EDM International, Inc. (EDM) is an employee-owned corporation with a three-decade reputation for excellence. EDM’s Environmental Services Group is a team of wildlife biologists, avian specialists, soil scientists, hydrologists, regulatory specialists and GIS experts. EDM works collaboratively across disciplines to develop practical, science-based solutions to high-profile environmental challenges on behalf of electric utilities, extractive industries, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. EDM is internationally known for research and consultation on avian electrocution, avian collision and animal-caused outages. EDM’s key to success is its team members, who are chosen for their unique and complementary skills and who conduct their work with passion, creativity and integrity.

• Avian Protection Plans, Avian Risk Assessment and Mitigation
• Natural Resource Assessment and Planning
• Environmental Permitting and Compliance
• Wind Energy & Communication Tower Review
• Mobile Data Collection, Mapping and Spatial Analysis
• Small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Services
• Consulting & Research

EDM has developed over 110 Avian Protection Plans (APPs) for small and large electric utilities, mining companies, oil and gas operators and federal agencies, throughout the U.S. and abroad. APPs and Avian Risk Assessments (ARAs) provide a roadmap for managing avian and wildlife interactions with power lines, substations and other aboveground structures such as mining/oil and gas infrastructure, communication towers and wind facilities. Clients report that EDM APPs improve system reliability, public relations and regulatory compliance; agencies reviewing the APPs describe them as exemplary. EDM’s ARAs and mitigation recommendations are the industry gold standard.

EDM’s technical specialists in wildlife, plants, wetlands, soils and surface waters conduct baseline studies to scope environmental issues, provide the framework for impact assessments and identify opportunities for avoidance or mitigation. EDM proactively identifies project-specific environmental issues early in the planning process and incorporates protection measures into the project description to streamline assessments, optimize timelines and minimize costs. Scaled to meet client goals, studies range from desktop GIS analyses to field-based habitat assessments, nest searches, or presence/absence surveys.

EDM staff is experienced with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and complex third-party, multi-agency permitting and compliance projects. EDM specializes in the practical implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (BGEPA). EDM offers environmental clearances prior to construction, environmental compliance monitoring services and turnkey stormwater solutions for projects resulting in substantial surface disturbance. EDM excels at proactive communication and facilitates collaborative solutions addressing the needs of permit applicants, land managers and regulatory agencies. EDM conducts regulatory trainings to help clients understand and comply with the regulatory framework, while maximizing their own professional effectiveness. 

EDM’s expertise in environmental permitting and compliance, avian overhead line studies and communication tower studies has facilitated the company’s expansion into wind facility review and assessment. The wind industry and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are encouraging wind developers to apply approaches and measures similar to those used in avian protection plans for electric utilities to prepare applicable protection plans for wind energy facilities to minimize potential effects to birds and bats and aid in complying with key federal legislation, including the MBTA, ESA, BGEPA and NEPA. EDM’s team has experience with the applicable federal, state, county and/or local permitting and compliance requirements that are becoming more integral to wind facility planning. Most importantly, EDM can provide insight for both short- and long-term project planning, encompassing regulatory knowledge, established and proven practices, standardized methods and metrics and proactive communications. EDM co-authored a detailed review of avian collision studies with communication towers for the FCC in 2004. EDM also has conducted post-construction bird collision studies to determine the potential long-term collision risk to birds from tower operation.

EDM provides state-of-the-art mapping and spatial analysis support with the latest ArcGIS, AutoCAD and CartoPac software and Trimble hardware featuring sub-foot GPS accuracy. A full project cycle might include planning and field study maps, make-ready work drawings, a construction atlas, as-built drawings and an operations and maintenance plan atlas. Where needed, spatial data is collected in the field using custom, project-specific forms based on CartoPac’s GPS/GIS-enabled mobile data collection platform. EDM uses natural resources data to model environmental impacts, compare project alternatives and develop appropriate mitigation measures. Mobile data collection integrated with cloud-based mapping streamlines work flow, improves accuracy and maximizes worker efficiency.

EDM uses a variety of small UAS aircraft, flight control systems and post processing systems to tailor missions to meet specific objectives identified by clients. Missions can be as small as confirmation of activity in a single bird nest, or as large as multiple miles of distribution line, transmission line, or gas pipeline rights-of-way. EDM carefully maintains currency in aircraft, sensor technologies and payloads, flight and analysis software and pilot certifications. Our multiple certified pilots ensure flexibility and timeliness in responding to customer needs. Our ability to leverage LiDAR, PhoDAR and infrared technologies ensures that flight parameters meet mission goals.

EDM seeks objective, decision-relevant and science-based answers to difficult challenges. EDM maintains an active applied research program, combining expertise in wildlife study design, engineering and product development. EDM partners with industries and industry groups, government agencies, non-governmental organizations and academia to develop practical solutions to pressing concerns. EDM strives to expand the scientific understanding of wildlife interactions with electric utility infrastructure, improve the effectiveness of mitigation products and develop new technology for monitoring and preventing interactions between wildlife and infrastructure. Findings are disseminated through peer-reviewed papers, conference presentations, reports, monograph contributions and DVDs, as permissible under the terms of our partner and licensing agreements. EDM provides consulting on study design, data collection protocols and statistical analysis and has developed a number of commercially successful products, both independently and with industry partners.