Our Team – Racheal Villa

About

Racheal Villa specializes in freshwater and marine ecology with an emphasis in salmonid life histories and habitat. Racheal’s projects involve aquatic habitat assessments, protection, and mitigation including marine habitat and species monitoring, freshwater wetland creation, enhancement, and restoration, and riparian habitat restoration.

Racheal is experienced in site planning and design, project coordination, permitting and management, aquatic and wetland ecology, habitat restoration, wetland, stream, and eelgrass delineations and assessments, benthic surveys, stream assessments, marine mammal and fish protection monitoring programs, and mitigation planning.

Racheal has extensive experience writing biological evaluations and preparing documentation for the Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Hydraulic Project Approvals, and other general state and local regulatory permitting. Her skills include preparation of JARPA materials, and extensive client and agency coordination to secure various Section 404 Nationwide and Individual Permits, 401 Water Quality Certifications, and Hydraulic Project Approvals.

Racheal earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Fisheries Biology from the University of Washington, Seattle, with additional graduate level training in salmonid behavior and life history, restoration of fish communities and habitats in river ecosystems, biological problems with water pollution, and biomonitoring and assessment. Racheal is trained in conducting biological assessments, designing compensatory mitigation and restoration projects, and in the use of the Washington State Wetland Rating System. Rachel is a Pierce County Qualified Fisheries Biologist and Wetland Specialist.

Education and Professional

• B.S., Fisheries Biology – University of Washington

Professional Certifications, Training, and Workshops

• • • Mazama pocket gopher survey biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    • Using the Marine Shoreline Design Guidelines for Marine Shoreline Stabilization
    • Qualified Senior Author Biological Assessment Preparation for Transportation Projects – Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)
    • Ordinary High Water Mark Determination, Washington State Department of Ecology (WSDOE)
    • Washington State Wetland Rating System, WSDOE
    • Designing Compensatory Mitigation and Restoration Projects, Washington Coastal Training Program (WCTP)
    • Selecting Wetland Mitigation Sites Using a Watershed Approach, WSDOE
    • Eelgrass Delineation Training (WCTP)
    • Environmental Negotiations (WCTP)
    • Grass, Sedge, and Rush Identification for Western Washington Puget Lowland Habitats (WCTP)
    • Stream Bank Bioengineering, Western Forestry and Conservation Association (WFCA)
    • Puget Sound Coastal Processes, Shoreline Modifications, and Beach Restoration, WSDOE
    • Division Wetland Delineation Indicators and Problem Situations Course – (includes 40 hours of Corps wetland delineation methods)
    • Forage Fish Beach Survey training, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
    • Use of Habitat Equivalency Analysis Model (HEA),  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
    • Administering Development Permits in Western Washington’s Shorelines
    • Certified Erosion and Sediment Control Lead (CESCL), ECO3
    • Open Water Scuba, PADI

Governmental Certifications & Professional Memberships

• American Fisheries Society
• Pierce County Qualified Fisheries Biologist
• Pierce County Qualified Wetlands Specialist