KECE has more than forty-years of experience contributing to, or leading teams of experts conducting reconnaissance and analysis of environmental disasters.
- On August 10, 1993 a rare collision of three ships in Tampa Bay, Florida USA resulted in a spill of 336,000 gallons of fuel oil. KECE worked with the agencies during the spill to reduce impacts to natural resources including seagrasses and mangroves and later conducted post-spill cleanup assessments.
- On August 13, 2004 the South Seas Resort on the north end of Captiva Island in Lee County, Florida, was severely impacted when it suffered a direct hit by Hurricane Charley’s 145 mph winds and higher gusts. The majority of the mangrove forests on Captiva Island were severely damaged with more than 90% of the canopy destroyed and mortalities up to 98% throughout. The majority of the mangrove vegetation was tightly packed debris on the forest floor ranging from 150 to 200 tons per acre post-hurricane. KECE designed, permitted and managed the highly successful restoration of these mangrove wetlands. (More information)
- As part of the global response to the December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster, the Ramsar Convention asked Wetlands International to coordinate efforts to bring together scientifically sound advice on wetlands in the region in order to assist governments in choosing the most effective response measures. Kevin Erwin moderated an intranet discussion forum on Coastal Wetland Assessment and Ecological Restoration to encourage appropriate technical discussions and enhance the communication of specialists and dissemination of relevant information. The goals of this group were to discuss topics related specifically to coastal wetland ecosystem assessment and ecological restoration such as pre-tsunami/pre-development baseline information, relevant methods of assessment, synthesis of pertinent literature, ecological histories of damaged and un-damaged sites, potential restoration scenarios and costs. It also aimed to build a network of qualified specialists and people interested in these issues. (More information)