BonTerra Consulting: News

BonTerra Consulting Announces Nine New Staff Members

March 28, 2006

BonTerra Consulting, a premier full-service environmental consulting firm serving all of southern California, announces the addition of nine new staff members. With environmental issues and regulations becoming more complex, these professionals provide additional depth and expertise in cultural resources management, environmental planning, technical writing, and biological resources. The newly hired professionals are: Caprice (Kip) Harper, Jillian Neary, Brian Glenn, Paul Shattuck, Kai Palenscar, Julia York, Lindsay Messett, Kimberly Quinn, and Johnnie Garcia.

Ms. Caprice D. (Kip) Harper, Cultural Resource Manager, is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) and a qualified archaeologist under the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification standards. Ms. Harper received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Anthropology from California State University, Los Angeles. She has over eight years of combined experience in California archaeology and all phases of cultural resources management, including archival research; Phase I and Phase II field investigations; Native American consultation; report preparation; mitigation monitoring; and artifact curation. Ms. Harper has prepared and/or directed the preparation of approximately 200 cultural resource assessments for proposed telecommunications facilities located throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura Counties; this work was completed to fulfill National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 requirements. Ms. Harper is currently providing cultural resources services to Caltrans District 12 in Orange County; at the Chevy Chase Reservoir Replacement Project in Glendale; and at the Hansen Dam Monitoring Project in Los Angeles, among others. Ms. Harper is located in our Pasadena office.

Ms. Jillian K. Neary joins the Pasadena office as an Environmental Planner with over six years of experience. Ms. Neary began her career in the field of hazardous waste management and has assisted with Phase I Environmental Site Assessments, subsurface investigations, underground storage tank removals, and other remedial efforts on over 40 sites. Over the past four years, Ms. Neary has assisted with documentation supporting California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/NEPA implementation and related land-use planning issues in southern California. She has prepared environmental documents pursuant to CEQA, NEPA, and associated state and federal regulations for both private and public sector clients on a variety of projects within the Los Angeles metropolitan area and the Counties of Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura, and Inyo. Her responsibilities include assisting with project management, agency and public communications, independent research, and analysis of numerous environmental topics. Her expertise in geology and soils, natural resources, and hazardous materials is a great addition to the BonTerra Consulting team.

Mr. Brian K. Glenn manages the Cultural Resources activities at BonTerra Consulting and is assigned to the Costa Mesa office. He brings more than 25 years of experience to the department with a Master’s Degree in Archaeology from UCLA and Bachelor’s Degrees in Anthropology and Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He specializes in prehistoric archaeology, is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA), and is qualified as an archaeologist under the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification standards. Mr. Glenn is responsible for program management of: archaeological and paleontological assessments; significance evaluations; impact mitigation programs; and construction monitoring as well as the preparation of all levels of cultural resources management plans and documentation in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.

Mr. Paul O. Shattuck is a Cultural Resources Specialist working from the Pasadena Office. Mr. Shattuck received his Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from UCLA and has over ten years of experience in cultural resources compliance involving CEQA and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPO). He has worked as laboratory director, field crew chief, and researcher in both the public and private sectors. His duties for BonTerra include conducting field surveys, construction monitoring for cultural resources, and assisting in the preparation of compliance documents.

Mr. Kai Palenscar joins the BonTerra Consulting Habitat Restoration and Biology teams as a restoration ecologist with five years experience in both terrestrial and marine biology. Since graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from California State University, San Marcos, Mr. Palenscar has been involved in California native plant propagation, landscape design consultation, and installation monitoring. Mr. Palenscar has also worked in the public sector identifying invasive flora where he helped to author the San Diego County Wildland Weed Identification Handbook (currently in press) with the California Department of Fish and Game. In the field of marine biology, Mr. Palenscar has experience identifying coastal, estuarine, and freshwater flora and fauna, and sampling water chemistry. He is also experienced in stream hydrology and water quality improvements to salmonid habitats within central California waterways. Mr. Palenscar is assigned to the Pasadena office where his duties include habitat restoration, construction monitoring, field assessments, and report writing.

Ms. Julia York is a Technical Writer with over six years of experience. After completing her Bachelor’s Degree in English from California State University, Fullerton, she worked for a web development company where she helped write and edit content for many different websites. She also taught English at Glendora High School where she helped students improve their writing so they could be successful writers. Ms. York is located in the Costa Mesa Office and assists in writing and editing documents.

Ms. Lindsay Messett joins the Biological Resources Department as an Ecologist with particular emphasis in wildlife biology. At the beginning of her career, she conducted a Monarch Butterfly study in Pismo Beach, California, which resulted in a scientific article entitled “Dew Drinking by Male Monarch Butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.)” for the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society. Since graduating with her Bachelor’s Degree in Ecology and Systematic Biology from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, she has assisted or been involved in many other surveys for sensitive wildlife species in Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Los Angeles, and San Diego Counties. Additionally, she has conducted surveys and habitat assessments for the least Bell’s vireo, burrowing owl, and arroyo toad, among others. She is permitted to conduct surveys for the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly and she has a Scientific Collecting Permit from the California Department of Fish and Game that includes a supplement for capturing and handling carnivores. Ms. Messett is located in the Costa Mesa Office.

Ms. Kim Quinn joins the Environmental Services team as an Assistant Project Manager in the Costa Mesa Office. She has eight years of experience in environmental documentation, including CEQA and NEPA. Ms Quinn has been involved with each CEQA phase from initial project scoping to final documentation, including responses to comments and preparation of Facts and Findings. Her project experience encompasses a diverse set of projects in Orange, Riverside, and Los Angeles Counties including institutional and recreation facilities, light industrial, office, residential, and retail commercial developments. Ms. Quinn has also assisted in processing Coastal Development Permits, has prepared Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs), and has written Water Quality Management Plans (WQMPs) for residential, commercial, and industrial projects in Orange, Los Angeles, and Alameda Counties. She is a member of the Association of Environmental Planners and previously worked as Membership Liaison for the Orange County Chapter.

Mr. Johnnie Garcia joins the Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/Graphics team as a GIS/Graphics Technician. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography, with coursework in Environmental Studies. He has experience working in the Geography Department at UCSB using his GIS skills including ESRI GIS software. In addition to his GIS expertise, Mr. Garcia is conversant in graphics software programs, including Adobe, Illustrator, and Publisher.

BonTerra Consulting, with offices in Costa Mesa, Pasadena and Temecula, is a certified woman-owned small business consulting organization. With a staff of over fifty, the company provides a full range of consulting services in the fields of environmental planning, natural resources management, habitat restoration, GIS, and cultural resource management services. Specific services that we provide include environmental impact assessments that meet California (CEQA) and federal (NEPA) requirements; land-use and strategic policy planning; biological resources studies and mitigation plans; habitat restoration plans; cultural resources investigations; and construction monitoring.

An Environmental Planning/Resource Management Corporation