Kate is a Professional Wetland Scientist with 20 years of experience in wetland, forest, and rare species investigations and in the agency coordination that accompanies regulatory processes associated with these resources. She has managed small and large projects, leading and overseeing field investigations, preparing documentation for Section 404/401 permitting and forest conservation compliance, designing and monitoring mitigation sites, and conducting rare species and habitat surveys. Ms. Traut is proficient in regional plant identification and has co-led wetland permitting trainings. Ms. Traut is an approved MDE Consultant Reviewer for the Tidal and Nontidal Wetlands Divisions and maintains an active rapport with local regulators and agency representatives at the county and state levels. Kate’s areas of expertise include:
- Section 404/401
- Forest Conservation Act
- Rare, threatened, & endangered species
- Critical area coordination
- Regulatory and resource agency coordination
- Wetland mitigation
- Dam emergency action plans
“I am passionate about doing good work, which to me means understanding our clients’ needs within the context of current and future policies and trends; fostering collaboration among the strong, creative professionals among the Straughan team, client project team, and agencies; and finding smart, sustainable solutions that avoid and minimize impacts to natural resources and meet project goals. I am also passionate about working well with others, which requires seizing opportunities to listen, educate and be educated.”
Tell us about your most exciting or rewarding project at Straughan.
For the Howard County Sewer Interceptor Improvement projects, I enjoyed our environmental team having a seat at the table from the beginning of the design process through final design, conducting extensive field delineations, working with the County and engineering teams to meet design and permitting milestones, coordinating with the regulatory agencies and project team to identify impact avoidance and minimization opportunities, conducting a mitigation site search, and ultimately identifying ways to reduce impacts below the mitigation threshold. It was exciting to work with the County and our JV partner to identify and design a suitable wetland mitigation bank site with a TMDL stream restoration component.
What do you like about working at Straughan?
Straughan is a great balance of diverse projects, friendly and professional colleagues, and nimble, responsive management.
When you are not working, what do you enjoy doing?
Laughing and playing with family and friends, enjoying nature, and traveling.