Davey Tree Flipbooks

15 March/April 2021 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN Using boats, kayaks and on foot, a team of nine employees from Amy Greene Environmental, a Davey company, conducted preliminary assessments of 44 bridge structures across the state of New Jersey looking for federally endangered and threatened bat species. The client, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), conducts these assessments before maintenance or repair can be done on certain bridges in accordance with an agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS). Visual inspections for individual bats or evidence of their occupancy (guano and urine staining) were conducted on possible roosting locations like open beams, expansion joints, plugged drainpipes, and other crevices under the roadway. The results of the survey were documented and submitted to NJDOT, the USFWS, and New Jersey Endangered and Non-Game Species Program (ENSP). If signs of bat presence were discovered, the NJDOT coordinated with the resource agencies to ensure protection of the bats. The Amy Greene team completed all bridge surveys across the state, as well as provide necessary documentation within three days of each survey, for the entire project within a two-week period, ahead of NJDOT's desired schedule. Only three confirmed bat colonies were discovered. "Not only are we able to provide this service to NJDOT so they can complete their necessary bridge work, as a biologist it's rewarding knowing we are helping protect bats that may be occupying these structures," said Jennifer LaStella, senior associate consultant. "Bridge work is regularly required nationwide. Where this type of work overlaps with the range of one or more federally listed bat species, these services can be offered. Projects like this showcase what we can accomplish." Davey's in-person Safety Leadership Training Program has adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by going virtual. The Corporate Safety department is temporarily shifting the training, now known as Davey Core Safety Management (DCSM), to Microsoft Teams and has shorted it to a two-day, 8-hour seminar. DCSM focuses on safety systems and policies to help managers maintain safe and healthy workplaces for all Davey employees. The course covers everything from Department of Transportation safety information, claims reporting and "the nuts and bolts of managing employee safety in a corporation," said Jon Schmidt, regional safety specialist. "Having a virtual component to this training is something we've been wanting to create for some time now, and COVID-19 gave us the push to get it done," Schmidt said. "The virtual component could be a supplement to our in-person training and will eventually help make this information more available." The first sessions were held in September and December of 2020, with sessions being scheduled throughout 2021. SAFETY LEADERSHIP TRAINING GOES VIRTUAL SAFETY SURVEYING BATS BY BOAT A view from a kayak looking at one of the 44 bridges inspected during the project. Elizabeth Dancer, Jennifer LaStella, Bill Macholdt, Craig Metzgar, Elizabeth Muller, Susan Quackenbush, Rebecca Ronan and Harry Strano. AMY GREENE TEAM The "Safety Management Cycle," shown here in a slide from the training presentation, is one of many strategies reviewed by Davey employees and safety leadership personnel during the Davey Core Safety Management (DCSM) training sessions. Several DCSM events are scheduled to be held throughout 2021.

• Cover