EPG - Staff


	EPG STAFF - PRINCIPALS AND MANAGEMENT Garlyn Bergdale - President Randy Palmer - Principal Lauren Weinstein - Principal Mickey Siegel - Principal Paul Trenter - Principal Glenn Darrington - Director Scott Peters - Director Scott Woods - Director E. Linwood Smith - Director Michael Doyle - Director Garlyn Bergdale - President Garlyn Bergdale has more than 31 years of consulting experience and is the president and CEO of EPG. He has participated in more than 100 projects including studies in 19 states and Canada. For both public and private sector clients in the Southwest, he has served as principal-in-charge, project director, manager, advisor, coordinator, and technical expert and as a result is familiar with federal, state, and local data requirements, permitting/licensing requirements, and agency representatives. Prior to establishing EPG, Mr. Bergdale was a partner and vice president with Dames & Moore and a vice president with Wirth Associates, where he earned widespread recognition by agencies, regulatory bodies, industry, and other planners as an authority in environmental planning and, in particular, infrastructure and facility siting studies. Speaking engagements and lectures by Mr. Bergdale have focused on site and route selection, public planning, environmental permitting, visual resources, and environmental justice. Mr. Bergdale has testified on numerous projects before state regulatory agencies in Arizona, California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, and in addition, has been a panel member for BLM Administration Hearings. Mr. Bergdale holds a master's degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and is a Registered Landscape Architect. back to top Randy Palmer - Principal Randy Palmer is a principal, founding partner, and senior project manager at EPG. He has more than 26 years of experience as an environmental planner, land use and visual resource specialist, and landscape architect. His expertise is in the oversight, management, and coordination of multi-disciplinary environmental planning and design studies. This experience has been focused on the West, Midwest, and Canada, including projects in 17 states including work in Alaska and Hawaii, with a special emphasis on the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain regions. Overall, Mr. Palmer has managed and/or coordinated the preparation of environmental and planning studies for more than 40 projects, ranging in size from small land development and infrastructure studies up to multi-state regional planning efforts. The locations of these projects range dramatically from highly developed urban sites to rural and agricultural study areas and remote wilderness settings. Through this experience, Mr. Palmer has gained an in-depth knowledge of regulatory and permitting conditions ranging from the application of federal standards (National Environmental Policy Act) to state and municipal requirements. In addition, he is thoroughly familiar with policies governing the BLM, Forest Service, National Park Service, BIA, and numerous Native American tribes. Prior to assisting in the establishment of EPG in 1999, Mr. Palmer served with Dames & Moore for 15 years. Mr. Palmer has a bachelor's degree in Outdoor Recreation/Landscape Architecture and a master's degree in Landscape Architecture. back to top Lauren Weinstein - Principal Lauren Weinstein is a principal, founding partner, and senior manager at EPG. She has more than 25 years of experience as a project manager and environmental planner and has managed numerous environmental planning and assessment projects including EAs, EISs, plan amendments, facility siting studies, recreation planning projects, and state applications, among others, for a variety of private and public sector clients. Ms. Weinstein also has provided expert testimony before state government on several occasions. Ms. Weinstein's experience includes management of environmental planning and assessment, resource, and recreation projects involving various agencies such as the BLM, Forest Service, BIA, Native American tribes, Department of Energy, Army Corps of Engineers, and Federal Highway Administration, along with other agencies. She has managed multidisciplinary projects in both rural and urban areas, statewide, and multi-state. Projects have ranged from infrastructure to natural resource planning. Prior to EPG, Ms. Weinstein was with Dames & Moore for 13 years and held another consulting position for 3 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Resource Planning and Management. back to top Mickey Siegel - Principal Mr. Siegel over 26 years of experience as project manager, environmental planner, and land use specialist. His expertise is in impact analysis and documentation for major energy, utility, transportation, and natural resource development projects. He has worked extensively in Arizona, California, and throughout the West. In addition to preparing numerous applications for state certificates of environmental compatibility (CECs), he has on 10 occasions provided expert testimony before the Arizona State Siting Committee. Mr. Siegel's experience includes numerous NEPA compliance projects including EAs and EISs. The majority of these projects have been third-party assignments directed by the BLM, BIA, Forest Service, Department of Energy, Federal Highway Administration or other lead agencies, and typically involve extensive coordination with federal, tribal, state, and municipal government agencies. Mr. Siegel has also provided third-party review services under BIA and BLM direction. As a principal and senior project manager at EPG, Mr. Siegel currently directs interdisciplinary teams for environmental impact and facility siting study projects. Prior to joining EPG during its formation in 1999, Mr. Siegel served with Dames & Moore for 14 years. Previously, he held other positions in consulting and local government. Mr. Siegel holds a master's degree in Urban Planning. back to top Paul Trenter - Principal Mr. Trenter is a principal, founding partner, and senior project manager at EPG. He has participated in more than 60 planning and permitting projects throughout the western United States. In this capacity, he has provided over 21 years of management and coordination of multidisciplinary environmental studies for major energy, utility, pipeline, infrastructure development, and transportation projects. Mr. Trenter's expertise lies in planning and permitting projects that require federal, state, and local governmental approvals. He has completed numerous NEPA compliance projects, including EAs and EISs, and also has provided expert testimony at state hearings on a number of occasions. He has completed federal, state, and local-based permitting studies in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Mr. Trenter also serves as a visual resource, land use, and recreational advisor, and directs data management activities including applications of computer technology for environmental planning, inventory, assessment, mitigation, design, monitoring, and visual simulations. Mr. Trenter currently is responsible for the management of a number multidisciplinary utility facility siting projects. Prior to joining EPG, Mr. Trenter was with Dames & Moore for 10 years, where he had similar responsibilities. He has a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. back to top Glenn Darrington, PhD - Director of Cultural Resources Dr. Darrington is a Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA ID #11199) who has conducted more than 150 cultural resource survey, testing, monitoring, data recovery, and inspection/monitoring/restoration projects in Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas, and has assisted in analysis and report preparation for projects conducted throughout the intermountain West and Alaska. He has participated in a wide range of projects for local, state, and federal agencies, as well as major utilities for private developers and Native American tribes. This includes projects involving electrical generation facilities, high-voltage transmission lines, mining operations, natural gas pipelines, telecommunication facilities, transportation projects, and studies for the U.S. Department of Defense. In addition, Dr. Darrington has served as a Compliance Inspection Contractor (CIC) for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). His experience includes gathering data from state and federal agencies in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico including the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona State Museum, Arizona Historical Society Library and Archives, Arizona State Library Archives and Public Records, New Mexico Lab of Anthropology, Forest Service, and the BLM. Over the last four years, Dr. Darrington has been involved in environmental inspections/monitoring/restoration/NEPA work on over 30 projects. These have included environmental assessments (EAs), biological monitoring during construction, biological surveys for Mojave Desert Tortoise and desert succulents, a substation and transmission line route selection study, post-construction restoration projects, post-construction survivability studies for native plants, and CIC for linear utility facilities in the Southwest. Since 2000, Dr. Darrington has served as director of EPG’s Cultural Resource Division, responsible for managing cultural resource staff in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. He has been a principal investigator and senior reviewer on over 50 cultural resource studies, provided expert testimony in support of energy generation projects, and coordinated Native American contact programs. Dr. Darrington is also a co-founder of the San Simon Research Project and serves as its professional historic archaeological consultant. back to top Scott Peters, RLA, ASLA - Director of Design Services Mr. Peters is a Registered Landscape Architect (Arizona No. 35240, Nevada No. 587, and Utah No. 290266-5301) with experience in rehabilitation, site and visual analysis, master planning, community planning, landscape design, construction documentation, construction administration, and public participation. He is responsible for managing the landscape architecture and design services at EPG, project management, and coordinating with clients, consultants, the public, and EPG's interdisciplinary specialists. Over the course of his career, Mr. Peters has applied his knowledge of presentation graphics, master planning, grading and drainage, layout and materials, site detailing, and planting and irrigation design to the development of comprehensive community plans and master planned communities; parks, open spaces, and recreational corridors; commercial, industrial, educational, and medical facilities; resorts; interpretive facilities; and streetscape projects. In addition to his professional work, Mr. Peters has participated in a number of community organizations. He currently serves on the Valley Forward Association's Executive and Water Committees. As part of the Water Committee, he is working on a regional trail system that will link the valley's regional parks, riparian corridors, and other major trails and destination areas. Mr. Peters is a past Board member of the City of Tempe Design Review Board and the Tempe Arts Center and served on the Tempe Beautification Awards 2000 committee. He is fluent in Spanish and has a bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture. back to top Scott Woods - Director of IT Services Mr. Woods has over 16 years of geographic information systems (GIS) and information technology (IT) experience with both private clients and local governmental agencies. He is proficient in the design, implementation, and management of interdisciplinary planning, engineering, and environmental projects using the full suite of ESRI GIS database, mapping, analysis, and application and internet development software. Other areas of expertise include NT system administration, web site administration and design, database management, and document management systems. Mr. Woods' current duties include overseeing all GIS/IT activities: office-wide administration of the LAN and four NT Servers including maintenance, administration, hardware/software evaluation and procurement; GIS/IT project development, design, implementation, and management. Mr. Woods is active in the local and state GIS communities and is a current member of AGIC and ASPRS. Mr. Woods has a bachelor's degree in Geography with an emphasis in Environmental Studies. back to top E. Linwood Smith, PhD Director of Tucson Office and Biological Resources Dr. Smith has more than 34 years of experience in the consulting industry. Dr. Smith's formal training is in terrestrial vertebrate ecology. As Director of EPG’s Tucson office, he manages the biological services group. The group of professional biologists have an average of 15 years of experience. Dr. Smith's experience with siting and permitting projects is extensive. Involvement in these projects has included contributions to the preparation of permitting documents, sensitive species clearance studies, and long-term studies of impacts to individual species. Over the course of his career he has worked on many of the major transmission line systems that have been permitted in the Southwest. Dr. Smith has also provided expert testimony to the Arizona State Siting Committee, recently testified in Federal District Court in a BLM trespass case, and provided testimony to the "God Squad" on Northern Spotted Owls in federal court in Portland, Oregon. Prior to joining EPG, Dr. Smith served as the Director of the Biological Resources Study Group for Dames & Moore's Intermountain Region. He also served as Dames & Moore's, and later URS Corporation's, managing principal-in-charge of Tucson operations. Earlier, he founded and managed E. Linwood Smith & Associates, a small, successful biological consulting firm in Tucson, Arizona, where he regularly served as a consultant for numerous studies in the West, Southwest, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Alaska, and Guam. Dr. Smith has a doctorate in Zoology. back to top Michael Doyle, AICP, RLA Director of Salt Lake City Office Mr. Doyle is a Registered Landscape Architect and environmental planner with over 16 years of experience in environmental planning, landscape architecture, and recreation planning. As Director of EPG’s Salt Lake City Office he oversees projects throughout the Intermountain West. Mr. Doyle has managed and/or coordinated the preparation of environmental and planning studies for more than 25 projects in the western U.S. that involve urban and rural settings, and nationally known recreation resources. He has extensive experience with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation including EISs, EAs and Categorical Exclusions. He has worked with federal agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, BLM, BIA, National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation. Mr. Doyle’s range of project experience includes urban parks and trail systems, utility infrastructure and siting studies, public art, and transportation studies. He recently served as the Chair of the Public Art Committee for the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Commission. He has published articles on the integration of canals, utility infrastructure, and public art in magazines such as Landscape Architecture and SHADE. He holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Design and a Master of Landscape Architecture degree. back to top