Blog

A few months ago I had the pleasure of meeting Nikki Heck, an environmental advisor for AltaLink, at the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee conference in Cape May, NJ. In the video above, she tells the story of how she came to introduce the first avian protection plan in Canada on behalf of AltaLink, Alberta’s […]

On December 14, 2013, GeoEngineers shot a time-lapse video of its project partner, Sellen Construction, pouring more than 11,000 cubic yards of concrete for the foundation of the first of three buildings that will make up the new Amazon headquarters in downtown Seattle. This volume of concrete is the equivalent of more than four Olympic-sized […]

As we move further into autumn and large flocks of birds start migrating south for the winter, the risk for power outages increases. Birds and other wildlife are the third leading cause of power outages in the US, something electric utilities can’t afford when temperatures dip. There was a compelling presentation recently about this topic […]

An avian protection plan, also known as an APP, is a voluntary, utility specific plan for reducing risks to birds and system reliability that result from avian interactions with power lines and electric utility facilities. In 2012, the Avian Power Line Interaction Committee updated these guidelines, which were originally drafted in 2005. If you have […]

A recent Associated Press article on the number of eagles killed by wind farms in the last five years has been widely circulated among major media outlets, such as NBC News, ABC News, The Weather Channel, and multiple newspapers. The article, and the study it cites, highlights the importance of accurately tracking and reporting bird […]

I recently talked about landside emergency response procedures for the American Public Works Association’s (APWA) Washington Chapter Emerging Professionals Committee. The original request was to focus on the Whidbey Island landslide that occurred this spring.  However, considering the audience, I thought it would be more helpful to incorporate discussions of other emergency-response scenarios I’ve encountered […]

In the course of my career, while on work assignments, I’ve had the opportunity to visit some really cool places—from the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York to the beaches of Florida and many other beautiful and interesting places. However, these US highlights pale in comparison […]

At 8 a.m., Bill O’Dowd and I pull into the Havener Student Center parking lot and walk across the street to McNutt Hall, the home of all Geosciences at Missouri University of Science & Technology. Dave Wronkiewicz shows up a few minutes later, and we begin our tour of MS&T laboratory facilities to review the […]

At 7:15 a.m. Tuesday morning, I meet Bill O’Dowd in the lobby of the Saint George Hotel and we walk down Main Street for breakfast at the Weston Café. The sun is just starting to come up and few people are stirring on the streets. While we are waiting for our orders, we strike up […]

Exploratory borehole no. 2, Thomas HillAt 8 a.m. Monday, I meet Bill O’Dowd in a hotel lobby in St. Louis, Missouri. We load up the GeoEngineers’ pickup truck and head west on Interstate 70. In St. Charles, we cross the Missouri River for the first time and parallel the river all the way to Columbia. […]