Our Staff
Aqua Sierra, Inc.'s staff is the best, as our clients have become accustomed to top-notch service. Our firm is comprised of biologists that encompasses a very wide range of disiplines. This is considered important to the creative and comprehensive management of our projects. Here's the team that makes us who we are:
William Logan - President & Certified Biologist
Mr. Logan brings over 24 years of experience in fisheries, wildlife, range, and soils management to bear on individual project assessment, planning and implementation. The variety of projects initiated and managed by Bill Logan includes: salmon, shrimp, prawn, and tilapia aquaculture system design, construction, and management; aquaculture, wastewater, and lake system aeration design and installation; stream and lake habitat assessment and reconstruction; fish population assessment, management, and stocking; and wetlands management/mitigation planning.
Mr. Logan is the author of several publications on natural resource management and evaluation. Aquatic survey work includes high level environmental impact assessment incorporating habitat evaluation, water quality and chemistry determination, aquatic invertebrate analysis, mitigation formulation, and expert witness testimony.
As an aquaculture engineer, Mr. Logan has designed shrimp and fish production and hatchery units, and has incorporated the latest state-of-the-art technology to purify and aerate water, thereby enhancing animal densities to their maximum potential. Mr. Logan has extensive training as a fish pathologist and nutritionist and has been called upon to diagnose disease outbreaks, assess fish kills, and prescribe a variety of treatments to resolve disease problems. The broad background in education and experience in natural resource management, particularly in fisheries, is outlined in the following experience summaries.
Robert H. Forsyth - Aquaculture Systems Engineer
Mr. Forsyth has a twenty-five year engineering background including project management, R&D, machine/system design, manufacturing, field service, system compliance testing and drafting. Mr. Forsyth has provided complete engineering and project management services for the aquaculture industry. This experience includes: process design and operational specifications; mechanical design and equipment specifications; construction and operation cost estimates; project bid documentation and scheduling; supervision of equipment installation; system start up and trouble shooting; operator training; and operational data management and analysis.
Mr. Forsyth co-developed with Aqua Sierra Inc. a computer model for the design and operation of aquaculture systems. Mr. Forsyth has been responsible for new product development, field-testing and patenting. He has been involved with international corporate planning and market development strategies such as engineering and manufacturing water treatment systems employing a patented state of the art UV ozone generator. In order to meet US Army Corps of Engineers certification requirements, he has developed computer programs for equipment test data analysis and reporting, developed product testing specifications, equipment and procedures. Mr. Forsyth has engineered water and a wastewater treatment system employing patented aeration and emulsion systems, and has helped develop an oxygen diffuser cleaning apparatus. Mr. Forsyth participated in the development and patents of mineral processing equipment utilizing FMC-EED "fine bubble" technology and provided technical assistance for new product patent applications. He is proficient at equipment modification for custom applications, product improvement and manufacturing cost reductions. Mr. Forsyth has developed a program to utilize surplus inventory and initiated drafting department procedures to improve drawing production efficiency and inter-departmental document processing. Mr. Forsyth is also proficient at structural steel design, detailing, material lists, underground conduit layout and equipment installation drawings.
Joshua B. Nehring - Operations Manager & Fisheries Biologist
Mr. Nehring graduated with a Fisheries Biology degree from Colorado State University and brings six years of aquatic management experience to Aqua Sierra. He has been intimately involved in the recovery and management of several threatened or endangered species including the boreal toad, greenback cutthroat trout, and the lake chub. He has been involved in the design, planning and implementation of several stream habitat improvement projects on the Michigan river in North Park, as well as the North and South Platte Rivers. He has executed the reclamation of East Delaney Butte and several ponds for Boulder Open Space. Mr. Nehring has conducted several creel surveys in the North Park region of Colorado and has extensive experience sampling fish and herpitile populations. He is very knowledgeable on the current situation of whirling disease and the research that is taking place to manage this devastating disease.
Over the past six years with Aqua Sierra, Mr. Nehring has assisted hundreds of our clients with their aquatic resources. Mr. Nehring has excellent AutoCAD capabilities enabling him to efficiently design a wide array of water treatment equipment, as well as stream and lake habitat features that are ready for construction and / or competitive bids. He is responsible for the evaluation, monitoring and management of both warm and cold water fisheries. His broad background and experience in fisheries and water quality assessment has allowed him to come up with creative techniques and procedures to managing all types of aquatic resources.
Kendra L. Holmes - Office Manager & Fisheries Biologist
Ms. Holmes graduated with a degree in Aquatic Biology and Fisheries and brings three years of aquatic field and laboratory research experience to Aqua Sierra, Inc. She has conducted fish population assessments in rivers, lakes and tributaries using seines and electro-fishing equipment. This included field data collection, game fish tagging, field and laboratory identification, and data analysis. She has also assisted in aquatic invertebrate and mussel population surveys.
Ms. Holmes is actively involved in the management of lakes, ponds, and streams. Her primary responsibilities include educating clients on fisheries management, performing physical, biological, and chemical surveys and assessments, providing stocking recommendations, and transporting and stocking warm and cold water game and non-game species. She is involved in nuisance aquatic vegetation management, aeration, ozone and bacterial injection system design and installation, pond/lake design, and aquatic habitat improvement projects. Kendra also initiates client contact and maintains ensuing relations as part of her fisheries and water quality management.
Brandon Mix - Fisheries Biologist
Mr. Mix has a Wildlife and Fisheries Biology degree and brings two years experience in aquaculture system design and water quality assessment to Aqua Sierra, Inc. He has been intimately involved with Colorado State University's study on the endangered Colorado pike minnow population in the Colorado River drainage system through electro shocking. He has extensive knowledge of identification and sampling methods for both marine and freshwater fish species. Mr. Mix spent several months collecting marine fisheries data in the Bering Sea off the coast of Alaska. Mr. Mix conducted several creel surveys as well as stocking and sampling of fisheries for the Jicarilla Apache Indian reservation in Northern New Mexico.
Mr. Mix is primarily responsible for the evaluation and management of both warm and cold water fisheries. This often involves the design, installation and maintenance of our ozone-enhanced aeration and bacterial injection systems to improve and sustain quality fisheries. He is very efficient in the planning and execution of lake and stream population estimates. He oversees the design and implementation of lake and stream habitat improvement projects as well.
Brian Shipley - Installation Maintenance Supervisor
Mr. Shipley has over ten years of experience in fisheries and aquatic management. Other experience includes outfitting as a guide and fly fishing instructor. Various projects undertaken as aquaculture and fisheries technician include seining fish, hauling and stocking warm and cold-water fish species, water quality analysis, chemical weed treatments, and lake restoration. Aquatic resource management efforts include sampling of lakes and streams for fishery evaluation, population estimates, habitat assessment and aquatic plant and invertebrate analysis. Mr. Shipley has been instrumental in evaluation of aquatic resources for application of aeration diffusion in wastewater and sport lake systems, aeration system installation, and maintenance.
Bill McBride - Maintenance Technician
Mr. McBride has been with Aqua Sierra, Inc. for over seven years and is critical to the final build end of our treatment system designs. His troubleshooting abilities have become extremely valuable during his scheduled quarterly and biannual maintenance visits for our clients. During his maintenance visits he often meets with the client / owner to answer questions regarding the pond or the equipment that has been installed. Occasionally our clients will inquire about other treatment options and / or chemical applications which Mr. McBride can answer at that time. This eliminates the lag time between our customers questions and the final answer. Mr. McBride has a good working knowledge on the biology and delicate balance of all aquatic resources. Along with Brian Shipley, Mr. McBride is the eyes and ears of our company as they typically experience the highest client interaction as they perform maintenance on the treatment systems that have been installed.
Lester "Buzz" MacKenzie - Procurement Manager
Ask for Lester if you think you have something *we* need.
