INSPIRE is conducting reconnaissance surveys for offshore wind developers on the East Coast of the US to aid in the planning of wind turbine layouts and undersea cable routes. The company is also conducting long-term impact studies at the Block Island Wind Farm, a pilot-scale farm constructed in 2015. I helped record demersal fish trawl and water quality data on the F/V Virginia Marise in 2018 and 2019 as part of a before-after control-impact study which began in 2012.

This fisheries study, along with concurrent lobster and recreational boat traffic surveys, aims to create a basis for evaluating impact mechanisms of the farm’s construction and operations on the commercial fishing industry. I prepared monthly data reports from April 2018 to the study’s close in June 2019, which will be analyzed in a full 7-year synthesis to be completed in 2019.

In 2019, INSPIRE conducted several benthic habitat and geophysical studies on the East Coast using Sediment Profile and Plan View imaging. My ongoing roles in these efforts are:

• Manage an asset tracking database to ensure that our equipment is deployed and properly maintained.
• Analyze Sediment Profile Images, recording study parameters like sediment grain size, apparent redox potential discontinuity, presence of sensitive taxa, and successional stage of the ecosystem.

Sediment Profile Image analysis involves the use of Adobe Photoshop to record characteristics of a sediment profile, which is a vertical “sliced” view of the seafloor. This imaging technique is excellent for detecting human-caused disturbances like dredged material or oil drilling remnants. In the wind energy industry, SPI is used to detect sensitive habitats, important species, and objects that would hinder construction.

SPI images © INSPIRE Environmental.

I created map products for several Regional Conservation Partnerships in New England. The largest of these was a data-driven conservation planning map for Fairfield County Regional Conservation Partnership (FCRCP). The map displays the results of a GIS model combining different measures of the value of land from a conservation perspective. These layers were added together to produce an overlay of landscape scores, with top-scoring regions having the highest value for conservation. The co-occurence model included these data to calculate landscape scores:

• Northeast Resilience Analysis (TNC)
• Index of Ecological Integrity (UMass Amherst)
• TNC Salt Marsh Advancement Zones (TNC)
• Aquifer Areas (CT DEEP)
• The Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index
• Flood Zones (FEMA)
• Core Forests (UConn CLEAR)
• High-Density Zones of Migratory Birds (UDel)
• Connecticut Hiking & Recreation Trails
• Prime Farmland Soils (NRCS)
• Proximity to Protected Open Space

The Regional Conservation Map (above) is a poster-sized infographic used by the Steering Committee at meetings with the public and prospective members of the partnership. It explains the underlying reasoning behind the co-occurence model layers, and how they relate to the larger vision of conservation in the region. The map includes diagrams of best practices in conservation.

I worked with the steering committee of the Hudson to Housatonic (H2H) RCP to develop their brand and web outreach from scratch. This resulted in a full visual identity design and a new Wordpress website (under construction). This project allowed me to practice the process of listening to the client, assessing the needs of the organization, and creating products that fill those needs and build a positive image for this conservation partnership.

At the 2015 RCP Network Gathering event in Nashua NH, I produced and published videos of the workshop sessions and assisted the Highstead staff with setting up and running the event.

In 2016, I designed a visual brand for the RCP Network, including a flexible logo, color palette, typography guidelines, and materials for the RCP Network Gathering.

Aquarium ID Panels

In 2014, I volunteered to illustrate identification panels for the fish, mollusks, and echinoderms kept at the Bristol Audubon Environmental Education Center in Bristol, RI. Thanks to the Center's partnership with the marine biology program at RWU, the aquarium has been fully modernized and is able to house more species than ever before. I am continuing to provide new pen and ink illustrations each time a new species is added.