The Biological Surveys and Assessment Program (BSAP) is contracted by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to conduct field surveys of plants and animals at sites proposed for highway projects and natural areas statewide. This work ensures that transportation projects initiated through IDOT are in compliance with State and Federal environmental laws and regulations. Our mandate is to assess flora and fauna of planned project locations for potential impacts on natural resources, including protected species and habitats, so that IDOT can reduce or eliminate adverse environmental impacts during project development, design, and construction. While, specifically, our role is to determine the presence of threatened and endangered species at sites under consideration for IDOT projects, we also have the opportunity to conduct research pertaining to specific, often finite areas, focusing on the population dynamics of unique or otherwise rare populations, and individual species within those populations. The projects listed below highlight some of our research projects.
Biological Surveys and Assessment
Statewide Roadside Prairie Inventory
Eastern Richmond Bypass Botanical Surveys
Statewide Mollusk Surveys
Species Conservation
Bald Eagle Recovery
Redspotted Sunfish Propagation
Created Vernal Wetlands
Research
Avian Research
Mammalian Research
Crayfish Biology
Freshwater Mollusks
Annelid Research
Vegetation Ecology