ECOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS GROUP LLC

Background

Ecological Solutions Group LLC (ESG) helps the owners of large-scale lands, including the United States (U.S.) federal government, understand and manage their wetlands, rangelands, forests and streams. We analyze the condition of vegetation, soils, water and wildlife on client holdings. We then develop protocols to guide site-appropriate management activities, and work with clients to apply these techniques for the benefit of their properties. Our consulting practice currently covers 13 states and 2 provinces in the western United States and Canada. Our clients include government agencies, corporations, tribal entities and private landowners. We are therefore pleased to offer our environmental planning services (SINs 899-1 and 8991 RC) through the GSA Schedule for Environmental Services under contract GS-10F-0002V.

ESG’s partners are Dr. Paul Hansen, Dr. Gant Massey, Mr. Bill Thompson, Mr. Tom Keith and Mr. Max Thompson. The partners first began their association at The University of Montana’s Riparian and Wetlands Research Program (RWRP), where Dr. Hansen served as Director from 1986 to 2001, from which Dr. Massey and Mr. Bill Thompson earned their advanced degrees, and Mr. Keith served as Information Systems Specialist. At the RWRP, the team developed its expertise in environmental inventories of large land areas, and in ecological data management. In 2001, the team moved out of academia and into the private sector, associating with an environmental restoration firm in Montana, Bitterroot Restoration, Inc. (BRI). In spring 2006, the scientists decided to establish their own firm, concentrating on ecological assessment, environmental planning, and natural resource consulting. Together, the 5 partners bring to bear over 83 years experience of on-the-ground environmental consulting experience in botany, soils, hydrology, environmental sampling, ecology, wildlife biology, range science, planning, and data management. As shown in Map 1, ESG has worked throughout the Western United States and Canada.

Map 1. Areas of ESG’s Environmental Planning Work

Key:
Areas for which ESG has developed regional vegetation classification systems and management documents (wetlands, forests, shrublands and rangelands), as well as performed site-specific environmental assessment and planning work;
Areas in which ESG has performed large-scale environmental surveys, as well as site-specific environmental assessment and planning work; and,
Areas in which ESG has performed site-specific environmental assessment and planning work.

APPLICATIONS

ESG’s services are utilized by individuals and organizations that require a technical insight into the environmental status of the resources that they own or manage, as well as assistance in the practices by which that resource is managed. The heart of ESG’s technical offerings involves site assessment, a process in which a trained scientist visits a site and compiles a report of an area’s environmental condition, including:

• Vegetation composition and status;
• Hydrologic patterns;
• Soil characterization and mapping;
• Wildlife presence/use;
• Management practices, and (where necessary),
• Nature, magnitude and extent of environmental hazards of the site (i.e., Phase 1 and 2 Environmental Assessments).

The collection of this data allows a manager to understand the environmental condition of the resource for which they are responsible. ESG’s scientists then can work with the manager to improve the administration of the resource and/or to plan and develop mitigation, remediation or restoration strategies to either address environmental impacts or to return the resource to its proper functioning condition.

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MAJOR PROJECT AREAS

ESG’s members have worked on project sites ranging from the boreal forests of Canada to the chaparral of southern California, and from the estuaries of the Pacific Coast to the prairies of the Midwest. The wide variety of projects in which ESG’s members have been involved show a clear understanding of plants, soils, water and environmental disturbances, as well as the ability to develop and apply solutions to complex ecological problems. For simplicity, however, ESG’s major project areas have been divided into the five, interrelated categories, which are described below.

Riparian/Wetlands Work

ESG is home to one of the largest sets of riparian and wetland work done by any single research team. The work has involved research on the ecological site classification, inventory and mapping, natural resource management, grazing/livestock management, water quality concerns, and remediation/ restoration of riparian areas, wetlands, and uplands throughout western North America. To support these initiatives, the team has performed extensive fieldwork in Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In these regions, the members of ESG have sampled and analyzed approximately 9,000 plots in the process of defining the various ecological site types. As a result, approximately 8,000 miles of streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and wet meadows have been inventoried and assessed. This work is maintained through the use of one of the largest, fully interactive, riparian and wetland databases ever designed for the Internet.

Figure 1. Montana Riparian and Wetland Sites Classification and Management document	Photo 1. Wetland inventory work, Idaho

The core of this effort involves seven environmental survey methods developed by the ESG team for the inventory and assessment of the environmental conditions of riparian and wetland ecosystems. These survey methods include:

1) lotic (flowing water) inventory (detailed inventory),
2) lotic health assessment (derived from the lotic inventory),
3) lotic health assessment for streams and small rivers (survey),
4) lotic health assessment for large river systems (survey),
5) lentic (still water) inventory (detailed inventory),
6) lentic health assessment (derived from the lentic inventory), and
7) lentic health assessment (survey).

The health assessments consider at the basic condition of soils, vegetation, geology, and hydrology of a particular site. The inventories include a more detailed consideration of these factors, plus a thorough botanical census and an assessment of management practices, wildlife presence and other environmental factors. These seven procedures have been taught to over 12,000 people including over 150 federal, state, provincial, and non-government agencies/organizations in western North America.

Based on this work, classification and management documents have been developed that cover over 577,500 square miles in western North Dakota, western South Dakota, all of Montana, eastern and southern Idaho, the southern half of Saskatchewan, and all of Alberta. Additionally, this work has lead to advances in bioengineering and other “soft” methods of stream stabilization, the development of innovative treatment wetlands, the furtherance of national TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) initiatives, the study of the spread and control of whirling disease, and the refinement of techniques for the establishment of native wetlands. ESG’s riparian and wetlands efforts underscore its ability to assess, understand and develop management and restoration guidelines for large-scale, complex and valuable environmental resources.

Uplands Assessment and Restoration

In addition to its riparian and wetland work, ESG has performed a substantial number of projects on upland habitats, including grasslands, shrublands and forests. ESG has recently completed a 740-page vegetation classification and management document covering all vegetation habitats and community types in eastern Montana. This project area covers over 42,500 square miles of land, the approximate size of the state of Virginia, as well as 17 of Montana’s 56 counties. In addition to data regarding floristic compostion and succession from 1126 inventory plots, the document covers such management issues as livestock use, timber, wildlife, fisheries, fire, soil management, rehabilitation, and recreational use. This work complements previous classification and management documents written by ESG members for upland habitats in western South Dakota and western North Dakota. ESG has also developed upland inventory methods, including an upland inventory form and an upland health assessment (derived from the upland inventory form), that complement its lotic and lentic wetland assessment and survey methods.

Figure 2. Eastern Montana Vegetation Classification and Management document	Photo 2. Environmental Monitoring, Fort Harrison, Montana

ESG has also conducted a variety of dry land environmental project in supported of the oil and natural gas industry. ESG’s members have overseen site restoration on a 65-mile long gas pipeline in the Mojave Desert, have developed restoration plans for gas well closures on critical grizzly bear habitat on the Rocky Mountain Front, and developed protocols for the cleanup and restoration of desert habitats contaminated by oil spills during wartime.

Other upland work has included an inventory of forest and woodland resources on lands within the Fort Peck Reservation and the writing of a woodland resource management plan for the Fort Peck Tribes, Assiniboine and Sioux. This project included the collection of stand data on forested types, including productivity, utilization, and regeneration success. ESG has also recently completed an assessment of upland mule deer habitat in the Bear Paw Mountains in north-central Montana and on Big Sheep Mountain in eastern Montana. The study tested methodology developed by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park (MT FWP) scientists to rapidly assess large areas to detect trends in browse species availability and conditions with respect to ungulate populations, human land usage patterns, and other site conditions. The work complements a parallel project by ESG to assess moose habitat in the mountains of west-central Montana. Additionally, ESG is under contract to MT FWP to conduct a variety of baseline environmental inventories for conservation easement enforcement on ranches across the state of Montana. To date, ESG has conducted baseline environmental inventories on 15,596 acres of forest, wetlands and rangelands.

ESG members have completed upland fieldwork in the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin, the Colorado plateau, and California’s coastal sage scrub and chaparral communities. Project activities represent ESG’s central stock in trade: assessment of existing ecological conditions, analysis of environmental disturbances, sampling for environmental contaminants, development of restoration activities and management plans, and oversight of implementation, maintenance and monitoring. These projects underscore the ability of ESG’s members to not only successfully understand the ecology of a wide variety of habitats, but also to develop and apply workable solutions to difficult ecological problems located in harsh environments.

The core of this effort involves environmental survey methods developed by the ESG team for the inventory and assessment of the environmental conditions of upland ecosystems. These survey methods include:

1) upland (flowing water) inventory (detailed inventory),
2) upland health assessment (derived from the upland inventory)

Clark Fork River Operable Unit

Some of the harshest environments on which ESG has work may be found in the contaminated floodplains soils of the Clark Fork River (CFR), the easternmost tributary of the Columbia River and home to America’s longest Superfund site. This 120-mile watershed lies directly downstream from Butte and Anaconda, Montana, where extensive mining and milling activities have occurred from the 1860s to the present day. Due to at least four major floods during the 1890s, and, predominantly, by the largest flood of record, which occurred in June of 1908, the floodplain of the CFR is loaded with acidic tailings containing elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. As a result of this history, some spots in the Clark Fork have remained barren, phytotoxic slickens for the past 100 years. To address this problem, in 1981 the EPA designated this river as an extended National Priorities List (i.e., Superfund) Site.

Photo 3. Barren, phytotoxic slickens, Clark Fork River Operable Unit, Montana	Photo 4. Environmental monitoring, Clark Fork River Operable Unit, Montana

In 1988, members of ESG were first brought in to help develop an understanding of the scope and intensity of the environmental problems. Since then, members of ESG have contributed to every phase of the Superfund process, including: the Ecological Risk Assessment; the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study; the Record of Decision; and the Remedial Design. This work has involved a variety of vegetation inventory efforts throughout the entire 120-mile drainage, soil sampling and analysis of the entire floodplain; a variety of hydrologic surveys; the design and implementation of streambank stabilization and riparian zone phytomediation projects; and experimentation regarding native plant tolerance of acute conditions of acidity and trace element loading. This work has lead to the development of plans for the cleanup of the CFR including: streambank stabilization techniques; floodplain restoration practices; grazing, irrigation and weed control protocols; and long-term operations and management plans. ESG’s CFR work underscores its members’ abilities not only to understand and integrate studies of water, soils, plants and environmental pollutants, but also to apply theses skills to solve large-scale, politicized, big-budget ecological problems.

Other Superfund Work

ESG’s work on the CFR has blossomed into a variety of similar initiatives entailing the assessment of and restoration planning for Superfund sites impacted by mining activities.

• Anaconda Smelter National Priority List (NPL) site, Montana: For the Montana Department of Justice, members of ESG helped develop a Natural Resource Damage Program’s ecological restoration plan to address pollution impacts for the +7,500-acre Anaconda Upland Injured Areas. The work involved field sampling of current conditions in both uplands and wetlands, analysis of environmental patterns, development of restoration specifications, assessment of the likely outcomes, time frames and costs/benefits of remedial actions, active restoration and intensive restoration activities. The plan required development of species palette, seeding specifications, soil amendment protocols, planting methodologies, exotic species control protocols, erosion control techniques, monitoring programs and project timelines. This plan serves as a technical cornerstone for Montana v ARCO, which is currently (2006) being heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
• Barker-Hughesville NPL site, Montana: Since 1998, members of ESG have overseen site assessment, research and development, restoration planning, native plant production, and project implementation at a privately-held, historic lead and zinc processing facility with high levels of metals loading and extreme soil acidity.
• Basin Mining Area NPL site, Montana: For a variety of governmental clients, members of ESG have conducted site investigations, developed and implemented restoration plans for multiple mine sites and riparian zones, and designed and implemented treatment wetland pilot projects for metals loading and acid mine drainage.
  

  Photo 5. Block P, Bender Creek Unit, Montana before site restoration, 2005	Photo 6. Block P, Bender Creek Unit, Montana after site restoration, 2005

  
  
• Coeur d’Alene River Basin NPL site, Idaho: For the BLM, members of ESG have conducted riparian inventories throughout the Silver Valley ranging from Mullan, Idaho, in the Sunlight Mining District over 55 miles downstream to Lake Coeur d’Alene. As the small business leads for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Restoration of Abandoned Mine Sites program, members of ESG conducted an intensive field investigation of a mile-long, contaminated stream and riparian zone near Wallace, Idaho, including: the collection and analysis of soils, mine spoils and water samples; a compilation of stream hydrology data; riparian inventories; and site surveys.
• Whitewood Creek National Priority List (NPL) site, South Dakota: For the Bureau of Land Management, members of ESG conducted riparian inventories on Whitewood Creek, then the single highest priority Superfund site in South Dakota. The purpose of the inventory was to investigate the effects of historic mining in the Black Hills on the riparian health of the Whitewood Creek system, downstream.
• Clark Fork Basin NPL Sites, Montana: Including the Clark Fork River and the Anaconda Smelter sites, the Clark Fork basin (CFB) is home to 11 separate Superfund Operable Units. Since 2007, ESG has been tasked by the EPA and its lead contractor, CH2M Hill, to review, analyze and summarize the historic and current status of wetland delineations, preservation, restoration and mitigation in all 11 CFB OUs. ESG has worked collaboratively to help develop the CFB Wetland Tracking Tool to ensure the proper accounting for wetland acres and functions, and to help ensure the “No-Net-Loss” of wetlands throughout the 2 million acres of the CFB, which may receive remedial actions.

Together, these projects underscore ESG members’ abilities to assess and develop plans for Superfund sites impacted by mining activities. In addition, however, these initiatives demonstrate ESG’s ability to work successfully on projects in a variety of Western habitats that have been impacted by similar, but site-specific environmental problems.

Mined Lands Assessment and Restoration

ESG’s work on the Superfund sites impacted by mining activities has also found an application on a variety of private sector projects. While most of their work has been of a proprietary and confidential nature, it can be stated that members of ESG have been involved in mined-site assessment and restoration planning in Arizona, California, Colorado and Nevada, as well as Idaho, Montana and South Dakota. Their work has involved both hard rock and coal mines. Typical problems have included trace element toxicity, lack of soil nutrients and organic materials, and harsh climatic conditions endemic to the arid West. Projects have involved the development of soil prescriptions, planting palettes and protocols, treatment wetlands, permitting and costing. In addition, Dr. Massey served as Program Manager and Project Manager for the USACE’s Restoration of Abandoned Mine Site (RAMS) program. RAMS projects included Phase 1 abandoned mine site assessments in Idaho and Montana, as well as the planning and construction of a treatment wetland pilot project for acidic mine waste in headwaters of the drinking source for Helena, MT, the state capital. These projects demonstrate the ability of ESG’s members both to work for the private sector, as well as to address environmental issues on climatically challenging, heavily disturbed sites.

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KEY PERSONNEL

ESG’s team of core scientists, through whom it currently performs a majority of its work, is presented in Table 1. Given that its projects range across of most of Western North America, ESG also uses subcontractors, who are acquired through both professional and academic contacts, and through job services. Over the past two years, ESG has engaged subcontractors from Texas, California, Colorado, Montana and Oregon. ESG also maintains strong contacts with larger environmental and engineering firms that can bolster ESG’s technical skills as needed.

Table 1. ESG’s Core Personnel

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Scope of Consulting Services

Site Remediation, Reclamation, Restoration, and Revegetation

Inventory, Assessment, Measurement, Monitoring, Mapping, and Planning

Management Planning and Technical Writing

Data Management, Analysis, and Reporting

Legal Support Services

Program and Project Management

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LABOR CATEGORY JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Senior Scientist
Serves as manager of multi-disciplinary team of scientific experts on projects involving the simultaneous investigation of multiple environmental variables such as water, soils, vegetation, wildlife, land management practices and pollutants on large-scale and/or multiple project site(s). Such projects involve significant exposure to legal and professional liabilities. Typical ESG projects include Superfund site assessments or their equivalent.

Leads team in development of protocols for data collection and analysis, including provisions for quality assurance and quality control. Heads development and application of safety protocols. Leads scientific team in the collection, multivariate analysis and reporting of data. Serves as final technical editor and senior author of reports stemming from the environmental investigation. As a significant portion of duties, performs project management functions as required, such as budgeting, logistical planning, project accounting and cost reporting. Meets with the public, agency and client personnel. Serves as expert scientific witness and/or resource on legal matters.

Requires advanced degree (Ph.D., P.E. or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 12 years relevant experience.

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Scientist II
Serves as manager of multi-disciplinary team of scientific experts on projects involving the simultaneous investigation of multiple environmental variables such as water, soils, vegetation, wildlife, and/or land management practices on large-scale and/or multiple project site(s). Typical ESG projects involve general environmental inventories and data management.

Leads team in development of protocols for data collection and analysis, including provisions for quality assurance and quality control. Leads team in the collection, multivariate analysis and reporting of data. Serves as final technical editor and senior author of reports stemming from the environmental investigation. As a significant portion of duties, performs project management functions as required, such as budgeting, logistical planning, project accounting and cost reporting. Meets with the public, agency and client personnel.

Requires advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 8 years relevant experience.

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Scientist I
Serves as member of multi-disciplinary team of scientific experts on projects involving the simultaneous investigation of multiple environmental variables such as water, soils, vegetation, wildlife, land management practices and pollutants on large-scale and/or multiple project site(s). Supports team by providing scientific expertise within a narrowly delimited academic discipline.

Participates in development of protocols for data collection and analysis, including provisions for quality assurance and quality control. Assists in the collection, multivariate analysis and reporting of data. Serves as technical editor and author of reports stemming from the environmental investigation. As a minor portion of the position’s responsibilities, may perform project management functions as required, such as budgeting, logistical planning, project accounting and cost reporting.
Requires college degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 4 years relevant experience. Two additional years experience may be substituted for a degree.

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Scientist Technician III
Serves as manager of team of technicians on projects involving the investigation of single environmental variables such as vegetation cover, on single, small-scale project sites. Oversees collection of data based upon pre-determined protocols. Summarizes data and reports on findings. As a minor portion of the position’s responsibilities, may perform project management functions as required, such as logistical planning and cost reporting.

Requires college degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 2 years relevant experience. Two additional years experience may be substituted for a degree.

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Scientist Technician II
Supports scientists as junior member of technical team on projects involving the simultaneous investigation of multiple environmental variables such as water, soils, vegetation, wildlife, land management practices, and pollutants on large-scale and/or multiple project site(s). Assists in the collection and reporting of environmental data. Serves as junior author of summary reports.

Requires college degree (Bachelors or equivalent) and over 1 year of relevant experience. Two additional years experience may be substituted for a degree.

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Scientist Technician I
Serves as member of team of technicians on projects involving the investigation of single environmental variables such as vegetation cover, on single, small-scale project sites. Assists in the collection and reporting of environmental data. Serves as junior author of summary reports resulting from the environmental investigation.

Requires A.A. degree or two years of college in pertinent field, together with technical training within pertinent field. No years of experience are necessary.

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Data Management II
Applies systems analysis and design techniques to complex computer systems in a broad area such as manufacturing; finance management; engineering, accounting, or statistics; logistics planning; material management, etc. Usually, there are multiple users of the system, however, there may be complex one-user systems, e.g., for engineering or research projects. Requires competence in all phases of systems analysis techniques, concepts, and methods and knowledge of available system software, computer equipment, and the regulations, structure, techniques, and management practices of one or more subject-matter areas. Since input data usually come from diverse sources is responsible for recognizing probable conflicts and integrating diverse data elements and sources. Produces innovative solutions for a variety of complex problems.

Maintains and modifies complex systems or develops new subsystems such as an integrated production scheduling, inventory control, cost analysis, or sales analysis record in which every item of each type is automatically processed through the full system of records. Guides users in formulating requirements; advises on alternatives and on the implications of new or revised data processing systems; analyzes resulting user project proposals, identifies omissions and errors in requirements and conducts feasibility studies; recommends optimum approach and develops system design for approved projects. Interprets information and informally arbitrates between system users when conflicts exist. May serve as lead analyst in a design subgroup, directing and integrating the work of one or two lower level analysts, each responsible for several programs.

Requires college degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 10 years relevant experience. Two additional years experience may be substituted for a degree.

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Data Management I
Applies expertise in programming procedures to complex programs; recommends the redesign of programs, investigates and analyzes feasibility and program requirements, and develops programming specifications. Assigned programs typically affect a broad multi-user computer system which meets the data processing needs of a broad area (e.g., manufacturing, logistics planning, finance management, human resources, or material management) or a computer system for a project in engineering, research, accounting, statistics, etc. Plans the full range of programming actions to produce several interrelated but different products from numerous and diverse data elements which are usually from different sources; solves difficult programming problems. Uses knowledge of pertinent system software, computer equipment, work processes, regulations, and management practices.

Performs such duties as: develops, modifies, and maintains complex programs; designs and implements the interrelations of files and records within programs which will effectively fit into the overall design of the project; working with problems or concepts, develops programs for the solution to major scientific computational problems requiring the analysis and development of logical or mathematical descriptions of functions to be programmed; and develops occasional special programs, e.g., a critical path analysis program to assist in managing a special project. Tests, documents, and writes operating instructions for all work. Confers with other EDP personnel to secure information, investigate and resolve problems and coordinate work efforts.

In addition, performs such programming analysis as: investigating the feasibility of alternate program design approaches to determine the best balanced solution, e.g., one that will best satisfy immediate user needs, facilitate subsequent modification, and conserve resources; on typical maintenance projects and smaller scale, limited new projects, assisting user personnel in defining problems or needs and determining work organization, the necessary files and records, and their interrelation with the program; or on large or more complicated projects, participating as a team member along with other EDP personnel and users and having responsibility for a portion of the project.

Works independently under overall objectives and direction, apprising the supervisor about progress and unusual complications. Modifies and adapts precedent solutions and proven approaches. Guidelines include constraints imposed by the related programs with which the incumbent's programs must be meshed. Completed work is reviewed for timeliness, compatibility with other work, and effectiveness in meeting requirements. May function as team leader or supervise a few lower level programmers or technicians on assigned work.

Requires college degree (Bachelors or equivalent) in pertinent field and over 5 years relevant experience. Two additional years experience may be substituted for a degree.

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Data Entry II
Work requires the application of experience and judgment in selecting procedures to be followed and in searching for, interpreting, selecting, or coding items to be entered from a variety of source documents. On occasion may also perform routine work as described for Level I. Excluded are operators above Level II using the key entry controls to access, read, and evaluate the substance of specific records to take substantive actions, or to make entries requiring a similar level of knowledge.

Requires General Education Degree (GED) and over 2.5 years of relevant experience.

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Data Entry I
Work is routine and repetitive. Under close supervision or following specific procedures or detailed instructions, works from various standardized source documents which have been coded and require little or no selecting, coding or interpreting of data to be entered. Refers to supervisor problems arising from erroneous items, codes, or missing information.

Requires General Education Degree and 1 year of relevant experience.

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Ecological Solutions Group LLC Contact: Tom Keith 115 West Third Street Suite 210 Stevensville, MT 59870 Telephone: 406.777.1881 tom_keith@ecologicalsolutionsgroup.com

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