Senior Environmental Specialist
Resume:
*******.***.******@*****.***
St. Petersburg, FL 33714
JOSHUA C. KOHLBECKER
Cooper K Environmental & Marine Services, LLC
Objectives
o To continue to learn, advance and expand within a professional field of endless potential and betterment. Focused on further establishing new, and continuing to keep strong client connections. o Available as both a full time employee and/or part-time, contractual sub-contractor through my established LLC - licensed and properly insured for all land-based and in-water tasks/procedures. Skills and Abilities
o I have hands on experience with Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, Paint Shop Pro, Global Mapper, WinSitu, Trimble, ArcGIS, ArcMapper, TerraSync, GPS Pathfinder, OpsInfo, SharePoint, AutoCAD, as well as numerous other environmental related, computer based software programs. o I have been officially trained and certified in First Aid, CPR, and AED assistance/application. o Existing member of the National Association of Environmental Professionals, Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, and Tampa Bay Association of Environmental Professionals since October of 2006. o I completed an internship at the Florida Marine Research Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida where I initiated and completed the construction of the Florida Boaters and Anglers Guide to the Middle Florida Keys. Within this project I was trained and now possess the ability to use the computer software programs of ArcView and ArcGIS which was applied in the development of the Guide mentioned above. o While attending college I was a member of the Scuba Club and the Environmental Science Club. o I graduated from Ursuline Academy High School in Springfield, Illinois with high honors and received the Academy's "Follow Your Dreams Scholarship" for demonstrating a desire and strong-will to pursue a career in environmental science.
o I am currently signed up to complete my certification as a Recue Diver and plan to continue gaining more certifications in the future. I have completed over 100 dives everywhere from Blue Springs, Indiana to Bali, Indonesia.
o I have been a team member of numerous volunteer functions within the Tampa Bay area including coastal cleanups, manatee protection programs, oyster reef construction, and multiple fundraising events 2
Education, Certifications and Trainings
Bachelor Degree of Science within the field of
Environmental Science and Policy from the
University of South Florida; Associates Degree of
Science
Certified Commercial Herbicide Applicator
specialized and licensed within the Aquatic Pest
Control and Natural Areas Weed Management
subcategories
Licensed as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certified Remote Pilot (UAS/UAV/Drone)
Certified Florida Stormwater, Erosion &
Sedimentation Control Inspector
Completed the USDA & University of Florida’s
Hydric Soils – Specialized Training for Wetland
Specialists
In the process of obtaining FWC Gopher
Tortoise Authorized Agent
Certification/Licensing
OSHA 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Training Program
Certification
PADI & NAUI Open Water Certified Diver
First Aid, CPR & AED Certified PADI Certified Advanced Open Water Diver Additional Qualities & Characteristics
Dedicated, hardworking and autonomous
Ability to effectively work within team settings and/or at an individual level
Strong communication and people skills utilized in team situations and during client relationship
development from the beginning phases and
throughout the project
Strong attention to detail Highly experienced in Certification/Licensing
Client Relationship Development
Ability to follow through with any guidelines and duties brought upon me
Knowledge of environmental regulations, polices, research and summarization of statistical data
Quickly adapts to multifaceted situations
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Professional Experience
Current:
Cooper K Environmental & Marine Services, LLC September 2019 - Current Seminole, FL
Sr. Field Assessment & Operational Lead
Independently available long and/or short term as a project specific sub-contractor.
Experienced and highly referenced in multi-aspects and processes involving environmental assessments, research, permitting and compliance.
Highly specialized with heavy focus towards field-related, site assessment, survey work, monitoring, wetland delineation, inspection & restoration including threatened & endangered species, dock functionality, seagrass density, etc.
On-site field assessment/assistance with formal and compliance based documentation per project/agency specifications.
Dock restoration via piling wrapping and cement reinforced rebuilds for high damaged pilings.
Free on-site & in-water evaluation with Go-Pro footage available for current piling conditions.
24-hour maximum turnover for project evaluation letter, which includes, cost estimate and previously discussed recommendations.
Licensed & insured and will beat any previous estimates with a 1 year warranty that includes future piling cleaning packages.
Beach to Bay Dive Services, Inc. June 2019 – September 2019 Seminole, FL
Lead Field Foreman/In-Water Diver
Dock restoration via piling wrapping and cement reinforced rebuilds for high damaged pilings. Water Resource Associates, LLC (WRA) July 2017 – June 2019 Tampa, FL
Senior Environmental Specialist/Scientist
High concentration of client and agency interaction and guidance throughout all aspects of environmental/developmental permitting along all levels of local, state and federal agencies from the due diligence stages through construction and post-permit compliance.
Firmly established track record of project management experience with positive results relating to leadership, meeting/exceeding client requirements, client relationship building and management, and achieving the final goal/approval for project(s) development.
Project lead and management of numerous, ongoing projects ranging, but not limited to, wetland delineations, site research/background data retrieval, noise surveying, UAV drone surveying/utilization, wetland functional 4
assessments, wetland mitigation design, wetland mitigation planning, listed species surveying, wildlife monitoring
(i.e. manatee, bald eagle, sand skink) seagrass surveying, wetland monitoring, gopher tortoise survey/excavation/relocation, water/consumptive use permitting, well installation oversight, well maintenance & monitoring, water quality sampling (ground, well & surface waters), data analysis and numerous, additional project related management tasks.
High concentration of onsite and post analysis utilizing GIS software and instrumentation to perform all aspects of research, background data inclusion, onsite field data retrieval, post assessment upload, storage, analysis & graphic/mapping creation.
Provided guidance, direction & advice through the continued mentoring of mid-level and junior level staff and associated professionals.
Oversaw and carried out as the lead field/crew member, numerous wetland mitigation monitoring and post- compliance treatment and maintenance events leading to early release of post mitigation habitat due to the highly desired condition and functionality of each mitigation area.
Created and established numerous, and varying types of, project proposals approved by clients. A high number of these proposals resulted in positive gains and within earlier timeframes as proposed from the beginning/due diligence phases of numerous projects.
Due to the minimal number of fellow staff scientists, most onsite and in the field processes previously performed and mentioned below consisted of approximately 50% of my workload which allowed for an even balance of fieldwork and office/permitting processes.
Birkitt Environmental Services, Inc. 2014 – 2017
Tampa, FL
Environmental Specialist II
Within the first year of employment, I have taken the lead GIS analyst role creating productive graphics used for multiple aspects of the company including field work, presentations, permitting, and data representation within the ArcMapper software applications.
Involvement within all levels of the permitting processes for federal, state, and county/local agencies. This includes, but is not limited to, application development and submittal, report construction, field assessments, responses to Requests for Additional Information (RAI’s), desktop analysis, UMAM development, and all other research/data needed for permitting process completion.
Successfully completed the testing and research/studying processes to gain certification as a Florida Commercial Herbicide Applicator. I have also gained certification to apply herbicides within Natural Areas and Aquatic Habitats. Continued education is ongoing through online and seminar classes used to gain CEUs to fulfill all three certifications.
Attended and completed the Soils Training Program administered by Wade Hurt from the USDA and University of Florida training program.
Conducted multiple Threatened and Endangered Species Surveys including, but not limited to gopher tortoise, wood stork, Eastern indigo snake, Florida burrowing owl, sand skink, West Indian manatee, caracara, sandhill crane, and other native species.
Within the gopher tortoise permitting guidelines, conducted both 15% and 100% gopher tortoise surveys, assisted with completing the relocation permitting processes, and have been involved in numerous removals and relocations.
Senior ecologist/scientist responsible for numerous wetland delineations throughout all regions within the state of Florida.
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Functioned as lead ecologist for many seagrass surveys throughout Florida, as well as several locations within the Caribbean.
Assigned the project lead position regarding research and permitting processes of/for oyster bed construction/mitigation.
Conducted numerous coral identification, benthic research, coral relocation and reef creation field events throughout the state of Florida.
Assessment and monitoring of on-going wetland enhancement and creation areas for a big business development project which includes on-site verification of proper soils, Best Management Practices (BMPs), contractor coordination, and wetland monitoring and reporting.
Developed a strong understanding of the concepts presented within the “upcoming” Waters of the United States of America (WOTUS) guidelines and assisted in the creation of WOTUS presentation that was given at a seminar of over 300 participants.
Experience in numerous monitoring events including Nuisance & Exotic identification/monitoring, Time-Zero Monitoring, monthly hydrology monitoring, semi & annual wetland mitigation monitoring, mitigation bank monitoring (lead), and have also been involved in multiple releases from mitigation requirements based upon valid monitoring and maintenance events that I have performed.
Vast amount of background, research, and coordination within the mitigation bank processes which includes mitigation bank monitoring, enhancement of mitigation banks leading to higher credit amounts, mitigation bank maintenance (nuisance/exotic removal and treatment), quarterly inspections, and several development projects including gate construction and signage installments.
Designated as Project Manager on multiple projects including gopher tortoise relocation, mitigation bank monitoring and maintenance, vegetation monitoring, water/well monitoring, threatened & endangered species management and monitoring, and wetland delineation and mitigation. Other PM duties include managing budgets, supervision of junior staff, invoicing, and contractor and agency coordination. Kinder Morgan Inc. 2013 – 2014
&
Hyperion Water Technologies (Contractual from: March 2021 – July 2021) Tampa, FL
Storm Water Treatment Plant Operator/Environmental Specialist
Combines the operations, maintenance and environmental management of the on-site storm water treatment system.
Daily sampling and testing with laboratory analysis.
Toxicity studies
Environmental inspections along with weekly monitoring and site walkthroughs.
Process control through data analysis.
Maintenance support including all machinery rebuilds, troubleshooting, repairs and tuning.
Agency interaction and compliance on all levels of city, county, state and federal departments.
Research and data gathering pertaining to all aspects required for ongoing plant operations. 6
United States Postal Service 2010 – 2013
St. Petersburg, FL
Mail Carrier
Sorts mail for delivery and delivers mail on established routes within a given time frame on every day of scheduled delivery.
Delivers forms, collects charges, and obtains signature on receipts for delivery of specified types of mail over numerous established routes.
Enters changes of address in route book and re-addresses mail to be forwarded.
Delivers specialized types of mail including certified, insured, express, and designated parcels.
Special-Delivery Carrier (government secured).
CH2M HILL, Inc. 2006 – 2010
Tampa, FL
Environmental Scientist/Specialist
I was part of the Environmental Ports Group based in Tampa, FL.
In my four years with the company, I had dealt with water, air, and sediment sampling, monitoring, and analysis.
For four years at the Ports of Tampa, Miami, and Cape Canaveral, I managed and performed an annual visual inspection at the Ports for risk identification and sources of potential pollution to stormwater. DMR's (Discharge Monitoring Reports) were completed from analytical testing in years 2 and 4 of the permit and submitted to DEP. I also performed an annual Illicit stormwater inspection of all outfalls located on Port property and conducted the annual tenant training for NPDES.
Was given full responsibility for the monthly monitoring and data collection of approximately 26 wells located in City of Tampa. All data is collected using the WinSitu software and then processed and downloaded into the server where excel files and charts are then constructed and used for submittal. Full data gathering and representation duties are conducted.
Oversaw soil boring activities, monitored well installation, and managed field logistics. I was also responsible for interpreting field data and assisted in producing technical reports descriptive of all data logged and all safety related activities conducted in the field.
Completion of the block grant forms, preparation of an Environmental Assessment, Green House Gas Equivalence calculations, and preparation of Energy Efficiency & Conservation Strategy (EECS) for numerous cruise terminals and berths.
Designed and implementation of underwater monitoring with GPS linked DVD recorded photography. Data collection involved underwater video and diving inspections to determine the type and extent of living benthic communities.
Managed the removal and disposal of landfill debris and other unsuitable fill material that was encountered during the installation of new water mains. Monitored the excavation and offsite disposal of landfill debris encountered during the pipeline installation, performed precautionary air monitoring for landfill gases, characterized the landfill debris zone, issued and catalogued all truck manifests, and identified any suspect materials different from conventional landfill debris.
I performed wetland mitigation, site reclamation, and seagrass identification and surveying. 7
After conducting all proper research, background material, and field data, I was in charge of all written report construction and permitting processes for each specified project.
My job qualifications include the whole range of the mitigation process from start to finish.
Duties preformed include invasive species control, mitigation layout and planting designs, wetland delineation, permit application preparation, wetland assessment using the UMAM and WRAP methods and construction/mitigation administration.
I have also been certified in SCUBA diving for approximately 25 years and have previously, and currently, utilized these qualifications when dealing with underwater mapping, coral reef identification/mitigation/relocation, and most commonly for seagrass survey identification, benthic mapping, seagrass habitat creation and transplantation.
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