AEP Awards

HELIX, in coordination with Pattern Energy Group, was awarded this year’s San Diego Chapter Association of Environmental Professionals Outstanding Environmental Resource Document for the Ocotillo Wind Habitat Restoration Plan. The Habitat Restoration Plan describes the methods to remove dense stands of non-native tamarisk trees, which will initiate the process of the long-term restoration of one of the most regionally significant water bodies in the Anza Borrego Desert (Carrizo Marsh).  Tamarisk has choked off the native vegetation and has diminished the hydrological regime of the marsh since the flooding that occurred from Hurricane Kathleen in 1976. Restoration of the marsh is occurring through a combination of mechanical removal, chemical control, and prescribed burning of the marsh. HELIX staff were provided the award at the San Diego AEP Annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet on September 26, 2013. We would like to thank Pattern Energy for their support of this restoration effort and to all of the resource and regulatory agencies who contributed to the plan.