Ecological Associates, Inc. | EAI Environmental Services
Our Co-President, Niki Desjardin, lived out a few of Ecological Associates core values by working alongside Audubon of Martin County and the Martin County Public Library system to provide “Birding Backpacks” for residents to check out in order to experience the fun of birdwatching. The project is designed to engage the community in our local […]
Students from Redeemer Lutheran School worked with Ecological Associates Inc. scientists during Ocean Research & Conservation Association’s (ORCA) 8th annual A Day in the Life of the Indian River Lagoon, Oct. 9, 2025, at Sandsprit Park in Martin County. ORCA is the nation’s first technology-based marine conservation association dedicated to the preservation of the Indian […]
Watch as our sea turtle monitor staff, Lilli, teamed up with The Surfrider Foundation to help educate the public on the data we collect with each nest we excavate. This data is crucial in helping biologists see trends in overall health and success of the nesting population we have here in Florida!
Back in June, the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce held a “Benthic Bioblitz” to catalog benthic macroinvertebrate biodiversity within the Indian River Lagoon. This event sampled 32 sites between the Sebastian and St. Lucie inlets, as well as nearby reefs, sifting through the material to find and identify the animals within. Two of our […]
Ecological Associates Biologist, Lauren Maline, was quoted in a local news article about the recent uptick in false crawls being documented along our coasts. A false crawl is where a sea turtle crawls onto the beach in an attempt to lay her eggs, but decides to head back into the ocean without successfully nesting. Many […]
Our EAI Team is influencing change on the East Coast of Florida Congratulations to our very own Joseph Scarola, Niki Desjardin, Matthew Scripter and former EAI founders Robert Ernest and Erik Martin for their hard work and dedication to the recent publication Changes in Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior on a Nourished Beach in Southeast […]
Our Director of Operations Niki Desjardin (pictured right) and Director of Business Development & Finance Jimmy Sellers (pictured left) are now the new official owners of Ecological Associates, Inc.! Our original owners and founders, Bob Ernest and Erik Martin, started EAI 30 years ago examining effects of beach nourishment on sea turtle nesting habitat along […]
The Florida Shorebird Alliance (“FSA”) has published its Monitoring Data at Work Annual Report, which reflects conservation efforts and positive trends for Florida shorebirds and seabirds. This report also informs of how to protect shorebirds and seabirds. Bird stewards ensure beachgoers are aware of fragile nesting areas and educate visitors about the remarkable species that […]
EAI is pleased to announce an important addition to its fleet, a 24-ft pontoon boat for freshwater/shallow water projects. We lovingly nicknamed her “Gator Bait” due to some superficial battle scars from the reptile so known and revered in Florida. EAI now owns three boats: a 25-ft Parker for work in nearshore ocean waters, a […]
EAI’s project manager and coastal protected species division lead, Grace Botson, is attending the National Habitat Conservation Planning (HCP) Coalition Annual Meeting this week in Austin, Texas! An active participant in Habitat Conservation Planning, EAI and Grace are thrilled to network with other policymakers and scientists to learn and discuss HCP development and implementation. Grace […]
