Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project

As an on-call employee of a larger consulting firm, Balk Biological biologist Michelle Balk Served as crew lead and assistant field task lead in 2010, and as construction monitor and rare plant field task lead in 2011, for this electricity line upgrade project spanning approximately 160 miles through Kern, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties. Determined appropriate timing for surveys within particular high-potential areas, selected and trained survey team members, identified and mapped more than 30 species of special-status plants, coordinated daily work for the rare plant team, QA/QCed the team’s GPS mapping and completed data forms, and coordinated daily with both internal staff (the project director, manager, and work package managers; construction monitoring, GIS, and other biology personnel), the client, and the Forest Service. Solved a variety of issues with Trimble Yuma GPS mapping equipment. Project traverses diverse vegetation communities including foothills, mountains, and desert.