Ohio EPA & Society for Freshwater Science Certifications

October 24, 2023
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EnviroScience Senior Macroinvertebrate Taxonomist Rhonda Mendel and Environmental Scientist Tim AtorThe State of Ohio has been a longtime leader in biomonitoring, which is a fancy way of referring to scientific methods that use natural organisms like fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages, as well as observations of natural habitats, to assess overall water body health. 

These protocols (i.e., the Index of Biotic Integrity [IBI], the Invertebrate Community Index [ICI], and Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index [QHEI], etc.) were pioneered by the State of Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) and now form the foundation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) biomonitoring protocols.

The qualifications, testing, and training required to be qualified to perform biomonitoring are very challenging, and EnviroScience is privileged to have a large pool of in-house staff that have achieved and maintained these qualifications.

EnviroScience Aquatic Biologists Brad Bartelme and Nicole Stolic Performing FieldworkThe Ohio EPA certifies a select list of qualified individuals for work in Ohio for various qualification categories. Similarly, the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) certifies individuals to their standards, which are internationally recognized in many cases.

Congrats to our staff listed below for their achievements and continued development of these certifications, which allow EnviroScience to perform biomonitoring in the State of Ohio and across the U.S.

David Altfater

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Fish (All Methods)

Brad Bartelme

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Fish (All Methods)
  • SFS: Level 1 (Genus) North American Diatoms
  • SFS: Level 2 (Species) North American Diatoms

Abbie Clasgens

  • SFS: Eastern Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)
  • SFS: Eastern General Arthropods

Alison Frohn

  • SFS: Level 1 (Genus) North American Diatoms
  • SFS: Level 2 (Species) North American Diatoms

Maddie Genco

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Macroinvertebrates in-review (Collection, Identification, and Data Evaluation)
  • SFS: Eastern Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)
  • SFS: Eastern General Arthropods
  • SFS: North American Chironomidae

Hannah Green

  • SFS: North American Chironomidae
  • SFS: Western Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)

Rhonda Mendel

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Macroinvertebrates (Collection, Identification, and Data Evaluation)
  • SFS: Eastern Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)
  • SFS: Eastern General Arthropods
  • SFS: North American Chironomidae
  • SFS: Western Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)

Tiffany Moore

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Macroinvertebrates (Identification)
  • SFS: Eastern Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)
  • SFS: Eastern General Arthropods
  • SFS: North American Chironomidae
  • SFS: Western Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)

Kevin Reed

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Chemical Water Quality Assessment

Eric Romaniszyn

  • SFS: Eastern Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT)

Kyle Scotese

  • SFS: Level 1 (Genus) North American Diatoms
  • SFS: Level 2 (Species) North American Diatoms

Nicole Stolic

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Macroinvertebrates in-review (Collection and Data Evaluation)
  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Chemical Water Quality Assessment

Krista Tomasello

  • Ohio EPA Level 3 Chemical Water Quality Assessment

Melissa Vaccarino

  • SFS: Level 1 (Genus) North American Diatoms
  • SFS: Level 2 (Species) North American Diatoms

Few environmental firms in the country retain EnviroScience’s degree of scientific know-how, talent, and capability under one roof. The diverse backgrounds of our biologists, environmental engineers, scientists, and divers enable us to provide comprehensive in-house services and an integrated approach to solving environmental challenges—saving clients time, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality results.

Our client guarantee is to provide “Excellence in Any Environment,” meaning no matter what we do, we will deliver on our Core Values of respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety. EnviroScience was created with the concept that we could solve complex problems by empowering great people. This concept still holds true today as our scientists explore the latest environmental legislation and regulations and incorporate the most up-to-date technology to gather and report data.

EnviroScience expertise includes but is not limited to aquatic surveys (including macroinvertebrate surveys and biological assessments); ecological restoration; ecological services (including impact assessments, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring);  emergency response; engineering and compliance services; endangered mussel surveys; laboratory and analysis; stormwater management; threatened and endangered species; and wetlands and streams (including delineation and mitigation). Further, EnviroScience is one of the few biological firms in the country that is a general member of the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADCI) and offers full-service commercial diving services.