Meet Rick:
For the last 27 years, Rick has worked and owned a business located in Woodstock. He and his family moved to Waleska in 2006.
Family:
Married to Patricia (Patti) Dillingham Whiteside, they will celebrate their 32nd anniversary on September 26th. Rick and Patti have four adult children and seven precious grandchildren. The newest addition to their family is their six-month-old Labrador puppy, True.
The Whiteside’s are members of Canton First Baptist Church.
Education:
Ph.D., Wildlife Science, Texas Tech University, 1982
M.S., Wildlife Ecology, Mississippi State University, 1979
B.S., Economic Zoology, Clemson University, 1977
Certifications:
Certified, Wildlife Biologist, The Wildlife Society
Certified, Senior Ecologist, Ecological Society of America
Certified, Habitat Evaluation Procedures, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Certified, Geographic Information System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Military Service:
Captain, US Army, 1983 – 1986 active duty
Environmental Science Officer
Professional Memberships and Associations:
Society of Wetland Scientist
The Wildlife Society
Ecological Society of America
Georgia Environmental Restoration Association, Past President/Regulatory Chairman
Community Involvement:
Cherokee County Planning Commission, 14 years. (2010 to present), served as Vice Chairman since 2019.
Cherokee Chamber of Commerce, current member, served on the Board of Directors from 2012 to 2014. Monthly “Green Tip” Sponsor.
2010 Graduate, Leadership Cherokee
Reinhardt University, 2009- 2010 A-Day Chair, Former President’s Council Member.
Woodstock Rotary Club, Former Member and Past President.
Career History:
2013 – Present—Corblu Ecology Group, Woodstock, Georgia – President/Chief Operating Officer
1998 – 2013 – Wetland & Ecological Consultants, LLC, Woodstock, Georgia – Managing Member
1986 - 1998—Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc., Kennesaw, Georgia and Seattle, Washington – Assistant Vice President.
1983 – 1986—U. S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency, Water Quality Engineering Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland – Captain, Environmental Science Officer
1979 – 1982—Texas Tech University, Department of Range and Wildlife, Lubbock, Texas - Research Assistant
1977 – 1979—Mississippi State University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Starkville, Mississippi - Research Assistant
1977—U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama - Biologist
CAREER SUMMARY
Dr. Whiteside is the co-founder and President of Corblu Ecology Group (CEG). Prior to the formation of CEG in 2013, he was the owner/managing member of Wetland and Ecological Consultants for 14 years and an Assistant Vice President at Wood, formerly known as AMEC and Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. for 12 years.
Dr. Whiteside has over thirty-five years of experience in conducting and directing natural resources and ecological investigations and studies, including protected species. He has extensive experience in wildlife - land use relationships, land use analyses, terrestrial and aquatic environmental assessments, and outdoor recreation/socio-economic evaluations. He has conducted and/or directed over 500 comprehensive environmental assessments within the major ecosystem of the southeast, northeast, southwest and western United States, and Alaska. Dr. Whiteside also has international natural resource experience in Puerto Rico and Kenya, Africa. Dr. Whiteside serves as a natural resource consultant to private sector (commercial and industrial) and public sector clients (state and municipal governments).
Dr. Whiteside worked for the U.S. Army Environmental Hygiene Agency (USAEHA) in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (Captain, U.S. Army – Active Duty) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Mobile Alabama (Biologist). At USAEHA his primary responsibilities include conducting and directing various environmental impact assessments, wetland classifications, protected species evaluations, aquatic bioassays and hazardous waste exposure (fish and wildlife) studies on Department of Defense installations and civil works projects throughout the country.
Dr. Whiteside has additional technical experience at Mississippi State University and Texas Tech University where he served as a research and teaching assistant. His responsibilities with these organizations were numerous but were primarily focused on wetland wildlife ecosystems and management.
In addition to Dr. Whiteside's experience, he has received numerous academic and research awards and honors including Sigma Xi, Alpha Zeta, Gamma Sigma Delta, Phi Eta Sigma and the Clemson University Honors Program. He was also selected by the U.S. Jaycees as an Outstanding Young Man of America (1982). Dr. Whiteside is the past President of the Georgia Environmental Restoration Association and has served in the past on the Wetland Wildlife Committee for The Wildlife Society and the Biological Advisory Boards for Texas Tech University and Kennesaw State University.
SPECIALTY EXPERIENCE:
Pipeline Maintenance/Relocation/Construction
Since 2001, Dr. Whiteside has provided overall management and oversight for multiple and ongoing projects in AL, GA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN and VA associated with Colonial Pipeline Company’s ongoing pipeline integrity maintenance and operations, pipeline replacement/relocation and pipeline construction with respect to ecological concerns. Responsibilities include federal and state jurisdictional waters (Section 404, Clean Water Act for wetlands and streams and River and Harbors Act, Section 10 for navigable waters) field delineation and corresponding buffers, GPS field survey of delineated boundaries, protected species surveys within the existing pipeline ROW, regulatory coordination/public hearings, and the preparation and submittal of necessary federal, state and local environmental permit applications in cooperation with design engineers to complete required pipeline maintenance, relocation/replacement and new construction.
Hydro-Power
Dr. Whiteside managed and conducted the development of a wildlife mitigation plan for the R.L. Harris Reservoir managed and operated by Alabama Power Company. The plan was developed in accordance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requirements. The preparation of the mitigation plan required the collection of field data on wildlife and wildlife habitat types in the project area. Project lands were surveyed for habitat cover type, the presence of wildlife, and wildlife signs, and the potential for wildlife management. These field studies, along with literature review and case studies, comprised the data used to construct wildlife Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP) models used in the development of a wildlife mitigation plan as required by FERC (as part of their licensing requirements) and the responsible state and federal resource agencies.
Water Supply Reservoirs
Dr. Whiteside managed and conducted environmental assessments and the required U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permitting for over 10 water supply reservoirs in Georgia. These projects involved delineation of jurisdictional wetlands, assessment of cultural resources, environmental permitting, regulatory and resource agency coordination, aquatic and terrestrial protected species surveys, and the development and implementation of wetland and stream mitigation plans. The mitigation plans were designed to offset wetland and stream impacts using ecological analyses, as well as hydrologic and hydraulic analyses to determine flood stage duration and frequency to restore functional aquatic ecosystems to compensate losses to similar habitat.
Transportation
Dr. Whiteside provided management and supervision of the data management aspects for the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Northern Arc MIS project. Using geographic information system (GIS) methodologies over 40 engineering, environmental and social variables were managed and evaluated to determine transportation needs and locations of various transportation corridors within the project study area of Bartow, Cherokee and Forsyth Counties. Transportation corridors were evaluated using GIS to identify those corridors, which minimized environmental and social impacts, and engineering costs.
Industrial Development
Dr. Whiteside led and managed the environmental permitting team assisting the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) in locating the Kia Automobile Manufacturing Facility in Georgia. The permitting team evaluated 4 large land tracts (2,000 – 3,000 acres) to determine the preferred site with respect to potential impacts to wetland/stream areas, endangered species, flood plains, and cultural resources related to the siting of Kia’s first North American manufacturing facility. Following the selection of a 3,000-acre site in West Point, Georgia, the permitting team performed a field delineation and GPS survey of the wetland/stream boundaries, endangered species surveys, managed the cultural resource survey and reporting. These data were used to prepare a Section 404 USACE permit application, as well as the EPD stream buffer variance application for the development of the site, which included the Kia facility, a new DOT interchange and access road on I-85, relocation of an existing Georgia Power substation and power line, and the development of a CSX rail spur to serve the Kia facility, as well as numerous support utilities (sewer, water, natural gas, fiber optic, etc.). The permitting effort included a detailed alternative site analysis, stormwater management plan, and mitigation plan to offset the impacts to 10,000 linear feet of stream and 25 acres of wetlands. The permits were obtained from the USACE and EPD approximately 3 months from submittal.
Waste Disposal
Dr. Whiteside conducted and managed the siting and environmental assessment evaluations for solid waste disposal facilities for numerous locations in the southeastern U.S. These evaluations included a wide range of qualifying and disqualifying criteria using GIS methodologies to elevate numerous locations for a new facility versus an expansion of the existing solid waste landfill facilities. Considerations such as disposal needs, haul distances, transportation routes, soils, geology, demographics, political boundaries, wetlands, hydrology, flooding, and public lands were addressed as siting criteria. Upon the selection of the preferred site and approach, detailed evaluations were conducted related to habitat assessment, wetlands, protected species, cultural resources, water quality, and facility design constraints. Mitigation plans were prepared and approved by the responsible agencies to offset losses to wetlands, streams, wildlife habitat, and flood control.
Commercial Development
Dr. Whiteside has led and conducted numerous USACE permitting assignments associated with large (> 100 acres) and small-scaled commercial developments in the southeastern U.S. These developments range from regional shopping malls, life-style centers, office complexes, health care centers to local retail centers. Typically, these development sites contain streams and/or wetlands. Design requirements include traffic, access, topography, storm water management and synergy with surrounding and existing developments, necessitate impacts to wetlands and streams. Due to federal state environmental regulations, the alterations of these aquatic resources require permits, which necessitate
ecological and alternative site analysis support investigations to be used in the corresponding permit application. Technical support services include baseline ecological and protected species surveys of the existing wetlands, streams and other habitats, water quality, permit application preparation and coordination with the lead engineering firm for project construction, and the development and implementation of mitigation plans.
Recreational Development
Dr. Whiteside has provided ecological and USACE permitting services for numerous golf course developments to include new and rebuilt courses and their associated support facilities (e.g., club house, maintenance facilities, parking, etc.). These services include vegetated cover mapping, wetland and stream delineation, field surveys for endangered species, and coordination with course architects for alternative course design and layouts to minimize environmental impacts, while achieving golf play objectives and ownership vision, and minimizing USACE permitting requirements. Numerous golf course projects have been completed for Native American interest to include sites in New York, Arizona, Oklahoma and North Carolina.
Mitigation Banking
Dr. Whiteside has directed, designed, completed and permitted 22 wetland and stream mitigation banks in Georgia for private and public clients. He has also done the same for a private client in Alabama and the Oneida Indian Nation in upstate New York. Services provided include site feasibility assessment, baseline (biological, physical and chemical) data collection, conceptual and detail mitigation design, and success monitoring to document ecological lift. Other services include the preparation of the draft and final mitigation bank prospectus, draft and final banking instruments, and regulatory coordination with the USACE and other members of the Inter-agency Review Team (IRT) as required by the USACE’s Final Mitigation Rule of 2008. Dr. Whiteside served as the Chairman and President of the Georgia Environmental Restoration Association (GERA) (2009-2012), which is comprised of mitigation bankers, ecological consultants,
engineering consultants, attorneys, contractors, government agency representatives, and others from across the state. GERA represents the interest of the mitigation banking community and provides input to the regulatory agencies regarding policy and procedures affecting mitigation banking.