Christopher Keene earned his degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Biology from Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia. Chris has almost ten years of professional environmental experience conducting wetland monitoring, ecological field surveys, habitat assessments, and land management activities in a variety of upland, wetland, and submerged aquatic habitats throughout South and Central Florida. Chris regularly participates in projects involving baseline and impact assessments for wetlands, wildlife, vegetation, soils, and overall ecological function. Christopher is an FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agent, FDACS licensed Commercial Applicator with certifications in aquatic and natural areas, FDEP Certified Stormwater Management Inspector, a certified Wildlands Fire Fighter, and is trained in the use of SWFWMD’s Wetland Assessment Procedure and has been MSHA safety certified.

Chris is skilled in every aspect of vegetation monitoring and reporting, including the development and implementation of monitoring methods, transect and sample station set-up, and field data collection, followed by detailed data analysis and reporting. His experience with field data collection includes plant taxonomy, vegetation composition and cover, hydrologic data recording, wildlife utilization, nuisance and exotic species presence, and the overall assessment of habitat management needs. Chris is involved in most aspects of habitat restoration and long-term management for a variety of habitats and species including gopher tortoise, southeastern American kestrel, burrowing owl, Florida scrub-jay, white-tailed deer, sandhill crane, crested caracara, sand skink, and more. He conducts and oversees habitat restoration and maintenance through the application of herbicides, the mechanical removal of overgrown canopy and undesirable vegetation, and by serving as a burn crew member for prescribed fires. He frequently directs permit compliance and construction oversight activities for equipment operators, planting and herbicide crews, and land managers for mitigation banks and public conservation lands.

Chris performs permit compliance tasks under federal, state, and local permits covering projects involving wetland impacts and mitigation monitoring for commercial, residential, public works, transportation and utilities. He is proficient in the use of ArcMap and creates GIS databases, maps and figures for permit applications, ecosystem management plans, and baseline studies by utilizing database searches, historical and current aerial imagery, available data layers, and data collected in the field.