior in the approaches to dam bypass structures on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. Dr. Hedgepeth has designed acoustical systems for measuring fish passage and for robotically controlling bypass gates at hydroelectric dams and his recent work also includes habitat characterization using side scan sonar and video. Recent work includes mapping source water potentially entrained at coastal and offshore intakes using high frequency radar, CODAR.

Jay C. Carroll - Project Scientist / Manager
jcarroll@tenera.com

Jay Carroll has over 30 years of professional experience as a consulting biologist and has participated in several environmental monitoring programs for Pacific Coast utility companies, state and federal agencies, and various industrial clients. His responsibilities in these studies have included project management, marine and estuarine quantitative surveys of benthic invertebrates and fish populations, water quality sampling, larval fish and invertebrate identification, and associated data analysis and reporting. Mr. Carroll has performed over 3,500 hours of underwater scientific observations during these field studies and serves as diving safety officer for Tenera Environmental. He has participated in intertidal biological surveys in support of studies on visitor use impacts, shoreline discharges, and potential oil spills at numerous locations throughout central and southern California, has been a participating biologist on multidisciplinary research trips to S.E. Alaska, the California Channel Islands, and the Mexican offshore island groups. Mr. Carroll has served as a writer and technical editor on environmental reports and has served as a reviewer for journal publications and grant applications. Most recently he helped to prepare and edit 316(b) study reports on impacts related to once-through cooling at six power plants located in southern California. He completed his graduate education in marine biology studying the structure of macrofaunal assemblages inhabiting intertidal sandflats in Tomales Bay, California.

Chris P. Ehrler - Project Scientist / Manager
cehrler@tenera.com

Chris Ehrler has worked as an environmental consultant for the past 30 years, conducting a variety of ecological studies in the intertidal and subtidal zones of marine, estuarine, fresh water, and terrestrial habitats. The majority of his work experience relates to the impacts caused by thermal discharges and the operation of power plant cooling water intake systems, but he has assisted in a wide variety of other field efforts including intertidal and subtidal data collection in Alaska. He has been involved with all aspects of study design, field sampling, laboratory processing, data interpretation, and reporting. He has worked with the taxonomy of larval fishes all along the California coast for the last 20 years and on the island of Oahu for the past 4 years. He has worked extensively with larval rockfish (Sebastes) identification including a study using DNA analysis to confirm larval rockfish identity. As Project Manager, he has managed a large number of personnel and worked directly with a variety of federal, state, and local agencies, and public interest groups. Mr. Ehrler has worked for the past 7 years with storm water permitting issues and is a member of the SLO County Partners for Water Quality and The SLO Hydromodification Technical Advisory Committee. He has also conducted a number of Environmental Site Assessments. These and other experiences have given him an understanding of regulatory processes, compliance issues, and agency protocols.

R. Scott Kimura - Project Scientist / Manager
skimura@tenera.com

Scott Kimura has a Masters Degree from the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, and with Tenera he functions as program manager, principal investigator, scientific diver, intertidal ecologist, and report and proposal writer. Projects include eelgrass surveys for waterfront construction permitting, completed for the U.S. Coast Guard, private enterprises, and Harbor Departments in Newport Bay, San Pedro Harbor, and Morro Bay. Mr. Kimura assisted NOAA in completing long-term studies in Alaska examining recovery in intertidal communities affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and he managed the conversion of a large shoreline mapping effort into GIS for NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries and NMFS. Mr. Kimura developed and managed a long-term study tracking the condition of intertidal and subtidal habitats on the Big Sur coast exposed to landslides associated with Highway 1 repairs. He was also principal investigator in assessing the condition of intertidal communities exposed to storm water discharges at the U.S. Air Force Pillar Point Radar Station, a SWRCB study requirement. Mr. Kimura developed and implemented marine mammal mitigation plans for the NMFS, California Coastal Commission, Avila Beach Community Services District, and PG&E for nearshore construction and ocean transport of heavy equipment. He also designed and managed five large programs examining the nature and significance of visitor impacts to rocky shorelines in marine protected areas for the Monterey Bay and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries, the San Mateo County Environmental Services Division, PG&E, and San Luis Obispo Science and Ecosystem Alliance.

Fredric L. Steinert - Senior Scientist / Marine Biologist / Biofouling Control Specialist
fsteinert@tenera.com

Fred Steinert has more than 30 years of experience in the environmental field as a Marine Biologist and Biofouling Control Specialist. His responsibilities have included the development, implementation and management of programs for the control of macrofouling and microfouling organisms at several power production facilities including P.G. &.E.'s Diablo Canyon Power Plant and Duke Energy's Moss Landing Power Plant. He is recognized as an expert in this field. Mr. Steinert has also conducted laboratory research into the physiological and ecological responses of marine organisms to power plant influences. He has extensive field experience as an ichthyologist and ecologist. His qualifications include a thorough knowledge of power plant and seawater system design and operation, and comprehensive experience in dealing with the federal, state and local agencies and the regulations that govern a facility's interaction with the environment.

Jim Strampe - Senior Data Analyst / GIS Specialist
jstrampe@tenera.com

Jim Strampe has worked for TENERA Environmental since 1996 assisting in projects involving GPS data collection, GIS mapping, intertidal data collection, ichthyoplankton collection and processing, endangered species monitoring, and computer administrative (IT) support. He is familiar with GIS applications, including ESRI's ArcPad 7.1, ArcView 3.2 and ArcGIS 9.3. Mr. Strampe has used GPS/GIS extensively for collection and analysis of shoreline and upland riparian habitat delineation, aerial photograph habitat analysis, bathymetric data, calculating near-shore changes in sand deposition (area and volume), plotting sidescan sonar mapping projects, and various monitoring surveys. Recent projects include conversion of the statewide Minerals Management Service "Coastal Marine Habitat: Oil Residence and Biological Sensitivity Indices" maps into a GIS for the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation, Diablo Canyon North Ranch Sensitive Area project where coastal resource maps were created in GIS to aid in routing a new coastal access trail to avoid impacts to the more sensitive resources and habitats, and a coastal resource mapping project for California State Parks in San Luis Obispo County. This last project consisted of developing maps in GIS depicting the locations and spatial extent of sensitive habitats and resources. Mr Strampe is a San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Dive Search and Recovery Dive Team member whose duties include search and recovery diving, GPS/GIS field operations site analysis, sidescan sonar operations, and evidence mapping.

Barbie Dugan - Senior Scientist / Lab Director
bdugan@tenera.com

Barbie Dugan has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and has worked in the environmental field for over 17 years, including eight years in California's salmonid fishery. She co-manages the Terrestrial Ecology Division within TENERA and is involved in conducting assessments, surveys, and monitoring for threatened and endangered species and species of concern; she holds federal 10(a)(1)(A) permits for the Morro shoulderband snail and tidewater goby. Barbie provides assistance to clients regarding compliance with NEPA, Clean Water Act Section 404 and 401, and the federal Endangered Species Act Section 7 and 10, as well as California state law, including CEQA, the California Endangered Species Act, and California Fish & Game Code Section 1600. Barbie has served as writer and editor on a variety of environmental reports including Habitat Conservation Plans, Mitigation & Monitoring Plans, Restoration Plans, Biological Surveys/Assessments, and 316(b) Demonstration Reports. Other experience includes seabird census, behavior, and banding studies on Anacapa Island, capture and tagging of elephant seals, salmon stress and mortality studies, entrainment and impingement, and oil spill response. She has also worked on several phytoplankton programs for the State of California including taxonomic identification, harmful algal bloom assessment, and implementation of shellfish monitoring programs. She has been a SCUBA certified diver since 1980. As TENERA's Laboratory Director she is responsible for the management and oversight of all aspects of our plankton laboratory including the development of standard operating procedures, the design and implementation of QA/QC protocols, sample tracking and database integrity, hazardous materials and safety compliance, and the coordination of personnel and resources.

Daniel S. Dugan - Senior Scientist / Aquatic Ecologist
ddugan@tenera.com

Dan Dugan has a Master of Science in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and more than 19 years experience in the environmental field. He has diverse experience in marine, aquatic, and terrestrial ecology, and research/commercial diving. As a graduate student Mr. Dugan conducted research on the growth of commercially important crustaceans living within invertebrate assemblages on an offshore oil platform in the Santa Barbara Channel, California. His work in the marine field includes participation in scientific field studies of marine mammals, seabirds, fishes (shelf, nearshore, estuarine, and anadromous), zooplankton, and invertebrates. Mr. Dugan is a member of the Tenera dive team and a former U. S. Navy First Class salvage diver/Dive Supervisor with nearly 30 years of experience as a diving professional. Mr. Dugan is the co-manager and project scientist for the TENERA Terrestrial Ecology Division and currently serves as project manager, lead biologist, and technical writer for a broad array of projects related to compliance with NEPA, CEQA, the ESA and CESA, CWA, California Coastal Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, and various other state and local statutes. Mr. Dugan is a certified Associate Ecologist with the Ecological Society of America and also holds a certification to conduct wetland delineations. He has a current federal 10(a)(1)(A) recovery permit for the endangered Morro shoulderband snail and tidewater goby and has expertise with a wide variety of other listed and special status species. Recently Mr. Dugan served as the Tenera project manager and lead biologist for environmental assessments of a proposed offshore LNG terminal in the Southern California Bight and an 18-mile utility corridor in northern San Luis Obispo County.

Steven R. Pengilley - Senior Scientist
spengilley@tenera.com

Steve Pengilley has over 15 years of work experience in environmental research with Tenera. Mr. Pengilley has extensive experience in conducting intertidal monitoring surveys and use of various intertidal sampling methods. He has extensive knowledge of seawater intake systems, pump testing, biofouling control, and impingement studies. He has also been involved in sea bed mapping and environmental monitoring for directional drill fiber optic projects for AT&T and Global West. He has a strong base of experience in field taxonomy of marine algae and invertebrates. He also has experience with boat operation, scientific diving, deployment and retrieval of subtidal instruments (temperature-depth recorders, current meters, Didson sonar systems, and underwater cameras). Working with SCRIPPS, he is in charge of maintenance and operation of the Diablo Canyon's waverider buoy and shore station. He is involved in subtidal surveys and collection of fish, invertebrates, algae, and sediment samples; grunion surveys for Port San Luis Harbor District and Mobil Oil; endangered species surveys; quality control of field data; and offshore zooplankton and phytoplankton collection.

Shelly Witters - Senior Scientist / Ecologist / Lead Ichthyoplankton Taxonomist
switters@tenera.com

Shelly Witters has been a team member of Tenera for nearly thirteen years; she is an aquatic and terrestrial biologist. Shelly has several years of experience in coastal sage scrub, riparian, and grassland communities. She's worked on various plant restoration, RDM, and mitigation projects including a fish passage restoration project for salmon wiers. As an avid birder, Shelly actively participates in shore bird, peregrine falcon, and otter counts along the Central Coast. She is an integral part of Tenera's reef/intertidal transect sampling team for invertebrates and algae. Shelly has vast experience in the identification of larval fish, fish eggs, copepods, and other zooplankton throughout Antarctica, California, and Hawaii. Currently, She is the lead ichthyoplankton taxonomist for three 316(b) Hawaii power plants. Shelly has contributed, authored, and co-authored several reports and scientific papers.

Andrew Harmer - Scientist
aharmer@tenera.com

Andrew Harmer has been working for Tenera Environmental since 1997, participating in a variety of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial field studies. He is experienced in field identification of marine and freshwater fishes, and marine invertebrates and algae. His field experience includes regular use of SCUBA for marine subtidal surveys, and experience with the installation, maintenance, and operation of a wide array of instrumentation. He has conducted and participated in a variety of surveys for endangered and species of special concern and been involved in construction monitoring projects in both marine and freshwater habitats. Andrew also has trained expertise in ichthyoplankton taxonomy, and has identified fish eggs and larvae plus various invertebrate larval stages from all over California.

Gery Cox - Scientist
gcox@tenera.com

Gery Cox has worked for Tenera Environmental since 2000, participating in a variety of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial field studies. He has extensive experience in the use of SCUBA for both work and volunteer efforts. He has been a member of the local Sheriff's Dive team since 2005, utilizing surface supplied air and full-face communications masks in many operations. He is experienced in field identification of marine and freshwater fishes, and marine invertebrates and algae. His field experience includes regular use of SCUBA for marine subtidal surveys, and experience with the installation, maintenance, and operation of a wide array of instrumentation including side scan sonar, acoustic bathymetry sounders, several models of acoustic doppler current profilers, magnetic current meters, CTD profilers, GPS, and fishery hydroacoustic sounders. He has conducted and participated in a variety of surveys for endangered and sensitive species and been involved in construction monitoring projects in both marine and freshwater habitats.

Jenny Vick - Senior Research Assistant / Assistant Lab Manager
jvick@tenera.com

Jenny Vick has worked for Tenera Environmental as a biologist since 2006. Ms. Vick is a Senior Research Assistant and the Assistant Lab Manager. She plays a pivotal role in keeping the lab organized. She processes plankton samples, organizes all the samples that come into the lab and all the specimens that leave the lab, trains new employees, and performs quality control on all plankton lab personnel. She identifies fish eggs from Hawaii and California. Ms. Vick has also had field work experience. She performed impingement studies at Moss landing. Ms. Vick has collected plankton samples on-vessel and she has collected marine specimens using lampara nets and otter trawls in the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. Ms. Vick also was a marine mammal observer on-vessel. Ms. Vick also had six months experience as a forest attendant performing owl and land surveys.

Ms. Kristen Sanchez - Research Assistant II
ksanchez@tenera.com

Ms. Kristen Sanchez earned her B.S. degree in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2002. Since 1999, she has gained extensive experience in marine mammal surveys, including two years locating and observing sea otters, with the use of radio-telemetry, for a UCSC/USGS sea otter research project. Other megafaunal observation experience includes an internship in Kona, Hawaii, involving 24-hr acoustic tracking of manta rays from a live-aboard research vessel. In 2000, Ms. Sanchez became a certified AAUS research SCUBA diver, allowing her to participate in sub-tidal surveys of kelp forest communities including ongoing monitoring of sites surrounding San Nicolas Island, CA. She is also a member of the Tenera dive team and has conducted surveys at Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, identifying invertebrates and kelp. Intertidal sampling and identification of fish, invertebrates, and algae are also skills that Ms. Sanchez has obtained through college courses, volunteer-ships, and her employment at Tenera. Ms. Sanchez' experience with fish ranges from live trapping, tagging, and releasing of bottom fish to sorting and measuring of preserved larval fish. In addition, Ms. Sanchez has gained experience in conducting plankton tows, chlorophyll sampling, and CTD casts.

Zach Green - Research Assistant II
zgreen@tenera.com

Zach Green has been working for Tenera Environmental since 2008, when he received a B.S. in Ecology. Zach has been a part of several terrestrial surveys, where he has used his plant taxonomy experience to write botanical reports for the city of San Luis Obispo and PG&E. He has trained docents in the identification of local plants. He will also be teaching a Weed Ecology lab at Cal Poly in Spring 2010 and was a volunteer teacher's aide for Field Botany in 2009. Zach has experience in plankton sampling and sorting. Working at Tenera has also given him the opportunity to work on intertidal surveys, kelp harvesting, and goby surveys in the Morro Bay estuary. He is SCUBA certified since 2009.

Charlie Oncea - Research Assistant II
concea@tenera.com

Charlie Oncea has been working for Tenera Environmental since 2006, and he has been full time with the company since 2008. He received a B.S. in Ecology and Systematic biology. Charlie participated in an assortment of environmental projects including both marine and terrestrial field studies. These studies include intertidal surveys, plankton sampling, use of GIS for vegetation mapping, entrainment and impingment surveys, marine mammal observations, and various lab work including the processing, sorting and archiving of plankton samples. Charlie is currently working with larval fish otoliths from three different families of Hawaiian fish. The otoliths are removed from the fish and analyzed to help determine specific growth rates for these groups.

Richard Hernandez - Research Assistant II
rhernandez@tenera.com

Richard Hernandez has been working with Tenera for five years. In that time he has had experience in sorting plankton samples for target species such as larval fish and crabs. His primary focus is as a biologist but also has extensive computer knowledge and is familiar with such programs as Excel and Tecplot for modeling and programing languages such as R Statistics and C. Mr. Hernandez also has worked on various field projects such as impingement studies, plankton sampling surveys, intertidal impact surveys, Owl limpet monitoring, bathymetry surveys, and has helped deploy an underwater camera system for the purposes of watching for jellyfish blooms.