Kaufman Brothers Construction has several sites in Thurston County that are zoned industrial. These industrial sites potentially have populations of three species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened or endangered.

Kaufman retained SCJ Alliance to provide a NEPA Environmental Assessment of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) in compliance with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services (USFWS) requirements to address the three federally listed species. Kaufman offered two large sites as habitat mitigation for the Mazama pocket gopher, streaked horned lark, and Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly, and completion of the HCP and EA supported USFWS permits to allow development on the other industrial-zoned properties.

This was an interesting project right in our backyard. We worked with the client to provide protection of the three species while allowing the developers a reasonable use of their industrial sites.