HELIX is now offering dry season fairy shrimp analysis. Many of the fairy shrimp found in southern California are listed as endangered or threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. These protected invertebrates live primarily in seasonal wetlands that fill with water during the winter and dry up in spring and summer.

If these vernal pools or ephemeral basins exist on your project site, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protocol requires that a complete fairy shrimp survey be conducted. Caught off-guard, this has the potential to slow down your project, but with the right partner, surveys can be conducted to keep your project in compliance and on schedule.

The fairy shrimp survey is required to span two seasons – either two wet seasons, or one wet season and one dry season. Conducting dry season sampling can expedite the process by eliminating one of the wet season surveys. In ideal circumstances, it is even possible to do both surveys in less than a year, giving that time back to you and your project.

HELIX is now one of the few organizations authorized to collect and analyze dry season soil samples for fairy shrimp surveys, and we do this in house avoiding project delays and additional costs. The dry season is underway so it’s the perfect time to plan and schedule your fairy shrimp survey. To discuss your project, simply contact Tom Huffman, Biological Resources Division Manager, at TomH@helixepi.com or 619.462.1515, ext. 212.