ASTI ADDS ROGOWSKI TO WEST MICHIGAN TEAM

Though a bit delayed, join us as we welcome one of our newest Environmental Scientists over at the West Michigan office, Allison Rogowski. She came to ASTI at the end of last year and brings over 8 years of environmental experience having worked on sites across Michigan’s lower peninsula. One notable project in her career so far was being a team member on the Kalamazoo River Oil Spill. This Kalamazoo, MI native did her bachelor studies at Hope College and now is resides close to the office in Grand Rapids, MI. In her spare time, Allison loves to travel and attend music festivals across the country. ASTI is glad she joined our team and excited to see what she achieves.

Rick Welsh PFAS Interview with Michigan Business Network

Click above to be directed to the file. This link will direct you to the audio recording made available by Michigan Business Network, via Soundcloud.

“Jeffrey catches up with Rick Welsh, MSc DABT, Director, ASTi Environmental, Brighton, MI. They discuss how the Michigan PFAS Standards ended up so low, the impact that is having on businesses, municipalities, and others, and Rick covers the findings of a study ASTi Environmental did in coordination with MMA, Michigan Manufacturers Association.
Can you, in everyday people language, tell me how the Michigan Standards ended up so low?

What are the other options right now for Michigan?

What will be the future cost implications for Michigan Municipalities and Business for compliance?…..”

Changes in State Historic Preservation Office Section 106 Procedures

In an effort to better conform to the federal regulations in 36 CFR Part 800.11, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will be making changes to the procedures for Section 106 consultation. Beginning July 1, 2020, applications for Section 106 consultation will only be accepted if the review of historic properties, both archaeological and architectural, has been completed by individuals meeting the applicable federal qualifications outlined in 36 CFR Part 61. The following information was also provided by SHPO:

Applications submitted on or after July 1, 2020 must include identification efforts as outlined under 36 CRF 800.4 completed by individuals meeting the applicable federal qualification(s). If an applicant fails to meet this standard, the application for consultation will be returned without comment for resubmittal with adequate documentation of identification efforts.

In addition to these changes, the Michigan SHPO is in the process of developing new Section 106 consultation forms that will be rolled out beginning July 1, 2020. There will be an adjustment period when the old forms will continue to be accepted through the end of 2020. Beginning on January 1, 2021 submissions on the old forms will be returned without comment for resubmission on the correct form. The Michigan SHPO will be rolling out educational initiatives to assist applicants with these changes.

This change will require firms with only Architectural Historians/Historians to partner with an Archaeologist for ground-disturbing projects and for Archaeologists to partner with Architectural Historians/Historians for projects potentially impacting architectural resources. Identification must be done by individuals meeting the applicable qualifications depending on the specific project.

ASTI is currently in the process of connecting with archaeological firms across the state to develop a working partnership.

---

ASTI Works to Protect Endangered Fresh Water Mussels

The Clinton River has a diverse fauna of freshwater mussels.

We often think of endangered species as charismatic large animals with fur or feathers, but one of the most imperiled faunas is a group of bottom dwelling aquatic organisms with no soft, cuddly outside, and no eyes.

ASTI’s Megan SALAZAR conducting a quantitative search for mussels using a square meter.

With over 300 species in North America, native freshwater mussels (scientific family name: Unionidae) have been declining over the years due to pollution, over-harvesting (for the button industry in the 1800s to mid-1900s) and the introduction of the zebra and quagga mussels. Almost 70% of the native mussel fauna is imperiled, and 93 species are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened. Thirty-eight species are considered extinct, and many also have state threatened or endangered status.

Often referred to as “unionids,” this group of mollusks have an unusual life cycle, where the larval stage must attach to the gills or fins of a fish to metamorphose into its next stage as a juvenile mussel. Various unionid species have different “lures” to get their larvae to the fish. Because the mussels need healthy fish to continue their life cycle, it is unlikely that the larvae kill the fish.

The snuffbox mussel, Epioblasma triquetra; a federally endangered species found in the Upper Clinton River.

Unionids are a key component in the waters where their fish hosts live. Mussel beds provide habitat for aquatic insects and other macroinvertebrates. As filter feeders, they also recycle and store nutrients, and even modify food webs. Since the native mussels don’t move very far and they are sensitive to pollutants, their presence usually indicates good water quality.

Protecting freshwater mussels includes moving them so they are out of harm’s way during construction, dredging, or other projects in the water. Mitigation is rather easy, as the mussels can be relocated to an area with suitable habitat out of impact zones. ASTI has worked on over 45 mussel projects with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), various road commissions and departments, and other agencies to survey and relocate the native freshwater mussels. This has included mitigation for federally endangered and state listed species. While most of the work has been in Michigan, ASTI is permitted in Ohio and Wisconsin as well.

In addition to relocation projects, ASTI personnel have conducted education workshops and worked with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to produce a field guide to the freshwater mussels of Michigan. This guide is used by biologists and the general public to help identify the 43 unionid species found in the state.

If interested in a mussel survey please contact Dianne Martin at 800.395.2784 or dmartin@asti-env.com.

ASTI Turns 35

2020 marks the 35th year that ASTI Environmental has had the privilege of serving commercial, industrial, and governmental clients throughout the US, Eastern Europe, Canada, and Mexico. A warm thank you to our 3,500+ clients and boosters, and to our 45 associates with 450+ years of technical experience. For those of you that have yet to engage our services, perhaps we can connect the dots going forward.

Shipley Joins ASTI's Brownfield Team

July 12, 2019: Brighton, MI : Sara Jo Shipley —don’t call her Sara :) — has joined ASTI Environmental’s Brownfield Redevelopment Group and brings a wealth of experience with her.  Most recently, Sara Jo was the Economic Development Director at Ypsilanti Township, and  has also led brownfield redevelopment teams for the City of Kalamazoo and the Northern Kentucky Area Development District since 2012.  Most importantly, she learned how to grow and foster client relationships as a mixologist at Fries Café in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Under the direction of ASTI President Tom Wackerman, ASTI has obtained more than $330 million in Incentives (Brownfield Tax Credits, Grants, TIF, OPRA, Loans, NEZ) for Ashley Capital, ASH NYC (Siren Hotel), Bay City Hospitalities LLC, Brass Aluminum Forging, City of Adrian, City of Kentwood, Foundation Hotel (one of Time Magazine’s Greatest Places 2018), Grand Traverse County, Marwood Holdings LLC, and Oakland County the past 10 years and Incentives has evolved into ASTIs competitive differentiator.  The addition of Sara Jo is expected to accelerate that growth exponentially. 

For additional information or to place an order, please CONTACT ASTIs Doug Brown 810/599-8131 dbrown@asti-env.com .

ASTI Expands with Office in Kentucky!

June 8, 2019: Williamsburg, KY:  ASTI ENVIRONMENTAL President, Tom Wackerman, is pleased to announce the opening of their 5th office, located in Williamsburg, KY.  ASTI has been serving the environmental Due Diligence and Ecological needs of real estate developers, manufacturers, engineers, the public sector and others, nationally, since 1985. ASTI’s newest office is strategically positioned to better serve our clients in the Midwest & Southeast United States, and joins ASTI’s network of offices in Grand Rapids, Brighton, Detroit and Trenton, MI.  Committed to quality and customer service, Mr. Wackerman has selected ASTI Geologist Cody Garnsey to staff this new office, and what a pick!!  Mr. Garnsey has completed Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs), Environmental Risk Reviews (ERRs), soil gas sample collection and underground storage tank removals (USTs) for a variety of commercial and industrial clients with property types ranging from corner gas stations and manufacturing plants to abandoned buildings, apartment complexes, and mining and aggregate operations throughout the Great Lakes region.

For additional information or to place an order, please contact ASTI’s Doug Brown at 810-599-8131 or dbrown@asti-env.com

Rick Welsh Leads ICSC Con-Ed Round Table

Feb. 14, 2019: ASTI Toxicologist & Director of Property Services, Rick Welsh, was selected to lead a round table discussion regarding the Effects of Emerging Environmental Issues, Vapor Intrusion and PFAS on Commercial Real Estate Transactions at ICSC’s Con Ed Program in February.

34

February 2, 2019: ASTI Environmental just turned 34 years old thanks to our 3,500 clients and boosters and our 42 associates with 450+ years of technical expertise.  Headquartered in Brighton, MI, ASTI opened it’s fourth office in in Trenton, MI last year.  ASTI has also maintained an office in Grand Rapids the past 26 years, and 2019 marks the third anniversary of our Detroit office located in Grand Circus Park. 

Since ASTI was founded by Tom Wackerman and Peter Collins on February 2, 1985 in Ann Arbor, we have grown significantly and diversified into multiple service lines, including Mussel Surveys, Sub-Slab Depressurizion System Design and Installation, Incentives – having obtained more than $220 million in gap financing (TIF, grants, tax credits, loans) for our developer clients, Asbestos and Lead Paint Inspections, Wetland Managament, Hazard Mitigation Plans, Stormwater Management, Property Condition Assessments and our bread n butter; more than 300 Phase I/II ESAs per year. 

We are only as good as our last project, but we are proud to have completed more than 12,500 projects nationally.  A few signature projects include; an Anthrax Vaccination Facility in Lansing, the iconic Michigan Central train station in Corktown, a Uranium Mine in the Czech Republic, restoration of a 455-acre coastal Great Lakes Marsh along Lake St. Clair at Lake St. Clair (Metro Beach) Metropark in Harrison Twp., the Village at Grand Traverse Commons (former psychiatric hospital), the Strand Theatre in Pontiac, most every neighborhood in Detroit working for non-profits, a NIKE Missile Base, Capital Park (Detroit), the 5,000 acre Detroit International Wildlife Refuge that runs along 48-miles of shoreline btw. the lower Detroit River and western shore of Lake Erie, Henry Ford’s office building in Highland Park, a 10,000 acre limestone mine in Newberry (Upper Peninsula), Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron, Flint Farmers Market, Marquette Holy Family Orphanage, Detroit (Eastern) Market Gardens, the 4,500,000 square foot Steelcase plant on 200+ acres in Grand Rapids, a civil war era prison in Jackson, Michigan Theatre (Detroit), Lebowsky Center (former Capitol Theatre) in Owosso, a 455-acre coastal wetland mitigation project known as Blue Water Isles in Clay Twp (St. Clair County),  Foundation Hotel (named one of Time Magazine’s Greatest Places of 2018), and The Siren (former Wurlitzer Building) in downtown Detroit, Lansing School for the Blind (Stevie Wonder studied classical piano here), and Wayne County Airport.

Another notable mention in ASTI’s timeline is the 2017 feature on Crain’s Top 100 Cool Places to Work.

Dianne Martin Honored with Peggy Johnson Conservation Hero Award

ASTI Principal and resident Wetland Ecologist, Dianne Martin, was honored by the Six Rivers Land Conservancy Organization for her role in protecting the Turtle Woods Preserve in Troy, MI. Dianne was a consultant to the Troy School District where she performed assessments on the Turtle Woods property, and provided options for its disposition, which emphasized conservation. Because of her impact on this property, Martin was honored as a recipient of Six Rivers’ Peggy Johnson Conservation Hero Award at their Six Rivers Conservation Celebration this past fall.