WE ARE
WILDLIFE ECOLOGISTS, BOTANISTS, CARTOGRAPHERS, CONSERVATION SCIENTISTS, LAND STEWARDSHIP EXPERTS, & MORE
Conservation Ecology LLC provides ecological inventory, conservation planning, and applied research services to clients involved in land conservation projects. We identify what makes a conservation property biologically unique, how the property can contribute to biodiversity, and how to make meaningful conservation happen. We are based in the Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina and have ongoing projects throughout the continental U.S.
OUR SERVICES
Ecological Inventory
Our highly skilled field naturalists provide detailed inventories of plants, wildlife, habitats, and natural vegetation communities on conservation properties. We tend to find rare species and natural features that others miss! We also assess the property through the context of regional conservation planning efforts. This information provides the foundation for determining science-based land management and habitat protection needs for biodiversity and supports land protection transactions by bolstering grant applications, motivating agency and public support, and fulfilling best-practices and legal requirements related to conservation easements.
Detailed botanical and wildlife inventories conducted by highly skilled field naturalists
Classification and mapping of natural vegetation communities and habitats using standardized classifications published by NatureServe and State Natural Heritage Programs
Wildlife techniques include:
Surveys of bird diversity & abundance
Bat surveys using mist-nets and automated acoustic recorders, including implementation of the USFWS Range-wide Indiana Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat Survey Guidelines
Camera trapping surveys of vertebrate wildlife to determine species presence and estimate occupancy
Small mammal, amphibian, and reptile surveys
Detection of rare and elusive vertebrate species from aquatic samples using environmental DNA (eDNA) genetic techniques
The rare and elusive Eastern Spotted skunk detected with baited camera traps on the Box Creek Wilderness project.
A newly described and highly imperiled species of Green Salamander limited to Hickory Nut Gorge, NC. Found on a privately protected property.
State Endangered Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat captured on private land near Hilton Head, SC
site conservation Planning for biodiversity
We help landowners and organizations synthesize available scientific information and prioritize land protection, management, restoration, and research needs for conservation projects designed to benefit biodiversity. We develop ecological indicators, monitoring plans, and strategic actions using the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (aka the “Conservation Standards”) as a systematic adaptive-management planning framework. Previous projects include: management needs assessments for a large ranch in California and a portfolio of large forest properties in North Carolina; prioritizing land parcels for conservation acquisition by a regional land trust; and the identification of priority focal regions within the continental U.S. for land protection work by a national land trust.
Applied Ecological Research & Monitoring
We design and conduct ecological research to support land management and conservation planning. Previous research projects include: status assessments of imperiled species, investigating the effects of cattle grazing and prescribed fire on imperiled species and natural communities, analysis of long-term monitoring data of endangered species, radio-telemetry monitoring of animal movements, and efficacy of population sampling techniques.
Chris radio tracking the endangered Tricolored Blackbird in the Central Coast of California.
The worlds first radio-tagged Tricolored Blackbird. Carmel, CA
ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ANALYSIS / Green DEVELOPMENT design
We provide analysis of potential impacts from development proposals and land-use scenarios on biodiversity. Previous projects investigated impacts from power line right-of-way and road expansion proposals on imperiled species and natural communities. We also work with landscape architects to incorporate priority natural features into the design of “green developments” that wish to go beyond minimum regulatory requirements and promote voluntary, and ecologically meaningful, biodiversity conservation.
Baseline Documentation Reports & Compliance Monitoring for Conservation Easements
We provide site inspections and baseline documentation of current conditions and unique conservation values of properties intended for protection under a conservation easement, as required by Land Trust Alliance guidelines and IRS regulations. We also perform annual compliance monitoring of existing conservation easement properties on behalf of land trusts.
GIS Spatial Analysis, CARTOGRAPHY, & Custom Mapping
We provide beautiful custom mapping and spatial analysis services utilizing GIS and associated software packages.
Photography & Videography
We provide professional photography and videography to better communicate the meaning of our work and the story behind our client’s projects.
DRONE / UAV aerial SERVICES
We hold a commercial FAA Part 107 UAV license and provide aerial photography, videography, and land mapping services using drones. Products include high-resolution orthophotos, 3D models, and digital surface models for use in GIS and CAD.
Expert Witness Testimony
We stand behind our work and are ready to provide expert testimony at trial or public hearings when needed.
ABOUT CHRIS
“Chris has done amazing work furthering conservation efforts in North Carolina on my land and elsewhere. It has been an honor to work with him, and quite fun too”
Tim Sweeney | Private Land Conservationist, Founder and CEO of Epic Games (creators of “Fortnite”)
CHRISTOPHER R. WILSON
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
Christopher R. Wilson is a conservation scientist, wildlife ecologist, and president of Conservation Ecology LLC. Since the late-1990’s, Chris has led biological inventories and conservation planning efforts for private and corporate landowners, NGO land conservancies, and philanthropists around the country and has been involved in hundreds of conservation easement projects. Before founding Conservation Ecology LLC, Chris served as the first Conservation Biologist for North American Land Trust, Director of Stewardship and Science for Sweet Water Trust (a grant making philanthropy working in northern New England), Director of Conservation Science for the Santa Lucia Conservancy (Carmel, CA), and Director of Conservation Science for Tim Sweeney (a private land conservationist in NC). He is author of the book Documenting and Protecting Biodiversity on Land Trust Projects published by the Land Trust Alliance. View Chris's LinkedIn profile.
Contact Chris Wilson: chris@conservationecologyllc.com
DOCUMENTING AND
PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY
ON
LAND TRUST PROJECTS
“This book falls into that rare category of ‘necessary.’ For people concerned about preserving the fabric of this earth in a time of tempestuous change, Chris Wilson has provided a mandatory manual. It will do much good in the world.”
BILL MCKIBBEN | BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE END OF NATURE AND DEEP ECONOMY, leader of 350.org
“Everybody talks about saving nature. Here’s your operating manual for getting the job done. It clearly explains how to assess biodiversity on a property, what it takes to maintain or restore it, where to find expert help at each stage, and why this all matters. Add solid advice on subjects from fundraising for projects to complying with regulations, and you have a book that belongs in every land trust office. The sooner, the better.”
DOUGLAS H. CHADWICK | WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST, National Geographic contributor, LAND TRUST BOARD MEMBER, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE WOLVERINE WAY
Documenting and Protecting Biodiversity on Land Trust Projects: An Introduction And Practical Guide. Christopher R. Wilson (2011). This user-friendly guide bridges the gap between conservation biology and its application to typical land trust projects. Intended for land trusts, landowners, biologists, planners, and students, the handbook explains what biodiversity is, how it's conserved, what types of biological information are most useful, and how to gather such information through reviews of freely-available data sources and on-the-ground biological inventories. The book also explains how to apply biological information to standard land protection tasks, such as project selection, fundraising, drafting conservation easement language, compiling baseline documentation, writing management plans, and how the information helps land trust projects conform to IRS Treasury regulations and Land Trust Standards and Practices. Purchase from the Land Trust Alliance website.
IMPACT
GALLERY IMPACT
PHOTOGRAPHY
All photographs below were taken by Chris during ecological inventories of properties voluntarily protected by private land owners.
Featured
