Service Providers

BGTE is fully insured and registered with the federal government and Connecticut as a women-owned small business (WOBE, WBE).

Recent projects include designing and constructing over 2 miles of trails at the Upper Bantam River Preserve in Litchfield, completing an accessible wetland boardwalk in Sherman and helping address the backlog of Baseline Documentation Reports (BDRs) and management plans for land trusts applying for Land Trust Alliance accreditation or Terra Firma insurance program.

Specialties include strategic planning, organizational assessment and improvement, Board development, meeting facilitation, coaching and mentoring, training and education. We assist organizations with planning and developing initiatives that engage, invigorate, and mobilize stakeholders and constituencies. We offer assessments and specific recommendations based on best practices to empower staffs and Boards. We deliver so our clients can deliver – results second to none.

The Connecticut Environmental Review Team (ERT) is a program of Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CT RC&D). The ERT provides technical assistance to towns and land trusts through review of projects, as well as grant writing guidance, with an emphasis on open space, natural resource, and agricultural planning. Since 1969, the ERT has completed over 1,000 reports throughout Connecticut’s 169 municipalities.

The ERT provides assistance to all Connecticut municipalities and land trusts in meeting the challenges of land use decision making at low or no cost. This valuable, non-regulatory natural resource and planning information is given to approved ERT applicants to ensure well-informed planning decisions. The ERT Program is adaptable and flexible while striving for excellence, objectivity, and accuracy.
Requests may come from the chief elected official of a municipality or the chairperson of a municipal commission charged with the responsibility of managing the natural resources of the town provided they have the endorsement and support of their respective boards or commissions. Connecticut land trusts are also eligible to apply. Private citizens, citizens groups, engineers, and developers are not eligible. Interested participants can visit the ERT website for submission requirements and complete an application. Applications are reviewed and approved by the CT RC&D Council. ERT services include grant writing assistance for natural resource and open space projects, and ERT reviews with expert team members based on the applicant’s concerns. A coordinated group of environmental and planning professionals are drawn from a variety of federal, state, regional, and local agencies, in addition to consultants and volunteers, to form multidisciplinary environmental study teams. Professional consultant services are tailored to each application and may include: forestry, geology, wildlife, landscape ecology, archaeology, herpetology, soils, wetlands ecology, planning, transportation, agriculture, open space management, wastewater, and coastal resources.

With over 25 local offices and a national footprint, we offer a wide and growing variety of consulting services, including: wetlands and stream studies, environmental design and ecosystem restoration, stormwater management and compliance, urban and community forestry, our proprietary TreeKeeper inventory management software, and invasive species management.

We understand the complex ecosystems, resource challenges, and regulatory concerns that impact the success of any environmental project. No matter the location—dense city core or a remote rural site—we leverage our creativity and expertise to deliver reliable, turn-key ecological consulting services. We combine the latest technologies with time-tested techniques to provide high-quality results in a timely and professional manner.

Specialties include research on, and management of, invasive knotweeds; interacting with State and municipal wetland laws and regulations; and botanical education. ELM’s Principal, Brian Colleran, has a long history with riparian area restoration projects in several biomes, and has been an author on four peer reviewed publications focused on how invasive knotweeds amplify and exacerbate riparian erosion.

As an employee-owned firm, we foster personal relationships with our clients and cultivate our staff in a partnership model which is underpinned by continuous learning and sharing of knowledge. We retain proven recognized industry experts and attract the best young minds in the industry to deliver to our clients a refreshing blend of technical expertise, collaborative spirit and innovation that is rare in our profession.

GEI is consistently ranked among the top firms in Engineering News Record’s (ENR) annual list of Top Design Firms and Top Environmental Firms.

Focusing exclusively in the area of land conservation since 2008, Connie’s experience also includes special projects for the Land Trust Alliance and the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, as well as hands-on staff service as Executive Director of the Kent Land Trust, and Manager at the 24-member Litchfield Hills Greenprint Collaborative, a leading Regional Conservation Partnership. She chairs the Kent Conservation Commission and the Connecticut Land
Conservation Council Advisory Council, respectively. Connie brings a practical approach to land trust work, helping clients set and reach achievable goals to build lasting capacity.

• Organizational Assessment / AYO
• Policy development
• Grantwriting
• Strategic planning
• Accreditation coaching

My experience includes open space planning, acquisition, and management as a municipal official, land trust board member, and private consultant. My primary area of environmental interest is studying southern New England’s dynamic landscape through historic research and geospatial analysis. Past work includes land surveying, GIS analysis and mapping (extensive), environmental planning, IWWC staff, firefighting, and consulting forestry.

Mosaic Eco-Solutions was birthed during COVID and parallel to the actual birth of our second child. As a working parent with two young children, it made sense that a small-scale independent consultant model could potentially align with both our work/life balance needs and contribution to the conservation community. The “Mosaic” is a reference to “mosaic of patches” which is a landscape pattern made up of distinct habitat patches, or areas with a specific size, shape, and characteristics including individual forest stands, farms, wetlands, shrubland patches, highways, or towns. The patches are set within a matrix, which is the “background ecological system” of the landscape. We believe that our company within our community within the region is working towards conserving, monitoring, and expanding the health of the landscape. Our vision is designing and developing patches in our backyards, in our forests, and anywhere that can benefit the health of our landscape ecosystems. We specialize in working with private landowners, developers, land trusts, municipalities, and all stakeholders that know the value provided by environmental systems around us, and hopefully next to us and within us.

Why do we believe in “buy local”? Active management and stable local food and natural resource markets are key to people’s wellbeing. These resources and products from resources are the base of local economies; therefore, purchasing local products keeps money in local communities. This means resiliency, accessibility, and equity.

Why walkable communities? Land has immediate and long term value; more so immediate with the current price of housing and rent. We think making decisions that affect the next generation is important; therefore, it only makes sense to conserve and keep natural landscapes undeveloped and unhoused. We think that high density, walkable communities allow this and can be the solution. Smaller footprint does not mean void of natural ecosystems. Rural town centers, existing city communities, previously developed industrial lots all have the potential to support walkable communities. Suburban sprawl and strip development need to be removed from zoning regulations; these are not natural systems and cause significant fragmentation to the landscape.

Why active management? It is clear that our past land use has impacted the natural landscape, it is even more clear that our current decisions are drastically impacting our natural landscape. There can be no more “preservation” as a rule of thumb. We need to accept “no action” as an active management strategy that might work in some areas. Look at the non-native invasive plants and insect species that are driving the landscape’s natural development, creating monocultures. We want to create a cooperative of private landowners that have natural and healthy functioning ecosystems, and we would like to use eco-types from these members to restore and diversify the landscape. Active management supports the local economy, local resources, local farmers, local energy sources, and most importantly the creation of mosaic of patches.

Our mission is to create stunning and sustainable native landscapes specifically designed to support and enhance the ecosystems essential for our future.

We consider gardening from an ecological standpoint and believe that each one of us should be a steward of the land.

Facilitation – Strategy development and planning for organizations and multi-stakeholder projects.Assessment – Focus groups, stakeholder meetings, one-on-one interviews, surveys, peer bench-marking research.

Community Engagement – Design of public engagement processes, facilitation of public engagement activities.

Writing – Review and revision of existing communication materials, development of grant proposals, creation of content to support new or revised organizational identity and initiatives.

Speaking – Conference presentations and workshops, presentations to multi-stakeholder groups, participation in panel discussions.

Leadership Support – Meetings with leaders and leadership teams, facilitated activities to promote creativity and growth.

Our motto is: protecting the planet is our priority and our passion! As such, we offer a range of specialized services to address the unique needs of our clients. Our invasive species management service ensures that harmful plants are minimized using safe, mechanical methods, preserving the health of your land. Following removal, our ecosystem restoration service helps select and plant beneficial native species, fostering biodiversity, and supporting local wildlife, including vital pollinators. We provide free consultations for properties up to five acres, with reduced rates for nonprofits and land trusts. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you transform your property into a thriving natural habitat.

We are an Accredited Organic Land Care business.

Over 200 organizations currently use Lens to conduct annual and baseline monitoring, track restoration progress, scope new projects, and more.

As a Professional Wetland Scientist #2939, Registered Soil Scientist with SSSSNE, Trained Arborist and recently Master Woodlands Manager, I have the skills to provide guidance on the ecosystem preservation and enhancement, invasive aquatic and terrestrial plant management. I take an ecosystem approach with 100 year goals in mind. Nature moves on a different time scale and speed, we typically need to act now to have longterm results moving the needle towards our goals as stewards of the surface of this planet. I regularly delineate wetlands complexes, asses streams, and ponds, prepare individual site plans, seek permits and manage the selection of contractors and Oversee the implementation of plans. Let me know if I can help you with your challenges and questions about the ecosystem and watershed you live and work in.