Mr. Ippolito is a wildlife biologist and field naturalist with experience in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem characterization, sampling, and in-depth investigations. Mr. Ippolito has participated in a variety of field studies related to ecological and natural resource damage assessments, involving the following activities: conducted habitat characterizations, radio telemetry, bird banding, mist netting, rocket netted waterfowl/turkey, forest density measurements, stream mapping, electro fishing, wetland delineation, population surveys, fish sampling, benthic and plankton sampling, small mammal trapping, population calculations, pit-fall traps, mammal tracking, and herp arrays. He also has mammal, amphibian, reptile, bird, fish, invertebrate, and woody plant identification skills.
Among the projects that Mr. Ippolito has conducted are the extensive ecological studies along a river in Massachusetts, which included observation and documentation of largemouth bass reproductive success, locating and monitoring American robin nests for reproductive success, small mammal trapping, evaluating wood frog metamorphosis, and preparing, maintaining, and observing mink scent stations. Mr. Ippolito has also worked on a grassland bird project in Iowa, evaluating the effects of harvesting switch grass on grassland birds. The study included nest searches, nest monitoring, artificial nest creation and monitoring, and vegetation sampling around the nests.
Conducted detailed observations of great blue heron behavioral traits including nesting behavior, mating behavior, and reproductive endpoints over a three-year period. Assisted in obtaining the federal permits required to conduct the observations and participated in presenting the findings to federal regulatory personnel.
Conducted habitat assessments as part of the remedial design and reconstruction of various habitats along a 40-mile stretch on a large waterway in the northeastern United States. Assisted in identifying flora and fauna, conducted detailed enumeration of plant species within wetland and SAV communities, coordinated and conducted wood duck nest cavity/nest box searches, conducted terrestrial vertebrate point count surveys, provided logistical support to ensure the field program was completed on time and on budget, assisted in the evaluation of the data and report preparation that was submitted to state and federal regulatory agencies, field team leader for the habitat suitability index work which included assisting in work plan preparation, assisting in coordinating and supervising field activities, and ensuring field procedures are completed in accordance with the SAP and QAPP.
Assisted in a sediment quality triad study that consisted of sampling sediment using diver assistance from a large waterway in the northeastern United States.
Field team leader for the small mammal and soil invertebrate portions of field work that consisted of trapping small mammals, collecting soil invertebrates, tundra soil samples, benthic macroinvertebrates, and herbaceous vegetation along the Delong Mountain Regional Transportation System on the western edge of the Brooks Range as part of a risk assessment assessing human health and the environment required by the state. Prepared the small mammal standard operating procedure that is used company-wide for this project and others.
Field team leader for the small mammal portion of field work which consisted of collecting soil samples, sediment samples, forage fish samples, fiddler crabs, invertebrates, herbaceous vegetation, and trapping small mammals in the marsh and intertidal portions of the Raritan River as part of a baseline ecological risk assessment and feasibility study under CERCLA.
Field team leader at an Indiana site responsible for collecting soil and sediment samples, coordinating and supervising field activities, ensuring field procedures were completed in accordance with the SAP and QAPP, authorizing and documenting minor adjustments to the SAP in response to field conditions as necessary, ensuring that the field program was completed on time and on budget, tracking submittal and receipt of samples at the laboratory, and initiating chain-of-custody/sample analysis request forms.
Assisted in trapping small mammals, collected amphibians, forage fish samples, crustacean species, soil samples, sediment samples, water samples, and soil invertebrates as part of an ecological risk assessment in Mississippi.
Field team leader on the Delaware Bay responsible for collecting oyster samples from several locations, coordinating and supervising field activities, ensure field procedures are completed in accordance with the SAP and QAPP, authorize and document minor adjustments to the SAP in response to field conditions as necessary, ensure the field program was completed on time and on budget, track submittal and receipt of samples at the laboratory, and initiate chain-of-custody/sample analysis request forms.
Assisted in coordinating field activities once on site along with collecting fish using gill nets, jigging poles and bare hands, performed fish dissections, collected sub tidal clams, sub tidal sediment, and collected water samples in Alaska. Clams were collected using both divers and field crews along tidal flats.
Assisted in collecting soil samples, sediment samples, wetland delineation, identification of flora and fauna, water samples, assisted in coordinating and supervising field activities, ensure field procedures were completed in accordance with the SAP and QAPP, and to ensure the field program was completed on time and on budget as part of an ecological risk assessment in Massachusetts.
Assisted in collecting dust samples to determine lead concentrations on various surfaces inside a residential home.
Assisted in collecting sediment samples, assisted in coordinating and supervising field activities, and assisted in ensuring field procedures were completed in accordance with the SAP and QAPP on Nine Mile Creek, Onondaga, NY. Samples were collected to fill gaps in existing data.
Assisted in recruiting townspeople to take part in a large scale arsenic biomonitoring study to determine exposure levels near a processing plant. Assisted in gathering and preparing supplies for the field study. Assisted in collecting urine, fingernail, and vegetable samples for analysis.
Assisted in making detailed observations of largemouth bass and monitored growth and success of broods, performed nest searches and monitored American Robin nests, trapped and tagged small mammals, collected and monitored amphibians from enclosures, and set up, maintained and monitored mink scent stations on the Housatonic River in Pittsfield, MA. Largemouth bass data was used to evaluate habitat conditions and assess largemouth bass population structure. American Robin data was used to evaluate productivity of American Robins exposed to contaminants. Small mammal data was used to determine breeding populations of exposed and non-exposed mammals. Amphibian data was used to evaluate growth and development of the offspring of amphibians that were exposed to contaminants. Data collected from the mink scent stations was used to evaluate mink populations along the river. Data from this project under went peer review.
Performed nest searches, monitored grassland bird nests, conducted point count surveys for grassland bird species, set up and monitored artificial bird nests for predation, and assisted in vegetation sampling around nest sites as part of a study determining the effect of switchgrass harvesting on grassland birds in Chariton, Iowa.