Valary K. Bloom

Senior Consultant

Bio
Relevant Experience
Education & Credentials

Bio

Ms. Valary Bloom is a plant and wildlife biologist with more than 30 years of experience working across public and private sectors. She served more than 24 years as a regulatory and ecosystem recovery planning specialist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Delta Field Offices.

During her time at USFWS, Ms. Bloom authorized, using streamlining project permitting tools where feasible, a wide range of multi-benefit restoration projects under Sections 7 and 10 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) involving improvements to flood protection, water quality and public recreation, as well as habitat restoration and enhancement actions for a variety of federally and state- listed species. Her role as author of the Recovery Plan for Tidal Marsh Ecosystems of Northern and Central California makes her uniquely qualified to guide project design aiming to restore estuaries and baylands using a climate resilient approach. She also served on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Wetlands Regional Monitoring Program, providing guidance related to the development of pre- and post-project monitoring frameworks.

Ms. Bloom is an experienced project manager and communicates effectively with a diverse array of stakeholders. Her extensive experience in the regulatory realm positions her to advise and support clients in navigating state and federal mandates while achieving their project goals.

Relevant Experience

Planning and Permitting

San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority’s (SFCJPA) Strategy to Advance Flood Protection, Ecosystems and Recreation (SAFER Bay), Menlo Park and Palo Alto, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance on the Bay Restoration Regulatory Integration Team (BRRIT) as a USFWS regulator. Work included reviews of draft design sets, avoidance and minimization measures, and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring approaches related to Section 7 of the ESA. The project aimed to protect critical infrastructure, protect and restore critical habitat, provide community resilience (to current tidal flooding and projected sea level rise), and improve recreational access via engineered structures and nature-based flood protection. The project incorporated substantial habitat creation, enhancement, and management offsets to state and federal threatened and endangered species and their habitats. Led coordination between SFCJPA and the USFWS Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge regarding proposed mitigation at the Ravenswood Pond complex.

Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water), Pond A4 Resilient Habitat Restoration Project, Sunnyvale, California — On the BRRIT, as a USFWS regulator, provided pre-application technical guidance. Work included reviews of draft design sets, avoidance and minimization measures, and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring approaches related to Section 7 of the ESA. The work concerned a beneficial reuse project using sediment from Valley Water’s Stream Maintenance Program. The project proposed to create mudflat habitat to benefit shoreline birds along Pond A4’s southern shoreline.

Deer Island Basin Complex Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project, Marin County, California — On the BRRIT, as a USFWS regulator, issued a programmatic permit under Section 7 of the ESA for a project that contributed to long-term flood control goals and sea level rise resiliency for the lower Novato Creek Baylands. The project aimed to restore ecologically valuable tidal wetlands for endangered species and improve tidal connectivity to the diked areas along Novato Creek. The objective was to protect critical infrastructure within and adjacent to the project area by maintaining or increasing current levels of flood protection.

Contra Costa County Lower Walnut Creek Restoration/Pacheco Marsh Public Access Project, Martinez, California — Provided authorizations pursuant to Section 7 of the ESA, for enhancement and restoration of wetlands and riparian habitat along 4 miles of Walnut Creek to provide vital wildlife habitat and sustainable flood protection, and allow opportunities for public access and recreation.

City of Alameda’s De-Pave Park, Alameda, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance, including review of draft design sets and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring plans, related to Section 7 of the ESA, for a proposed 12-acre ecological park involving removal of concrete to create a range of habitats, from subtidal and tidal to upland, as well as to provide public access amenities. The park will be designed for habitats to evolve as sea level rises to create additional tidal wetlands with continued public access from a raised boardwalk and connection to adjacent restored wetlands.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, Union City, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance, including review of draft design sets and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring plans, related to Section 7 of the ESA for the restoration of more than 1,375 acres of tidal wetlands between Old Alameda Creek and the Alameda Creek Flood Control Channel; the possible addition of 400 acres of enhanced pond habitat; construction of innovative flood protection elements; and around 4 miles of new Bay Trail.

East Bay Regional Park District’s Restore Hayward Marsh Project, Hayward, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance, including review of draft design sets and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring plans, related to Section 7 of the ESA for this multifaceted project aimed at conserving and enhancing the ecological benefits of Hayward Marsh. To ensure the marsh’s resilience to climate change, the project focuses on shoreline adaptation, levee improvements, upland habitat creation, wildlife habitat enhancement (including planning for shorebird habitat, which accommodates sea level rise over time), addition of public access/wildlife viewing, and community engagement.

McInnis Marsh Beneficial Dredge Sediment Reuse and Tidal Wetlands Restoration Project, San Rafael, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance, including review of draft design sets and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring plans, related to Section 7 of the ESA for this project, which will restore up to 30 acres of diked wetlands and reverse subsidence across 140 acres of marsh. It will also involve the use of approximately 110,000 yd³of clean dredge sediments from Gallinas Creek to support future tidal marsh habitat restoration and improve resilience to future sea level rise.

City of Palo Alto’s Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Pilot Project, Palo Alto, California — Provided authorizations pursuant to Section 7 of the ESA for this project to create a roughly 300 linear foot horizontal levee to serve multiple purposes, including habitat restoration, wastewater treatment, public access, and flood protection. Designed as a pilot study to gather data for future flood protection projects and to demonstrate the effectiveness of horizontal levees in nature-based solutions. The project utilized USFWS’s then-new streamlined permitting tool named the Programmatic Biological and Conference Opinion for the California Statewide Restoration Programmatic Consultation, greatly reducing permit processing times.

East Bay Dischargers Authority’s First Mile Project, Hayward, California — Provided pre-application technical guidance, including review of draft design sets and adaptive management, maintenance, and monitoring plans, related to Section 7 of the ESA for this full-scale horizontal levee, intended as a demonstration site for other projects. The project builds on the concept developed at the Oro Loma Horizontal Levee demonstration site.

NRDA For Oil Spills

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Florida — Assisted with oiled bird monitoring under the USFWS’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program.

Education & Credentials

B.A., Biology, California State University, Sacramento, California, 1995

Continuing Education

OSHA 10-Hour General Industry

First Aid/CPR/AED Certified

USFWS National Conservation Center Trainings: Planning for a Changing Climate, Endangered Spp. Recovery Planning and Implementation, Field Techniques for Invasive Plant Management, Structured Decision-making, Habitat Conservation Planning, Contracting Basics, and Managing by Network (Partnership and Community Collaboration Academy)

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