Environmental and Marine Consultants - Since 1976
TYLER KING, PRINCIPAL BIOLOGIST
Mr. King, the principal biologist for W. Dexter Bender & Associates, Inc. has over 26 years of experience working in Florida’s upland and wetland environments. He joined the firm in 1988 with prior experience with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as a Permitting Compliance and Enforcement Specialist. His 26 years of experience has involved providing various types of environmental studies, site analysis and procuring environmental permits for landowners and public entities. Mr. King has extensive knowledge pertaining to wetland permitting and enforcement policies of federal, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies. He has performed numerous listed species surveys and obtained incidental take and relocation permits. Mr. King is qualified as an expert witness with Lee County Hearing Examiner and the Department of Environmental Protection regarding dredge and fill legislation. Mr. King has extensive experience in wetland mitigation design and monitoring (creation, enhancement, restoration and preservation. He is an expert in Florida vegetation and wildlife identification. Other responsibilities include project management, oversight and quality control of projects for the firm.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Biology/Zoology, Northeast Louisiana University, 1981
PAUL OWEN, PRINCIPAL ECOLOGIST
Mr. Owen, the principal ecologist for W. Dexter Bender & Associates, Inc. has over 20 years of experience working in Florida’s upland and wetland environments. He has over ten years of experience on various water quality and biological monitoring programs in marine and estuarine waters. His experience includes project management, all aspects of environmental permitting, environmental studies, permit compliance, and preparation of mitigation, maintenance, and monitoring plans. Procures environmental permits (local: city and county, state: WMD, FDEP, FFWCC, and federal: USACOE, USEPA-NPDES, USFWS). Conducts mitigation analysis, design, construction plans, contract management, conservation easements, inspection, and monitoring; obtains official jurisdictional determinations from the USACOE, WMD, and FDEP; conducts protected species and submerged land surveys; prepares due diligence reports and maps. Obtains protected species incidental take and relocation permits; prepares proposals and bids.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Ecology/Forestry/Zoology, University of Florida, 1991
Master of Science - Systems Ecology, University of Florida, 1993
Certifications
Professional Wetland Scientist (No.1102), Society of Wetland Scientists
Professional Mangrove Trimmer, State of Florida
Certified Wildlife Biologist, The Wildlife Society
CRAIG SMITH, ECOLOGIST
Mr. Smith joined the firm in 2003 bringing over 25 years of experience as an environmental consultant in South Florida. He has mapped and evaluated more than 261,000 acres of land since 1987. This mapping includes detailed vegetation community mapping (i.e. FLUCFCS levels IV and V) and more general plant community mapping (i.e. FLUCFCS level II and III) of wetlands and uplands and the mapping of current and historic conditions based on photo interpretation. Individual properties ranged in size from less than five acres to more than 5,000 acres located in Polk, Hardee, Sarasota, Charlotte Lee, Collier, Brevard, Martin, and Dade Counties. Mr. Smith currently provides an array of environmental studies and services related to land development and property evaluation in south Florida. These activities, performed for private landowners and public entities, include vegetation mapping, binding and informal state and federal wetland jurisdictional determinations, wetland functional assessments using UMAM, WRAP, and MWRAP, habitat evaluations, establishing seasonal high water elevations for wetlands using biological indicators, threatened and endangered species surveys, and wetland (COE, FDEP, and WMD) permit applications. Additional services include threatened and endangered species relocation and management plans, wetland mitigation (creation, restoration, enhancement, and preservation) plans, and the design and implementation of wetland monitoring plans.
Education
Bachelor of Science, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 1984
Master of Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 1987
Certifications
Senior Ecologist, Ecological Society of America
Professional Wetland Scientist (No. 238), Society of Wetland Scientists
Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Permit Number GTA-09-00011)
Provisionally Certified Wetland Delineator by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland
DAN UNDERHILL, ECOLOGIST
Mr. Underhill is an ecologist with over 10 years of experience in permitting, preparing management plans, and coordinating with local, state and federal environmental agencies in Southwest Florida. His experience includes performing agency wetland jurisdictional determinations, benthic surveys, and protected species assessments and permitting. The preparation of environmental resource permit applications for docks, bridges, and dredge and fill to state and federal agencies. The preparation of mitigation plans, indigenous preserve management plans, protected species management plans, and environmental impact statements. Prior experience includes marine resource sampling techniques and the design and implementation of educational programs relating to coastal and wetland resources.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Natural Resource Conservation/Zoology, University of Florida, 1994
Certifications
Florida Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM) Short Course, Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands, University of Florida, 2005
Environmental Permitting, South Florida Water Management District, 2007
ePermitting User Training, South Florida Water Management District, 2008
Florida Marine Contractors Workshop, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 2009
Smalltooth Sawfish Critical Habitat Workshop, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service, 2009
PARKE LEWIS, BIOLOGIST
Education
Bachelor of Science, Mount. St. Mary's College, 1988
Certifications
Florida Statewide (62-340 FAC) Wetland Delineation Training Program, 1996
Unified Mitigation Assessment Method Training - South Florida Water Management District, 2000
Florida Hydric Soils Workshop – Florida Association of Professional Soil Classifiers, 1995