Education
B.S. Natural Resource Management (1979) - Rutgers University
Professional Certifications
Professional Wetland Scientist (SWS)
Qualified Bog Turtle Surveyor in New York & New Jersey (USFWS)
Wetland Construction and Restoration (WTI)
Qualified Ornithologist (NJDEP)
Habitat Evaluation Procedure (USFWS)
Health and Safety for Hazardous Waste Site Investigation Personnel (NJ/NY HMWTC)
Areas of Expertise
Aquatic, Wetlands, and Terrestrial Ecology
Threatened and Endangered Species
Wetlands Construction and Restoration
Environmental Impact Assessment and Mitigation Planning
Project Management
Expert Testimony
Summary of Experience
Mr. Kovacs is a Senior Vice President with EcolSciences, Inc. with over 35 years experience spanning thousands of projects in the environmental consulting field. Mr. Kovacs has been certified as a Professional Wetlands Scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists and is recognized as Qualified Bog Turtle Surveyor by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. His expertise lies in the inventory and evaluation of terrestrial, aquatic, and wetland systems, and the assessment and mitigation of impacts associated with major development. Mr. Kovacs has managed and has participated in a wide variety of comprehensive ecological field studies involving the capture and identification of aquatic/terrestrial vertebrate and invertebrate animal species, particularly threatened and endangered species. He directed one of the largest threatened and endangered species field studies in the New Jersey Pinelands, which included the capture of 36 northern pine snakes and the radio-tracking of 16 of the snakes. Mr. Kovacs has extensive experience in the New York/New Jersey region and is involved with a wide variety of development projects involving complex regulatory issues on a daily basis. He has conducted studies in conjunction with Environmental Impact Statements prepared in accordance with the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and the New York City Environmental Quality Review Act (CEQR). One of these projects involved the largest vacant tract of industrially-zoned land in New York City. In addition, Mr. Kovacs has prepared numerous applications for projects within New Jersey's coastal and meadowlands areas under the state's Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA), Waterfront Development statutes, and federal Section 10 and 404 wetlands regulatory programs. He routinely represents clients during permit negotiations with the state and federal regulatory agencies and provides expert testimony on a wide range of environmental matters.