Ben Leonard

Project Scientist

Bio
Relevant Experience
Education & Credentials
Insights & News

Bio

Mr. Ben Leonard is an environmental scientist with experience in environmental habitat assessments, aquatic and terrestrial biological monitoring, laboratory work in freshwater ecology, and the collection of soil, water, and biological samples. He has worked as a biological technician, aquatic ecologist, and researcher. His technical skills involve data quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC), environmental equipment assembly and function, web and graphic design, and statistical modeling, and he is proficient in many advanced-level computing and programming applications. Mr. Leonard has been involved in numerous biological assessment monitoring programs. He has worked on projects with the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) and the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in addition to several corporate entities. He has assisted in the preparation of work plans, sampling and analysis plans, health and safety plans, budgets, and data reports.

Relevant Experience

Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), Gulf of Mexico, U.S. — Working in conjunction with the NRDA team responding to the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico on behalf of BP Exploration & Production Inc. Provided support to the data management team in quality assurance review, and data completeness.

Big River Superfund Site, Feasibility Study Field Investigation, Missouri — Used Google Earth to edit positional data for the Big River area visual survey. Helped to create the field sampling plan and health and safety plan. Participated in the geomorphology survey and the sediment sample collection efforts as part of the Big River field investigation.

USFWS WRIA 8 Salmon Habitat Conservation, Lake Washington Watershed, Washington — Surveyed streams and lakes in the Lake Washington watershed basin. Collected tissue samples and identified salmon and sculpin species using electroshock fishing. Surgically implanted fine-scale acoustic telemetry tags in smallmouth bass and northern pike minnow in Lake Washington to track predator distribution and Chinook salmon smolt consumption. Performed full-scale habitat assessments and measured hydrological features of streams

USFWS Hatchery Monitoring and Evaluation, Olympic Peninsula, Washington — As a biological technician intern for USFWS, installed screw traps at several sites including the Quilcene, Makah, and Quinault National Fish Hatcheries. Other hatchery projects and duties included fish identification, coded wire tagging, electroshock fishing, snorkel surveys, habitat assessment and data entry QA/QC.

USFS Pacific Northwest Research Station, Olympia, Washington — Studied the effects of knotweed restoration on riparian vegetation and knotweed leaf litter. Participated on the USFS Aquatic Ecology and Management Team as an intern. Assisted in the placement and collection of leaf litter bags at several sites. Analyzed leaf litter samples and identified macroinvertebrate species present. Utilized various stream monitoring tools (HOBO data logger, YSI meter, and turbidity meter). Performed data entry and data QA/QC in addition to data analysis. Data analysis involved statistical analysis using JMP, R, and PC ORD. Developed introduction and methods sections of research paper and presented results.

Field Equipment Inventory, Distribution, and Maintenance, Olympia, Washington — Developed a web-based equipment sign-out interface for Integral’s equipment rentals. Created a full inventory of items and an equipment log to track items. Maintained organization of equipment stock.

Education & Credentials

B.S., Environmental Chemistry and Riparian Ecology, Evergreen State University, Olympia, Washington, 2012

Continuing Education

OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER

First Aid/CPR/AED Certified

Full-Face and Half-Face Mask Test Fitted (2012)

USFS Macroinvertebrate Identification Training (2011)

USFWS Stream Survey Training (2011)

USFWS Habitat Assessment Training (2011)

USFWS Snorkel Survey Safety Protocol (2011)

Backpack Electrofishing and Fish Handling Techniques Course (2011)

Professional Affiliations

Member of Ecological Society of America

Member of American Chemical Society

Insights & News

Videos

Emerging Contaminants in Stormwater: Webinar

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Relevant Experience

Natural Resource Damage Assessment

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