Water Resources Engineer

Water Resources Engineer

February 2024 | LandStudies LandStudies provides a range of services related to the interaction of land and streams. Over the past 35 years, we have designed and implemented hundreds of successful projects, pioneering innovative solutions to water resources issues. We ...
Natural Landscapes Need Maintenance Too

Natural Landscapes Need Maintenance Too

Many people think once a “natural” landscape (i.e., one that is made up of native plants and mimics the site pre-human involvement – like warm-season grass meadows and restored streambank buffers) is installed you can walk away and let it ...
The Stream - LandStudies Newsletter

The Stream – LandStudies Newsletter

Click here to read our latest newsletter! ...
New Partnership Reinforces LandStudies’ Approach to Sustainable Golf Courses

New Partnership Reinforces LandStudies’ Approach to Sustainable Golf Courses

Making golf courses more ecologically sustainable is something that LandStudies has been involved with for more than 15 years. That is why we were pleased to see that the Environmental Protection Agency is now partnering with the Golf Course Superintendents ...
Native Plants Highlighted on Staff Tour

Native Plants Highlighted on Staff Tour

A group of our Field Supervisors and Landscape Architects recently took a day to visit native plant nurseries and two of our recent projects at Longwood Gardens and Mount Cuba Center. At the first tour, we went to Octoraro Native ...
Pequea Creek Tributary Floodplain Restoration

Pequea Creek Tributary Floodplain Restoration

During the summer of 2022, Salisbury Township, LandStudies, and other partners began restoring approximately 1,615 linear feet of floodplain and 2.69 acres of wetland within Gap Park along two severely eroded and unstable tributaries to Pequea Creek. By removing legacy sediment, ...
$3.5 Million ARPA Investment in Clean Water Projects

$3.5 Million ARPA Investment in Clean Water Projects

Eleven water quality projects in Lancaster County, including the Conewago Creek Floodplain Restoration, were bolstered with nearly $3.5 million from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. To celebrate this largest-ever investment in the county’s water quality, LandStudies staff ...
Cocalico Creek Floodplain Restoration

Cocalico Creek Floodplain Restoration

LandStudies staff recently took members of the Cocalico Creek Watershed Association, neighboring landowners, and scientists from The Nature Conservancy on a tour of the Cocalico Creek Floodplain Restoration project in West Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, to highlight the benefits of ...
Bull Run Greenway and Kidsburg Nature Playground

Bull Run Greenway and Kidsburg Nature Playground

After several years of planning and preparation, the Bull Run Greenway and Kidsburg Nature Playground were officially opened in late June 2022. LandStudies President Kelly Gutshall attended the opening ceremony and said, “This project is a great example of how ...
Water Week Landis Homes Tour

Water Week Landis Homes Tour

The Landis Homes wetlands and floodplain restoration was a popular tour associated with this year’s Lancaster County Water Week.  Participants included group tours from local senior living communities who enjoyed learning about the wetlands and floodplain restoration project that was ...
Marietta Iron Furnace Park Dedication

Marietta Iron Furnace Park Dedication

LandStudies own Kelly Gutshall and Eric Lyons, along with local officials and residents including Lancaster County Commissioners Ray D’Agostino, Joshua Parsons, and John Trescot, gathered on June 24, 2022, to celebrate the dedication of the Marietta Iron Furnace Park. This ...
Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Merritts

Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Merritts

We would like to congratulate our friend and colleague, Dr. Dorothy Merritts, geosciences professor at Franklin & Marshall College, for being the first F&M faculty to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences! This is one of the highest ...
Legacy sediment's impact on stream ecology

Legacy sediment’s impact on stream ecology

Raising awareness about the role legacy sediment plays in stream ecology is a primary goal for LandStudies. That is why we recently partnered with colleagues at Franklin and Marshall College, Dr. Bob Walter and Dorothy Merritts, to take Natural Resources ...
The Stream - LandStudies Newsletter

The Stream – LandStudies Newsletter

Click here to read our latest newsletter!! ...
Project Spotlight - TPC Potomac Golf Course Floodplain Restoration

Project Spotlight – TPC Potomac Golf Course Floodplain Restoration

A recent article by WUSA 9 discusses why recent rains at the TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms golf course in Potomac, MD didn’t stop the 2022 Wells Fargo Championship on May 5-8. It was thanks to the floodplain restoration work ...
Spring Maintenance Tips

Spring Maintenance Tips

[Article originally posted in 2019] Proper maintenance of natural landscapes is essential to the long-term success of the functional aspects as well as the outward beauty that landscapes provide. LandStudies’ team of professionals includes expertise in proper year-round maintenance and ...
Mike LaSala Appointed to Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Goal Implementation Team

Mike LaSala Appointed to Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Goal Implementation Team

LandStudies’ MS4 Program Manager, Mike LaSala, CPMSM, was recently appointed to serve on the Chesapeake Bay Water Quality Goal Implementation Team, which is one of six goal implementation teams working to meet the goals of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement ...
Chesapeake Watershed Initiative (CWI) @ Franklin & Marshall College

Chesapeake Watershed Initiative (CWI) @ Franklin & Marshall College

The Chesapeake Watershed Initiative (CWI) at Franklin & Marshall College is a brand new collaborative that will use applied research and knowledge, education, and outreach to achieve stewardship and restoration goals within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. This will build upon ...
Brubaker Run Floodplain Restoration named as Storm Water Solutions Magazine’s 2020 Top Projects

Brubaker Run Floodplain Restoration named as Storm Water Solutions Magazine’s 2020 Top Projects

“By virtue of its function and purpose, floodplain restoration enables the project to utilize the floodplain area in a storm water capacity. While the primary goal is restoration, the secondary benefit is that storm water management requirements for a development ...
Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Training Opportunities

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Training Opportunities

Registration is now open for the winter Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) certification program Level 1 training. This interactive three-day course will combine online learning with a field day.  LandStudies' Nick Myers is a certified CBLP Trainer and will be ...
PHRC Webinar: Restoring Floodplains to Manage Stormwater

PHRC Webinar: Restoring Floodplains to Manage Stormwater

What: LandStudies Director of Design, Ben Ehrhart, will be presenting on the topic of using the floodplain restoration approach to managing stormwater during a webinar hosted by the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center. When: November 10, 2020 @ 1pm How to ...
New! Urban Forestry Services

New! Urban Forestry Services

LandStudies is pleased to expand our services with our new Urban Forestry Department. Our urban forestry expert, Michael Dunn, works to preserve and protect existing tree cover so communities can address regulatory requirements while realizing the financial, environmental and aesthetic ...
2020 Lancaster Water Week

2020 Lancaster Water Week

Save the date for the fourth annual Lancaster Water Week happening August 7-15th! This year’s events include a mix of self-guided tours, virtual lectures, and opportunities for the whole family to get involved. LandStudies will be sharing our approach to ...
Cocalico Creek Stream Restoration

Cocalico Creek Stream Restoration

In collaboration with the Cocalico Creek Watershed Association and a private landowner, LandStudies designed and constructed a stream restoration project along approximately 500 feet of the Cocalico Creek in West Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, PA. The project is designed to ...
Lancaster churches receive stormwater management recognition

Lancaster churches receive stormwater management recognition

Several Churches in the City of Lancaster have adopted measures to reduce the discharge of untreated sewage and other pollutants into waterways from aging stormwater infrastructure. Saint James Episcopal Church and Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster (CMCL) are highlighted in ...
City of Lancaster implements water quality and recreational improvements

City of Lancaster implements water quality and recreational improvements

Combining recreational amenities with efforts to improve water quality and control stormwater are a win-win for communities. LandStudies worked closely with the City of Lancaster and the land development consultant, Lancaster Civil, to develop a master plan and design for ...
Summer Newsletter

Summer Newsletter

Read our Summer Newsletter here! ...
Spring Newsletter

Spring Newsletter

Read our Spring newsletter here! ...
Project Spotlights: Riparian Buffer Designs

Project Spotlights: Riparian Buffer Designs

LandStudies’ approach to landscape design uses a customized process that includes site assessment, feasibility, and value analysis to provide consistent, creative, and cost-effective solutions. Our landscape architects and support team are creative design professionals who understand natural system succession and ...
LandStudies’ President Receives Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation Award

LandStudies’ President Receives Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation Award

Congratulations to LandStudies’ President, Kelly Gutshall, for being honored with the Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation through PennFuture’s Celebrating Women in Conservation Awards. This award celebrates the lifetime accomplishments of a remarkable woman who has made a difference by ...
Employee Spotlight, meet Cory Rathman!

Employee Spotlight, meet Cory Rathman!

LandStudies is thrilled to welcome our new staff member, Cory Rathman! Cory is a Professional Engineer and Project Manager who will be working on water resources engineering and business development for the company. Cory’s previous experience includes 20+ years of ...
December Newsletter

December Newsletter

Read our December newsletter here! ...
The Impact of Hyporheic Exchange on Stream Temperature in Restored Systems

The Impact of Hyporheic Exchange on Stream Temperature in Restored Systems

LandStudies’ project along Kurtz Run in Lancaster County shows promise as an example of how floodplain restoration can result in improvement of hyporheic exchange within the system and how that improvement can benefit the health of the system. Issue One ...
Fall and Winter Maintenance Tips

Fall and Winter Maintenance Tips

Proper maintenance of natural landscapes is essential to the long-term success of the functional aspects as well as the outward beauty that landscapes provide. LandStudies’ team of professionals includes expertise in proper year-round maintenance and offers these tips for maintaining ...
Employee Spotlight: Eric Lyons, RLA

Employee Spotlight: Eric Lyons, RLA

Eric Lyons is a Registered Landscape Architect and Project Manager specializing in sustainable site design and green master planning through the use of native plants, stormwater best management practices, and watershed planning. Eric applies his love of sustainable design to ...
Penn State University's College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Awards LandStudies President

Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture Alumni Society Awards LandStudies President

Kelly Gutshall, LandStudies President, is the recipient of Penn State University’s 2018 Arts and Architecture Alumni Award for Landscape Architecture. The award is given to one alumni recipient within each of Penn State’s departments to recognize career achievements in the ...
September Newsletter!

September Newsletter!

Read our September Newsletter here! ...
Dr. Doug Tallamy and LandStudies Recognize the Value of Native Plants for Pollinators

Dr. Doug Tallamy and LandStudies Recognize the Value of Native Plants for Pollinators

Dr. Doug Tallamy is the distinguished professor of ecology at the University of Delaware renowned for his research on the ecosystem services of plants. His best-selling books Bringing Nature Home and The Living Landscape: Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in ...
Employee Spotlight: Reid Garner, PE

Employee Spotlight: Reid Garner, PE

Reid Garner is a Professional Engineer and Water Resource Engineer for LandStudies who has been with the firm for 3 years. Reid manages stream restoration and stormwater management projects from conceptual modeling through detailed design, permitting and construction. Reid explains, ...
Friends of the Woods and Wetlands Group Receives Distinguished Service Award

Friends of the Woods and Wetlands Group Receives Distinguished Service Award

Congratulations to the Landis Homes group of environmental volunteers, the Friends of the Woods and Wetlands, who recently received LeadingAge PA’s Distinguished Service Award for the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award.  “This award recognizes individuals or groups who have ...
Waterfowl of the Santo Domingo Water Quality Facility

Waterfowl of the Santo Domingo Water Quality Facility

The video above shows how waterfowl are making themselves at home at the Santo Domingo Regional Water Quality Facility, which was designed and constructed in the late 90s. It was built and is maintained on Warwick Township property, which is ...
Lancaster Water Week 2018

Lancaster Water Week 2018

Lancaster Water Week 2018 is the second annual event of its kind in Lancaster highlighting the importance of clean and abundant water in a fun, family-friendly festival-like atmosphere. Hosted by the Lancaster County Conservancy, the event runs from June 1st ...
Employee Spotlight: Matt Schavnis

Employee Spotlight: Matt Schavnis

Today marks LandStudies' Field Operations Supervisor, Matt Schavnis’ 9-year anniversary with LandStudies! He is responsible for project management, including the oversight of crews and subcontractors, as well as communicating with clients to ensure our work meets their expectations. His professional background includes ...
April Newsletter

April Newsletter

Click here to read our April Newsletter! ...
Employee Spotlight: Laurel Etter Longenecker

Employee Spotlight: Laurel Etter Longenecker

Laurel is a Business Development Associate who has been with LandStudies for 3 ½ years, during which time she received a Master of Science degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities from Green Mountain College in Vermont. Paired with her bachelor’s ...
Why Runoff Controls Are an Essential Component of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)

Why Runoff Controls Are an Essential Component of a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)

A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) is made up of a series of stormwater management facilities, inlets, pipes, swales, and outfalls that collect and convey stormwater. Ultimately, many of these discharges end up in local waterways, where runoff, if ...
LandStudies Shares its Expertise with Members of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN)

LandStudies Shares its Expertise with Members of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN)

LandStudies is a proud member of the Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network, which is “a community of local businesses and individuals committed to building a just, thriving and sustainable economy in the Greater Philadelphia region.” Recently, LandStudies employees Bob Gray and ...
January Newsletter

January Newsletter

Click here to read our January Newsletter! ...
Ryerson Station State Park Plans for Restoration

Ryerson Station State Park Plans for Restoration

Ryerson Station State Park, located in southwest Pennsylvania, is undergoing a “Re-Vision” process to plan for the future of the park, and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is getting the public involved to make it an “exceptional ...
Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level I Trainer Certification

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level I Trainer Certification

Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Program LandStudies field operations foreman, Nick Myers, recently obtained his Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level I Certification and his CBLP Trainer Certification. The CBLP Certification is a voluntary credential system for professionals who design, ...
Restoring Ecosystem Functions in Central Pennsylvania and Beyond

Restoring Ecosystem Functions in Central Pennsylvania and Beyond

At LandStudies, our work focuses on restoring natural systems so they can provide valuable ecosystem services for local municipalities and their residents. Ecosystem services are traditionally lumped into four categories: Provisioning, which includes the production of food and water Regulating, ...
Gift Giving for the Environment

Gift Giving for the Environment

Give a Gift to Your Loved Ones and the Environment at the Same Time According to a recent blog on Harvard University’s website, globally the average adult spends $475 a year on holiday presents, half of which are unwanted. Over ...
Employee Spotlight, Meet Paul Artale!

Employee Spotlight, Meet Paul Artale!

We would like to introduce you to our newest employee, Paul Artale, RLA, ASLA. Paul will be working on master plans, park and recreational projects, and various projects involving sustainable design, field implementation and educational efforts. After working years in ...
Wet Weather vs. Dry Weather Sampling

Wet Weather vs. Dry Weather Sampling

A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permitted community needs to monitor their system for potential illicit discharges, as we discussed last month. An illicit discharge can come from a leaking sanitary sewer or water main, illegal sewage connections, landscape ...
Green Master Plan Leads to Stormwater Improvements at the Wrightsville Riverfront Park

Green Master Plan Leads to Stormwater Improvements at the Wrightsville Riverfront Park

Approximately three years ago, LandStudies (LSI) provided a green master plan, engineering, permitting, and related design services for “green infrastructure” improvements that will provide efficient management of urban stormwater runoff for Wrightsville Borough, York County, and improve the environmental function ...
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination is a Key Component of a Stormwater Management Program

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination is a Key Component of a Stormwater Management Program

A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) is made up of a series of stormwater management facilities, inlets, pipes, swales, and outfalls that collect and convey stormwater. Ultimately, many of these discharges end up in local waterways, where water quality ...
Spotlight on Success: Brubaker Run – Lime Spring Square Development

Spotlight on Success: Brubaker Run – Lime Spring Square Development

Back in April we first introduced you to the Brubaker Run – Lime Spring Square development project in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. LandStudies was brought in by Oak Tree Development Group to design this 11.5-acre floodplain restoration project on ...
Funding for Riparian Buffer Projects on your Property

Funding for Riparian Buffer Projects on your Property

So you want to plant a riparian buffer on your property but are wondering how to fund it? Thankfully there are several state and federal sources of funds that you may be eligible for and which we will detail here ...
Addressing Stormwater Management Requirements in MS4 Communities

Addressing Stormwater Management Requirements in MS4 Communities

To Manage Stormwater Runoff, Don’t Forget to Look in the Mirror A lot of the work of stormwater management for a permitted Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community deals with education and outreach to the public, developers, the construction ...
Native Plants Are a Valuable Addition to Your Landscape

Native Plants Are a Valuable Addition to Your Landscape

In the spring we discussed helpful tips for landscaping, one of which was choosing plants that are native to Pennsylvania. Now that fall is nearly upon us, with another good planting window opening up before winter (especially for trees and ...
plant trees

Fall is an Ideal Time to Plant Trees – Here’s Why

You might think that spring is the best time to plant trees, and while it is a perfectly good season to do so, fall can be an even better time. Why? Well, the rain and cooler temperatures we get here ...
LandStudies Kicks Off the Master Planning Process for Two Pennsylvania Communities

LandStudies Kicks Off the Master Planning Process for Two Pennsylvania Communities

What is a Master Plan? A master plan provides a long-term vision for one or more sites. LandStudies’ approach to master planning is to ensure that the built environment takes into consideration the ecological opportunities of a property  and maximize ...
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Getting the Public Involved in Stormwater Management

A Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) community’s Stormwater Management Program/Plan (SWMP) contains six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) for achieving their stormwater goals (as discussed in previous posts). In this article we will discuss MCM 1 – Public Education and ...
Meet Bob Gray, LandStudies' Newest Employee

Meet Bob Gray, LandStudies’ Newest Employee

We would like to introduce you to our newest employee, Bob Gray. Bob will be working on large scale stream restoration projects, multi-municipal pollution reduction plans, and municipal park restoration projects. He says that the work he will be doing ...
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MS4’s Versus MS3’s – What are the Differences?

As we’ve discussed in previous posts, a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) is a publicly-owned storm drain, pipe, ditch, or other means of collecting and transporting rain water (i.e. stormwater) from a town to an outfall that deposits the ...
Making Your Landscape More Drought Tolerant

Making Your Landscape More Drought Tolerant

Central Pennsylvania and much of the state has experienced a wet summer so far, with major storms and flooding in parts of the commonwealth. By this time of the summer in many years past, parts of the state were under ...
Make Sure Your Post Construction Stormwater Management (PCSM) Plan is Working

Make Sure Your Post Construction Stormwater Management (PCSM) Plan is Working

Any type of land development, such as the clearing and grading of land for the construction of a housing development, disturbs existing vegetation and soil, and increases the amount of impervious surface. This is turn increases the stormwater runoff that ...
Weed and Pest Control that Considers the Environment as a Whole

Weed and Pest Control that Considers the Environment as a Whole

What do you do when you want to control insect pests or weeds on a site but also want to be considerate of other plants and animals, as well as water quality concerns? You choose integrated pest management (IPM) or ...
plant trees

The Hows and Whys of Stormwater BMP Maintenance

The Stormwater Equipment Manufacturers Association (SWEMA) and the Chesapeake Stormwater Network found through separate studies that many (i.e. more than 50%) municipalities have no stormwater best management practices (BMP) maintenance program in place, and in many cases didn’t even know ...
LandStudies Promotes Economic Ecology

LandStudies Promotes Economic Ecology

In LandStudies’ trend-setting publication, Economic Ecology: Floodplain Restoration, twelve Pennsylvania case studies demonstrate the economic rewards of tackling environmental issues on a regional scale, specifically through floodplain restoration. We want municipalities throughout the commonwealth to benefit from the concepts of ...
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LandStudies to Assist the Eastern Delaware County Stormwater Collaborative with Development of a Pollution Reduction Plan

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For additional information contact Bob Gray at (717) 627-4440 ext. 134 or Bob@landstudies.com Philadelphia, PA – LandStudies, Inc., an ecology-focused engineering and landscape architecture company based in Lititz, PA, has been selected to help the Eastern Delaware ...
Maintaining Restoration Projects is Key to Long-lasting Success

Maintaining Restoration Projects is Key to Long-lasting Success

LandStudies recognizes the importance of long-term maintenance on our restoration and habitat creation projects. Without routine maintenance, installed vegetation may die, invasive plants and weeds can spread quickly, and green infrastructure may fail. Maintenance needs to be a well-thought out ...
Creating a Municipal Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Plan

Creating a Municipal Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Plan

Regulated small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) communities must complete six Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) as part of their MS4 (NPDES) permit, including an operations and maintenance plan. MCM 6 relates to “municipal operations” and deals with pollution prevention ...
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Recognizes LandStudies, Inc. as a Businesses For The Bay Founding Gold Member

(Annapolis, MD – June 6, 2017) – The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay recognizes LandStudies, Inc. as a Businesses for the Bay Founding Gold Member. LandStudies renewed their membership with a growing partnership of large and small businesses in the Chesapeake ...
Parks can Play a Major Role in Managing Stormwater

Parks can Play a Major Role in Managing Stormwater

As stated in LandStudies’ white paper, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), Municipalities, and Parks, “Park professionals see firsthand the impacts flooding can have on parks and surrounding areas. They may have to move park structures to higher ground before ...
EPA Tells Pa. to Cleanup Chesapeake Bay, or Else...

EPA Tells Pa. to Cleanup Chesapeake Bay, or Else…

By Karl Blankenship, Chesapeake Bay Journal Pennsylvania needs a realistic plan showing how it will provide enough funding and staff to dramatically ramp up its Chesapeake Bay pollution control efforts, or it could face a variety of potentially costly federal ...
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Long-Term Management, Including Invasive Plant Control, at Butterfly Acres

Butterfly Acres is a housing development located in Lititz Borough, PA. In years past, a stormwater drainage swale ran through the development that was not well-maintained. The swale experienced significant erosion, was not properly filtering run-off, and was dominated by ...
Preserving Compass and the other Mills of Lititz Run

Preserving Compass and the other Mills of Lititz Run

Radical improvements in the Lititz Run watershed have enhanced the water quality and transformed the stream’s riparian buffer. The project has received national recognition. This change began with a 1999 study by LandStudies, a Lititz-based consulting group. That study persuaded ...
Controlling Invasive Plants in Riparian Areas

Controlling Invasive Plants in Riparian Areas

LandStudies has designed and constructed numerous floodplain restoration and riparian buffer projects over the years. Countless hours are spent making sure the site looks and functions as close to pre-European settlement conditions as possible. But sometimes there’s a hitch... even ...
Landis Homes Residents Cherish Community’s Resources

Landis Homes Residents Cherish Community’s Resources

Charles Longenecker doesn’t give up easily, especially when it comes to preserving nature. When the retired Lancaster Mennonite biology teacher moved to Landis Homes 12 years ago, he decided to reintroduce native plants to Leaman Woods, a natural area of ...
Remarks of Mark Gutshall at Brubaker Run Floodplain Restoration Commencement Ceremony

Remarks of Mark Gutshall at Brubaker Run Floodplain Restoration Commencement Ceremony

Remarks of Mark Gutshall, Founder and Vice President of LandStudies, Inc.: I would like to thank everyone who came out for the Lime Spring Square – Brubaker Run Floodplain Restoration Commencement Ceremony on April 20, 2017. This project, which will restore ...
plant trees

Pollutant Reduction Plans are a New Requirement for Many MS4 Communities

Pollutant Reduction Plans (PRPs) are a new requirement for 2018 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permits/Notice of Intents (NOI). PRPs show how the municipality will reduce the pollutant loads going into a waterway. Any municipal separate storm sewer ...
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Managing Stormwater Runoff at the Municipal Level

If left unchecked, stormwater can add pollutants like soil, nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), and pathogens into our streams and rivers. This may lead to health impacts, unsightly and unpleasantly smelling waterways, and a degraded environment. That is why there are ...
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Employee Spotlight – Michael LaSala

Michael LaSala is a Senior Project Manager and a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Program Analyst. He provides technical assistance across all three LandStudies divisions: Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Science, and Construction. Mike has more than 20 years’ professional ...
LandStudies' Ryan Hartnett to Become Air Force Officer

LandStudies’ Ryan Hartnett to Become Air Force Officer

LandStudies would like to thank Ryan Hartnett for his contributions to our company and his service to the country. Ryan lives in Middletown with his wife, Rachel. Starting in March 2017, he moved to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, ...
Spring Planting

It’s Spring Planting Time: Are You Ready?

It’s spring, and that means it’s a great time for spring planting sprucing up your yard. Whether you are a homeowner, business owner, public works director, or park maintenance manager, the tips we’ll discuss in this article can help you ...
Two Community Parks, Linked by a Mutual Stream: Rife Run, A Restoration Story

Two Community Parks, Linked by a Mutual Stream: Rife Run, A Restoration Story

Rife Run, a tributary of Chiques Creek, runs through Lancaster County. Flooding along this stream, which flows through the hearts of Logan and Mummau parks in Manheim Borough, made it difficult to keep the parks maintained and open for use ...
Gutshall Appointed to Conservancy Land Protection Committee

Gutshall Appointed to Conservancy Land Protection Committee

LandStudies’ President, Kelly Gutshall, has been appointed to the Land Protection Committee for the Lancaster County Conservancy. This group of 14 professionals who meet bi-monthly, exists to guide and support the Lancaster County Conservancy’s board of directors and staff in ...
plant trees

Flooding Protection Via Green Infrastructure

As the rain falls, many communities across the country worry about the very real possibility of flooding. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), heavy downpours have increased in frequency and intensity over the last 50 years, and are expected ...
How Legacy Sediment Impacts Streams and Floodplains

How Legacy Sediment Impacts Streams and Floodplains

What is Legacy Sediment? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines legacy sediment as soil “that was eroded from upland areas after the arrival of early settlers and over the centuries of intensive land uses”, such as agriculture. This sediment accumulates ...
Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) and LandStudies, Inc. Team Chosen to  Prepare Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan for Paxton Creek

Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) and LandStudies, Inc. Team Chosen to Prepare Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Plan for Paxton Creek

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For additional information contact Christine Le at 717-627-4440 or christine@landstudies.com Harrisburg, PA – HRG, an employee-owned civil engineering and related services firm based in Harrisburg with offices across Pennsylvania, is partnering with Lititz-based LandStudies, Inc., a women-owned ...
Rock Lititz - FPR - Aerial during construction James Kreider

LandStudies Employee Profile: James Kreider

LandStudies has 30 staff who work on a variety of projects across south-central Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and beyond. In this and future web posts, we will highlight those staff who make our ecological restoration and design work possible. This ...
Wetlands

Wetlands Provide Numerous Benefits to Us

Over the years, LandStudies has worked on a variety of wetland creation and restoration projects across the greater Lancaster County area, which you can learn about here. This work is invaluable because wetlands are invaluable. They provide us with multiple ...
Cocalico Creek

A Pollutant Reduction Plan Helps Cocalico Creek Clean Up Its Act

Although you might not know it just by looking at it, the Cocalico Creek watershed has water quality issues. Located in Lebanon and north-central Lancaster counties, Cocalico Creek is a tributary of the Conestoga River, which then flows into the ...
Public-Private Partnerships

Public-Private Partnerships May Be Able to Solve Stormwater Problems

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and others are coming to the realization that public-private partnerships, or P3s, are one solution to regional problems like stormwater pollution. Going it alone is not always the best course of action, especially when it ...
Pollution Diet

Pollution Diet for the Chesapeake Bay is a Good Thing

TMDL is sometimes referred to as a pollution diet to help clean up a polluted waterbody. TMDL stands for Total Maximum Daily Load. It is the maximum amount of pollution a waterbody can receive and meet water quality standards. Unfortunately, ...
Don’t Just Plant Them and Leave Them Alone: Riparian Buffer Maintenance

Don’t Just Plant Them and Leave Them Alone: Riparian Buffer Maintenance

Routine maintenance is extremely important in order to ensure the long-term success and usefulness of a riparian buffer. Many people are putting time and energy into stream restoration. One way they do this is through the planting of riparian buffers ...
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Conservation Districts Discuss the Importance of Stormwater Management

This week, the winter meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) is taking place in State College. Looking at the agenda, it’s great to see that the Department of Environmental Protection’s stormwater program and potential changes to it ...
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Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) – What are they are and why do they matter?

LandStudies staff have noticed a trend in our business lately... 20 They are looking for technical expertise to help them write their MS4 Program documents and pollutant reduction plans (PRPs) and determine which best management practices (BMPs) will be most efficient ...
LandStudies Reaching out to Municipalities to Promote Economic Ecology

LandStudies Reaching out to Municipalities to Promote Economic Ecology

In LandStudies’ trend-setting publication, Economic Ecology™: Floodplain Restoration, twelve Pennsylvania case studies demonstrate the economic rewards of tackling environmental issues on a regional scale, specifically through floodplain restoration. LandStudies wants municipalities throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed and beyond to benefit ...
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

Kelly Gutshall Named to Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Board

LandStudies is pleased to announce that Kelly Gutshall was one of five newly elected members of the Board of Directors for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. Alliance Executive Director, Al Todd, announced, "I am delighted to welcome our new ...
B.R. Kreider & Son and LandStudies Recognized For Floodplain Restoration Project

B.R. Kreider & Son and LandStudies Recognized For Floodplain Restoration Project

Manheim, PA - B.R. Kreider & Son, Inc., an excavating, paving and site management company based in Manheim, Pa., and LandStudies, Inc., a landscape architecture firm based in Lititz, Pa., recently received two awards from the Associated Builders & Contractors ...
Big Spring Run Wetland

Wetland Revival at Big Spring Run

LandStudies was part of a collaborative effort to transform Big Spring Run into a new, thriving wetland ecosystem. Environmental engineers, geologists, botanists, landowners and F&M students provided 8 years of scientific research and monitoring that allowed LandStudies to design this ...
Logan Park Rife Run

Logan Park Rife Run Floodplain Restoration Project Awarded by ABC Keystone

LandStudies’ subcontractor, B.R. Kreider & Son, Inc., received an Excellence in Construction award on Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016 for their work on the Logan Park Rife Run Floodplain Restoration project. The awards were hosted by ABC Keystone, a local chapter ...
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Mike LaSala to Hold Seminar on Pennsylvania MS4s on November 10th, 2016

LandStudies’ Mike LaSala is presenting on Pennsylvania MS4s: Preparing TMDL Plans, Nutrient/Sediment Plans, and Chesapeake Bay Pollution Reduction Plans in Fort Washington, PA on November 10th, 2016. Understand stormwater permit requirements and procedures for small MS4s Determine when a TMDL ...
Upper Delaware Kayak

FREE Public Workshop – Friends of the Upper Delaware River

Do you care about the streams and creeks of Delaware County, NY? Want to learn more about why they are important and how you can protect them? If so, why not attend one of the FREE upcoming public workshops hosted ...
Gutshall to Speak at PA Recreation and Park Society Resource Operations Workshop

Gutshall to Speak at PA Recreation and Park Society Resource Operations Workshop

LandStudies’ Mark Gutshall will speak at the PA Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) Park Resource Operations Workshop on October 20 at Cabela’s in Hamburg, PA. This day-long event for recreation, school, and public works maintenance professionals features three tracks, one ...
LandStudies Featured in PA-DE ASLA 75th Anniversary Commemorative Publication

LandStudies Featured in PA-DE ASLA 75th Anniversary Commemorative Publication

LandStudies, Inc. was recently featured in the Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 75th Anniversary Commemorative Publication. The PA-DE ASLA Chapter reflected and celebrated its first 75 years by recognizing significant people, places and events that have ...
Landis Homes 'Friends of Woods and Wetlands' Group Admires Wetlands

Landis Homes ‘Friends of Woods and Wetlands’ Group Admires Wetlands

Landis Homes Retirement Community’s resident group, Friends of the Woods and Wetlands, finds enjoyment in getting outside and admiring the restored floodplain and natural areas LandStudies helped create.  https://www.facebook.com/LandisHomes/posts/10153821843802263 ...
Chesapeake Business Forum

The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Recognizes LandStudies, Inc. as a Businesses for the Bay Founding Gold Member

(Annapolis, MD – June 28, 2016) – The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay recognizes LandStudies, Inc. as a Businesses for the Bay Founding Gold Member. LandStudies, Inc. joins a growing partnership of large and small businesses in the Chesapeake Bay watershed ...