Top Malacologists Choose EnviroScience: Scott LaValley’s Story

At EnviroScience, we pride ourselves on having a team of dedicated and passionate professionals who excel in their fields. One such team member is Scott LaValley, a talented malacologist who brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to our company. As we continue to grow our team of malacologists, we want to highlight Scott’s journey and his impactful work at EnviroScience.

Scott LaValley’s Background

Scott LaValley’s journey into malacology began during his undergraduate studies at Central Michigan University, where he volunteered for mussel surveys and quickly made a significant discovery—a federally listed species, the Snuffbox, on his very first field trip. This initial experience sparked a deep interest in malacology, leading him to work on a dam removal project to mitigate impacts on the endangered Snuffbox mussels.

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Scott continued his work as a technician, conducting an extensive watershed-scale mussel survey of the Kalamazoo River watershed in Michigan. His role involved developing survey protocols and leading teams of graduate and undergraduate researchers. Scott’s dedication and expertise led him to a graduate position, where he furthered his research on the health of Snuffbox mussel populations across various rivers.

Scott’s journey then took him to the Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery, where he was involved in the daily tasks of raising mussels, including collecting and enumerating juvenile mussels and assisting with broodstock collection through diving and wading in streams.

Scott’s Role at EnviroScience

Since joining EnviroScience, Scott has applied his extensive background to a variety of projects, bringing invaluable expertise to our team. One of his notable projects is the Ohio Large Rivers project, where he leads mussel surveys across the state at hundreds of sites. This project is logistically similar to his work on the Kalamazoo River watershed survey, allowing Scott to leverage his previous experience effectively.  He is currently approved to survey small and large non-listed mussel streams in Ohio, New York, and West Virginia and is in the process of obtaining federal permits in multiple states.

Through this project and others, Scott is also gaining valuable handling experience with federally listed species, working alongside EnviroScience’s senior malacologists, such as Dr. Marty Huehner, Phil Mathias, and Greg Zimmerman. In addition to the large river project, Scott has led surveys for an Emergency Response project following a major train derailment and completed reconnaissance surveys for our Natural Resources practice area.

Why EnviroScience is a Great Place for Malacologists

At EnviroScience, we believe that our success is driven by the passion and dedication of our team members. Our core values— respect, client advocacy, quality work, accountability, teamwork, and safety—are at the heart of everything we do. We foster a culture of collaboration and continuous learning, ensuring that our team members have the support and resources they need to excel in their roles.

Scott enjoys working at EnviroScience because of the diverse and impactful projects he leads and the opportunity to collaborate with a team of experts who share his passion for environmental conservation. Our commitment to professional development and providing a supportive work environment make EnviroScience an ideal place for malacologists to grow their careers.

Join Our Team

We are always looking for talented and passionate individuals to join our team. If you are a malacologist looking for a dynamic and rewarding career, we encourage you to explore our current job openings and consider joining the EnviroScience family. Learn more about our career opportunities and apply today at https://www.enviroscienceinc.com/contact-us/careers/.

At EnviroScience, you’ll have the opportunity to work on exciting projects, collaborate with a team of experts, and make a meaningful impact on environmental conservation. We look forward to welcoming you to our team!

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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; sustainability services; 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.

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